| Main centres: | 1-3 business days |
| Regional areas: | 3-4 business days |
| Remote areas: | 3-5 business days |
Max Payne is a third-person shooter, in which the player assumes the role of Max Payne. Initially, the player's only weapon is a 9mm Pistol. As they progress, players access other weapons including handguns, shotguns, sub-machine guns, long-range rifles, and hand-thrown weapons. To move the game along, the player is told what the next objective is through Max's internal monologue, in which Max iterates what his next steps should be. The prime emphasis of the series is on shooting. Almost all of the gameplay involves using bullet time to gun down foe after foe. Levels are generally straightforward, with almost no key-hunting. However, some levels do incorporate platforming elements and puzzle solving. Ammo is in virtually constant supply, as all enemies drop some ammo when killed.
The game's A.I. is heavily dependent on pre-scripted commands. Most of the apparently intelligent behavior exhibited by enemies, such as taking cover behind obstacles, retreating from the player, or throwing grenades, is pre-scripted. Thus, when replaying a level, enemies perform exactly the same behaviors each time. Enemies who dodge and roll are typically the Mercenaries (operatives in black ski-masks), Aesir Security Guards, and Killer Suits (henchmen wearing business suits and sunglasses).
Higher difficulty levels are extremely challenging; the "Dead on Arrival" level limits the player to 7 saves per chapter, and the "New York Minute" level forces the player to complete each chapter before the allotted time — replenished by killing enemies — is exhausted. Upon completing the game on "Dead on Arrival", Max is transported to the "Final Battle", where the player then fights in perpetual bullet time against 20 Killer Suits — each armed with the Pancor Jackhammer automatic shotgun.
On the highest difficulty setting, Max is (from a game perspective) extremely fragile and dies after suffering only 5 pistol bullets, 3 assault rifle bullets, or 1 accurate shotgun blast. Most enemies have more endurance than the player character, with later enemies being able to survive 2 or 3 times as much damage as Max. The player can heal Max by consuming "painkillers", which the player collects and carries, until he/she decides to use them.
The game play of Max Payne revolves heavily around bullet time. When triggered, bullet time slows down the passage of time to such an extent that the movements of bullets can be seen by the naked eye — it is a form of slow motion. The player, although his movement is also slowed, is still able to aim and react in real time, providing a unique advantage over enemies. This makes avoiding being shot easier and enables Max to perform special moves, such as shoot dodges where Max leaps sideways through the air while continuing to fire his weapon. The player is able to combine the use of Shoot-Dodge and Bullet-Time into only one key/button, but in both games, the player can also determine separate keys for both actions, making it possible to remain in Bullet-Time after Shoot-Dodging or using Shoot-Dodge out of an active Bullet-Time.
Occasionally, when the last character of a group is killed, the viewpoint switches to a third-person view of his falling body with the camera circling around it. Likewise, the camera will often follow the path of a bullet fired from the sniper rifle.
