PlutoCrat is a game of interstellar commerce and exploration. Players take on the role of a young man or woman embarking on a career in a civilization that has just recovered the secret of interstellar travel after centuries of isolation.

New players choose a starting profession for their character, which determines the starting skills for their character. These skills affect how well the character performs various tasks in the game. (New players need not worry about making a mistake here; every character can learn any skill in the game, and the in-game university system allows characters to quickly learn new skills).

Players may choose from a variety of activities for their character. Merchants buy goods and transport them to other star systems for sale. Scientists examine technological relics hoping to unravel the secrets of lost technologies. Explorers attempt to find and open contact with other lost human colonies. Surveyors and prospectors explore far-flung worlds looking for valuable new resources.

PlutoCrat is an environment that links together a series of gamelets.