Code: Veronica is the first Resident Evil game in the main series to use 3D backgrounds instead of the traditional pre-rendered ones. Despite this, the camera does not follow the player around, but swings between semi-fixed angles. However, two weapons in the game can be fired from the character's point of view. First person view mode is also available in the game's unlockable Battle Game minigame.
Gameplay remained largely unchanged from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (which was developed in tandem with Code: Veronica); features such as explosive oil drums and a 180-degree turn having been carried over to this game, though the dodge feature was removed. Items from Resident Evil 2, such as upgradeable handgun parts and "side packs" for larger item capacity are included, as well as new weapons such as crossbow arrows mixed with gun powder and anti-BOW rounds for the grenade launcher. A unique feature of Code: Veronica is the inclusion of various dual wielding pistols, allowing the player to target two enemies at the same time. Some of the more subtle improvements in Code: Veronica include the addition of continues, allowing the player to retry a scene after a game over, and the ability to pick and use a healing herb when the character's inventory is full.
Code: Veronica features two protagonists, Claire Redfield and her brother Chris. Code: Veronica forces players to take control of Claire for the first half of the game and then start the second half with Chris. All of Claire's weapons and items left in the item box are available for Chris to pick up in his half of the game. In addition, a third character, Steve Burnside, is briefly playable during the game's first half and Claire herself is playable during a short portion of Chris' scenario.
Like previous Resident Evil titles, there are hidden features that are unlocked after meeting certain requirements. After completing the main game, a Battle Game is unlocked in which the player can choose from one of five characters (Chris, Claire with her normal and one secret outfit, and two unlockable characters, Albert Wesker and Steve), travel through a series of rooms, clear each area of monsters and eventually defeat a character-specific boss in the quickest time possible. Both the main game and the Battle Game feature their respective unlockable weapons
