In Pet in TV the player takes control of a virtual pet, which resembles a more complex version of the Tamagotchi. The player can choose from a selection of PiTs and name it.

It is then up to the player to nurture their PiT and allow it to explore the 3D world, learning from its encounters with scenery and objects through trial-and-error. Once these behaviours are learn, the PiT will know how to respond to those objects in the future (such as a Flower, or a Spike). Whenever the PiT becomes injured, or tired, returning it to its home will allow Dr. Y to fix it. The objective then becomes for your PiT to solve puzzles on its own - for which it will be rewarded with AI upgrade chips.