Sky Shark is a vertically scrolling 2D shooter which puts you in the cockpit of a P-40 Tiger Shark Fighter during World War II. Your mission is to search for American POWs, which are hidden deep in enemy territory.

As you fly through the five levels of play, tanks, planes, gunboats, and bombers will bombard you with bullets and bombs. You must shoot everything in sight while trying to avoid getting hit. Other targets for you to shoot include railway cars, bunkers, and naval guns.

The plane you pilot is armed with machine guns and bombs. You can add to your arsenal of bombs by picking up 3B2s, which appear when certain targets are shot, and you can enhance your machine guns by picking up 3S2s, which appear when you shoot down a formation of eight red aircraft. When you shoot down a formation of eight yellow aircraft, you receive bonus points. Also, bonus points are awarded for every bomb you have left after you reach the next airfield.