The gameplay revolves around solving math problems to unlock doors and progress through the school. However, these problems are often obscured by a myriad of distractions and mechanics that Baldi throws at the player to hinder their progress. These include, but are not limited to, having to deal with 'educational' videos that provide no actual learning value, dodging Bully Boogaloo, a character who randomly appears to attack the player, and navigating through seemingly impossible paths.