Tom & Jerry is a platform game. Playing as Jerry, a mouse, the player travels around five rooms in a house to search for cheese. The player has a time limit to consume all the cheese and must also evade Tom, a cat who wants to harm Jerry. If Tom grabs Jerry, the player loses 30 seconds of time. The player loses if the time limit runs out before all the cheese can be consumed.

As in the cartoon, Jerry can use a variety of items against Tom. This includes bowling balls and vases that can be dropped on Tom's head from a shelf, and banana peels which can be laid on the floor for Tom to slip. Reaching a shelf requires the player to jump on a sofa, propelling Jerry into the air. The player can also activate a radio or television to distract Tom. To evade Tom, the player can also enter mouse holes which lead Jerry through tunnels, played as a continuously scrolling sub-game. While in the tunnels, the player must evade bombs that are thrown inside by Tom. The player can also collect cheese in the tunnels to restore lost time. The tunnels connect to each room in the house.