This game is a Japan-only port of the third game in the Puyo Puyo series originally made for the Arcades by Sega.
The name of Puyo Puyo Sun comes from a Japanese pun on `san`, and also indicates a new Ojama brought into the game. As Sun Puyos were used in this game, and the game itself is not only set on a tropical beach, but is the third in the series (三, `san` is the Japanese word for the number 3), the name suited the game. The Ketteiban (Definitive) edition of the game introduces a nazo puyo puzzle mode. Rerecorded audio tracks and voice acting, using higher quality audio tracks from the arcade version as a source.
Just like the predecessors, Puyos fall from the top of the screen in pairs, can be moved left and right, and can be rotated clockwise and anti-clockwise by 90°. The rule of Sousai and Zenkesei still remained, but every time you countered, special garbage would fall on the screen in a preset pattern. Every time you cleared the screen however, Sun Puyos would fall on the screen, and the All Clear bonus removed.
The game features 3 story modes featuring their own character and difficulty: Draco Centauros (Easy), Arle Nadja (Normal) and Schezo Wegey (Hard).