Gem Valley is a match-3 game. The main character, Emily, loves her hometown of Gem Valley, but the place is run down. She needs the player's help restoring structures. The player earns coins, building materials and decorations by creating groups of at least three matching gems on boards across levels within a limited number of moves.
When the player creates a match-3 group, the game removes the gems and any nearby objects that it tasks the player to remove, such as soil patches or underground gold clusters, and then fills the gaps with a flow of gems from the top of the board. A unique aspect of this game is that the player must sometimes add elements to the squares behind the gems. For example, they might need to fill squares with a purplish material known as The Balm.�
Gem Valley provides numerous boosters. Three tools on the right vertical sidebar allow the player to perform certain actions without using the moves displayed above the task on the left sidebar. The player can also create boosters by matching more than three gems. For example, they can create rockets with four gems that either blast a single random spot or an entire column or row. With five gems, they create a rainbow ball that removes all of one type of gem from the board. Combining the ball with another booster duplicates the booster.
The player also receives coins and boosters via a daily bonus card game and from gift boxes. They receive additional winnings and special trophy-style shields by competing with other online players in different events.
