Hasbro Summit is a game of strategy, aggressiveness, luck, and suspense. Players assume the roles of Major Powers and compete to win the smaller, less fortunate Foreign countries to their side. The object of the game is to score the most points, which are earned for all Factories during the game and for all Bases and Factories at the end of the game. Mills do not score points but are needed to produce ‘I’ Beams, the materials needed to build Bases and Factories.

The game is played on a world map, and each player has a set of colored pieces that represent their Major Power. Players can build Bases, Mills, and Factories in their own countries and in Foreign countries. To build a unit, a player must have two ‘I’ Beams. ‘I’ Beams are earned as income for having Mills and Factories on the board. Players can also earn Power Chips, which can be used to remove opponents' units from the board.