Unlike most Lego video games in which players had to advance through the story in a linear order, players can choose to start the game from any of the nine Skywalker saga episodes and complete them in any order they wish.^[2] Each episode will have five story missions, making a total of 45 levels. Combat has been revamped from previous titles, such as lightsaber wielders now using a variety of combos with light attacks, heavy attacks, and Force moves, and blaster characters having an over-the-shoulder camera (angle featured in many third-person shooter games).

Much like its predecessor, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the game’s hub will not be a single area, such as the Mos Eisley Cantina in Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, but a wide range of fully explorable planets filled with many iconic Star Wars landmarks. Planets and moons confirmed by the developers so far to be explorable in the hub include Coruscant, Naboo, Tatooine, Geonosis, Kamino, Utapau, Kashyyyk, Mustafar, Yavin 4, Hoth, Dagobah, Bespin, Endor, Jakku, Takodana, D’Qar, Starkiller Base, Ahch-To, Cantonica, Crait, Ajan Kloss, Pasaana, Kijimi, Kef Bir, and Exegol. Many ships will have freely explorable areas in the hub as well, such as Star Destroyers and the Death Star. Random encounters will also happen in the game’s hub. For example, an Imperial Star Destroyer could suddenly jump out of hyperspace and send a fleet of TIE Fighters after the player. Players can choose to engage in dogfights with them or continue onward to progress the story.