Paperboy is a single-player or alternating two-player delivery action game.

The player controls a newspaper carrier riding a bicycle through a suburban neighborhood while completing a daily paper route. Each route contains subscriber houses that must receive a newspaper, as well as non-subscriber houses that can be damaged for extra points. The main objective is to survive the route, deliver papers accurately, retain subscribers, and continue working through a full week of deliveries.

Before each route, the game shows which houses are customers and which are not. Subscriber houses must be served by throwing newspapers into their mailboxes or onto their porches. Missing a delivery, breaking a subscriber’s window, or otherwise failing to complete the route properly can cause that household to cancel its subscription on the next day. If every remaining customer is served successfully, the player may gain a new subscriber.

The route is viewed from an angled overhead perspective as the paperboy rides forward along the street. The player can steer left and right, adjust speed, and throw newspapers while avoiding obstacles. Hazards include cars, dogs, skateboarders, pedestrians, construction workers, rolling tires, lawn equipment, street objects, and other moving or stationary dangers. Crashing into an obstacle or being hit causes the player to lose a life.

Newspapers are both the delivery tool and the player’s main way of interacting with the environment. They can be thrown at mailboxes, porches, windows, targets, and certain objects along the route. The player begins with a limited supply of papers and must collect additional bundles during play to avoid running out before the route is complete. Accurate throws are important, since the paperboy must balance successful delivery, scoring opportunities, and the need to preserve enough papers for the remaining houses.

Scoring is based on deliveries, damaged non-subscriber property, objects hit with newspapers, and bonus opportunities. Delivering to a mailbox is worth more than landing a paper on a porch, while breaking windows or hitting decorative objects at non-subscriber houses can add points. The game encourages risk-taking, since aiming for extra targets may increase the score but can also waste papers or lead the player into hazards.

At the end of each completed delivery route, the player enters a training course. This bonus section contains ramps, targets, barriers, and other obstacles. The player can throw newspapers at targets and ride over ramps for additional points. Crashing in the training course ends the bonus segment but does not cost a life in the same way as crashing during the main route.

Progression is organized by days of the week, from Monday through Sunday. Later routes add more hazards, tighter obstacle placement, and greater pressure to maintain control while still completing deliveries. The player can also choose from difficulty routes such as easier and harder streets, depending on the version, which affects the pace and scoring potential.

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