Zeus made a large change to many gameplay mechanics, the most notable being the separation of common and elite housing. Indeed, for the first time in any city builder, an extensive and detailed tutorial was provided, which makes it very easy for any new or experienced player to understand the changed mechanics. Much of the game has been made more 'comedic' and less serious, and much of the gameplay has been radically overhauled to provide a simpler experience to new players.

Most adventures in Zeus are mythological in nature, but a few, such as the Peloponnessian War, focus on historical facts, with some twists. Unlike all other games, the adventures are not played in chronological order and simply cover important periods of 'history' for Greece: for example, the second adventure does not chronologically occur after the events of the first adventure, and so on.

As with all city builders, Zeus focuses on the paths of an ancient empire: in this case, it follows the Greeks.