Deep underground, in a pixelated room of grays and whites with a grid-style wall and oddly shaped floors, ceilings and side walls, an ominous voice tries to convince the player that leaving isn't an option. The room has entry and exit doors. Yet, it isn't easy for the player to walk their avatar from one end to the other because of spikes that cause the avatar's body to explode in a disgusting spray of vibrant red blood.
The only way the player can help them navigate out of the room is by rotating the entire room and using gravity and walking and jumping movements to reach safe surfaces. Every room has unique twists and turns along with more obstacles, including hydraulic metal doors and rotating serrated saw blades in the floors.
At nearly every turn, the voice, via red text onscreen, attempts to manipulate the player. They even go so far as to say that a cat that appears is trying to deceive the player and lead them away from freedom. This is a lie. The cat actually shows the player how to escape the laboratory.
Although Rotate features 16 unique escape rooms, the player can explore greater challenges with timed gameplay. They can also make their own custom rooms with an in-game editor.