The game components include a game board representing Tokyo, dice, energy cubes, and player boards for tracking health and victory points. Each player chooses a monster character and places their corresponding standee in Tokyo.
The objective of "King of Tokyo" is to be the first player to either reach 20 victory points or be the last monster standing. Players earn victory points by dealing damage to other monsters, entering Tokyo, and staying there to absorb attacks from other players.
On their turn, players roll a set of six custom dice, each featuring symbols representing attacks, energy, healing, and victory points. Players can reroll the dice up to two times, choosing which results to keep each time.
The game features strategic decision-making as players choose whether to attack other monsters, heal themselves, gain energy cubes to purchase power-up cards, or go for victory points. Additionally, players must weigh the risks of staying in Tokyo to earn points versus the danger of taking damage from other monsters.