Formation Armed F is a vertically scrolling shooter. The basic gameplay principle offers no surprises: shooting a lot of aliens without getting hit by their attacks. Additionally there are environmental obstacles like poisonous gas or walls. Of course the player can collect power ups to upgrade the ship, e.g. speed-ups or a large variation of weaponry. Each of the seven levels has its own set of weaponry which suits the enemies. The big exception are smaller ships which stay near to the main ship. By pressing a second fire button, the formation can be changed. There are no continues.