Rope Sorting is a sorting game similar to test tube water sorting games. The player sorts colorful sections of rope on gray spools. Their primary goal is to finish the tasks on each level with one color per spool.
The game provides the player with at least one empty spool per level and several spools that have a mix of colored sections of rope wrapped to form bands. On some levels, other objects take the place of the spools, such as round caps.
When the player selects a spool wrapped with rope sections and then an empty spool, the game automatically moves the top colored band to the empty spool. It will also move the section of rope to a gap at the top of a spool wrapped with matching rope. If the first spool has too much rope to fill the gap, it will divide the rope and fill the gap with half.
Rope Sorting gives the player a +1 button marked with a spool and a back arrow button in the upper-right area. They can use these tools to install new empty spools and undo moves, respectively.
The player receives access to five new spools and 10 undo moves. After they use these tools, they must view ads for additional access. They can also use an ad view to skip a level via the lower-center Skip button.