Alpha Protocol

Alpha Protocol is played from a third-person perspective, allowing the player to see Thorton and his surroundings at all times. As Thorton is a trained CIA operative, the tools at the player's disposal include numerous firearms, hand to hand combat  using Kenpo  and spy gadgets.

In addition to the action elements, players also earn Advancement Points, which can be placed into any of the ten different skills in the game.These skills will increase Thorton's ability to use certain weapons and grant different abilities to him. These abilities are free to use, but require a "cooldown" period before they can be used again. One ability that has been mentioned in previews allows Thorton to scan a group of enemies in slow-motion before popping out of cover and shooting each of them more rapidly than he would be capable of normally.

Players can customize Thorton's skin tone, headwear, facial hair, hairstyle, eye color and eye wear.

The player can only carry two weapons at once. Pistols are weaker and shorter-ranged but they and assault rifles are the only two classes capable of precision shots, and only pistols can be suppressed for stealth or use tranquilizer rounds to avoid fatalities. Assault rifles do more damage and have longer range, and can be used quietly by using expensive and rare subsonic ammunition. Shotguns and submachine guns are good at short range; while the shotgun user can charge up for a critical hit to knock an enemy down, the SMG user gains a damage increase as more of his shots hit targets in a short time.

Weapons can be customized by placing modifications in one of four slots: the barrel, the scope, the magazine, and the accessory slot. These modifications can have both positive and negative effects on the weapon's attributes: Damage, Accuracy, Recoil Control, Stability, and Magazine size.

Characters can also choose and customize their armor. The main function of armor is to provide Endurance—a pool of regenerating hit points—to Thorton, but different suits can specialize in stealth or increasing the amount of gadgets Thorton can carry in his inventory.

The player can choose also which skills to advance, allowing them to change their play style. The character can advance skills which make him kill his enemies more efficiently (Pistol, Assault Rifle, Shotgun, Submachine Gun, Martial Arts), make him better with gadgets (Sabotage), harder to kill (Toughness) or spot (Stealth), or provide miscellaneous benefits (Technical Aptitude).

Alpha Protocol has a hub structure, in which Thorton must use safe houses in each city in order to lie low between missions. From a safe house, Thorton can change clothing, access a weapons locker, telephone contacts, and attempt missions. Some missions are critical to the progression of the story, while others are optional. Players can buy and sell weapons and equipment within their safe houses.Cities include Rome, Moscow, Taipei  and a city in Saudi Arabia.

The player can only carry two weapons at once. Pistols are weaker and shorter-ranged but they and assault rifles are the only two classes capable of precision shots, and only pistols can be suppressed for stealth or use tranquilizer rounds to avoid fatalities. Assault rifles do more damage and have longer range, and can be used quietly by using expensive and rare subsonic ammunition.Shotguns and submachine guns are good at short range; while the shotgun user can charge up for a critical hit to knock an enemy down, the SMG user gains a damage increase as more of his shots hit targets in a short time.

This is compared to that of splinter cell Tom clancy, hero lives to tell the story.