Paparazzi is a game where you take the role of a photographer who is after great shots of famous models. Unlike your typical paparazzi, you don't get to hide in bushes and take photos of women in compromising positions - instead, you go to preset photo shoots, and try to take the best shots of the subject using your rolls of film. You have a choice of three different models to take photographs of: Riho (a sporty girl), Lena (a supermodel), and Nano (an Internet idol).

Initially, you have a basic camera, but as you take better photographs, you can earn more money to upgrade its functionality. New lenses, such as telephoto and wide angle lenses can be used, and a tripod can be purchased to stop your shaky hands.

To get models to perform poses for you and to look at you, you can also perform an "appeal". You can dance, jump, call out, or wave your hands - each appeal has a different mini-game associated with it. If you perform the same appeal multiple times in a row, your subject will lose interest, so it's important to vary your actions. The more success you have with appeals, the more interesting and unique poses you can get your model to perform (which are worth more points in the photo shoot).