Beyond the Sun is a space civilization game where players can decide the technological advance of humankind at the dawn of the Spacefaring Era, while engaging against each other to be the leading faction in economic development, science, and galactic influence.

Games are played over a fluctuating number of rounds until a number of game-end accomplishments are collectively claimed by the players. The winner is the faction with the most victory points, which are gained by researching technologies, improving their economy, controlling and colonizing systems, and finishing various accomplishments and events throughout the game.

On each turn, a player moves their action pawn to an empty space, then takes that action. They then perform their production phase, either producing ore, growing the population, or trading a resource for another. Lastly, they can claim up to one achievement, if possible.

As players obtain actions, they research new technologies that come in 4 levels. Each technology is one of 4 types (scientific, economic, military, commercial), and high-level technologies need to match one of the types of tech that steer into it. Therefore, players create their own technology branch in each game, using these actions to expand their military strength, to spring to different habitable exoplanetary systems, to colonize those systems, to enhance their resource production, to create android tech that allows growth without population, and more.