Risk the Abyss is a 2-4 player dice game in which players compete to become the greatest Deep Sea Diver. Players take turns by rolling dice with a Yahtzee-style mechanism, and then executing the actions from the resulting dice. Each die face represents a different action that a player can take:
- Flippers and Anchors are used to move the Divers around the Ocean Grid.
- Harpoons and Keys are used to acquire Sea Creature and Treasure cards.
- Oxygen is used to hang onto face up cards.
- Radios are used to return to the Boat and bank cards.
Players must strategically collect sets of cards to gain the most points by the end of the game.