Mega Man 11 retains the gameplay style of the classic Mega Man series of games, and features a 2.5D graphics style with 3D polygonal characters and 2D environments. Players control Mega Man in an attempt to stop Dr. Wily from using the Double Gear system that he invented many years before when he was at Robot University. Players travel through eight linear stages, which can be chosen in any way the player sees fit, and have to face Doctor Wily's newest Robot Masters, including Block Man, Fuse Man, Blast Man, Acid Man, Tundra Man, Torch Man, Impact Man (known as Pile Man in Japan), and Bounce Man (known as Rubber Man in Japan).
Mega Man can perform classic moves such as the chargeable Mega Buster and slide, as well as obtain new weapons by defeating Robot Master bosses at the end of each level. Unique to this game is the Double Gear system, which grants Mega Man two additional abilities: the Speed Gear and Power Gear. The Speed Gear lets Mega Man slow down time, allowing him to dodge attacks, while the Power Gear increases the attack power of Mega Man's weaponry, allowing him to fire two charged shots at the same time or a single, very powerful charged shot; however, there is a limit, showcased by a bar above Megaman's head, so if Mega Man uses them too much, he will overheat, making him unable to reuse them again for a few seconds. When Mega Man's health is critically low, he can activate both gears at the same time, slowing time and performing a powerful charge shot. This can only be used once and leaves Mega Man weakened after the limit expires: he cannot charge his shots, can only fire a single solar bullet at a time and he will only have one unit of life energy, making the next hit he takes fatal for him, and even the cooldown period where he cannot use the gears is longer because of the severe strains.[2]
The game has additional features including Time Trials, Missions, Global Leaderboards, a character gallery and more.[3] The game also features difficulty settings, last seen in Mega Man 10, expanding upon them for a total of four: Newcomer, Casual, Normal, and Superhero.[4] The Nintendo Switch version has Amiibo support, which can be used to unlock in-game items.[5]