Tropical Island is a three-dimensional, farming-simulation game that teaches a player how to build and profit from a successful farm in a tropical locale. The player takes over all aspects of working and managing a farm, including gathering resources, trading for and buying supplies, planting and harvesting crops and making a profit off the land.
The player starts by cutting down trees, digging up stones and clearing grass to open up areas for agriculture. The game features an internal day and night system with a functional clock. The Tuk Tuk Shop car arrives at 9 a.m. and leaves at 5 p.m. with only a few horn warning beeps. The player can trade and buy goods during these hours, including seeds, plants, resources and tools.
Yet, daylight hours pass by quickly, which means that the player must try to complete their chores and move forward with business plans before nightfall. The avatar can run out of energy before night as well. That said, the player restores energy levels by watching advertisements.
Tropical Island tasks the player with shipping resources and other items to earn money. The player uses a wooden chest near their avatar's mailbox to transfer items from their backpack and send shipments. They must acquire everything from a list near the top left corner before they try to send their goods.
