Consisting of two balanced 62 card decks, the game pits two players against each other in a life or death struggle. One player takes the role of Colonel Ned McReady and his lawmen, and his opponent assumes control of the notorious and deadly Colty gang.

The game has an asymmetrical design, with both decks featuring different cards and abilities. Revolver is played using a 5-column system, representing consecutive gunfights. Gameplay is quick and bloodthirsty with bandits gunned down frequently, and law-men peppered with lead by the well-placed use of "Fire at will, boys."

Primarily a combat-driven card game, each player must manage his deck of cards effectively to win. In addition to simple, unique abilities, each card also has two values: power and cost. Some simple icons are used to display such things as 'coming-into-play' effects, and if a gringo has 'True Grit'.