TenXion is an asymmetric multiplayer third-person shooter designed to assist with artificial intelligence research. One player controls a robot fighting to escape a prison and his mutant captors, and other players control mutants trying to bring the robot down. The robot wins by reaching the exit to the level, while the mutants win if the robot is destroyed before it escapes.

Players take turns controlling the robot, while mutants can die and respawn any number of times, with their respawn points shifting as the robot advances through the level. As the game's research goal is to take the choices made by players to gain insight into decision-making and future A.I. design, those players who are controlling mutants have a variety of characters and strategic options at their command, allowing for many different styles of play. The game is fast-paced, with each session taking 2-3 minutes or less, and is most enjoyable with 3 or more players.