Arena is a 65-card deck of gladiators and their equipment, including a hodgepodge of technology levels and genres. The game is played in a poker-like fashion, with ante, partial information reveal, and bids. However, the winner is determined by a combat round, in which players roll attacks and place special cards from hand to eliminate others.

From the game box:
2 to 7 players battle in the ARENA with Gladiators, Equipment and Action cards. Players use luck of the draw, dice rolling and individual strategies to defeat all other Gladiators in the Arena and win all wagers placed on them.

From the publisher's website:
Arena combines the advantages of a CCG, similar to poker, with the excitement of dice rolling and wagering – to achieve an extremely entertaining playing field... where a techno-armored Mean Ol' Bear© with a rocket pack could possibly defeat a flying fire-breathing dragon; (...where a flush could possibly beat a full house) winning the pot against impossible odds.