"The Thing" is a continuation of the story that was told in the original 1982 film of the same name. The game is moulded in the Survival-Horror style with a bent towards action and is viewed in the third-person.

After the events of the film and the apparent destruction of the U.S research base in Antarctica, a military rescue team is sent in to investigate the area and seek out any survivors. Throughout the game the player learns of the fate of the previous inhabitants and of the virus which caused those horrific events.

The player takes on the direct role of Captain Blake. Blake is in charge of a crew and is able to give orders such as follow, stay, attack or perform special functions. Team-mates vary in ability, some being medics while others are geared towards fighting and engineering. Blake is also able to give and retrieve weapons and ammunition from team-mates when needed.

Paranoia plays a major part in gameplay dynamics as well as in the film as potentially anybody could be infected with the strange virus. Team-mates are prone to being spooked when certain events occur and Blake must try to calm them by either giving them weapons and ammo, stimulants or more importantly by testing each other for the virus. A limited amount of testing kits can be found scattered around the place and allow the team to determine whether or not they are infected - leading to trust gained if clean, and lots of blood and death if not...