The game uses the same type of gameplay as in past WarioWare titles; the player must complete "microgames", a variation of "minigames".[3] The player is given brief instructions before each microgame, such as "Find!", "Rotate!" or "Shoot!".[3][1] Beating a microgame results in the game continuing to the next one, while losing causes the player to lose a life.[4] If four lives are lost, the game ends in a game over, with the player's three previous highest scores being displayed.[1][5] The game speeds up as it progresses.[6] After every fifteen points scored, the player must complete a "boss stage"; a longer, typically more difficult microgame.[5]
Touched! introduced touchscreen and microphone controls to the WarioWare series; all microgames can only be controlled with either of the two.[7] The game has 180 microgames, not including boss stages. The game's nine stages have 20 microgames in each.[8] Each level has a different theme, character, stage intermission and input style.[6] All input styles use the stylus to interact with the touch screen in various ways, such as poking or dragging.[9] Some microgames use the system's microphone; the player controls the game by blowing into it.[10]
In addition to the main stages, the player can access "toys" by completing a stage. These toys are simple minigames, sometimes based on microgames from the main stage.[11]