SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs is a third-person tactical shooter. There are 14 different single-player missions. SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs is playable on five difficulty levels. At the start, the player can only choose from three of these. If the player completes the game on Commander, they can unlock the Captain difficulty level (which unlocks the Admiral difficulty level upon successful completion).

Every mission has primary, secondary, bonus, and crosstalk objectives