In a century, all that is left of the Earth will be the trash left behind by humanity. The races of a neighboring solar system have a fondness for artifacts left behind by extinct races. In Excavation Earth, you lead one of these races of alien explorers on their quest to unearth rare human artifacts and curate and sell the ultimate art collection.

Excavation Earth is divided into three rounds, each starting with the drafting of a hand of multi-purpose cards used to perform actions. Players then take quick turns performing actions that allow them to move their explorers around the world map, dig up artifacts, and send merchants to bazaars and deploy influential figures to influence prices and trade on the black market.

The artifacts you dig up can either be sold to the bazaars located on one of the alien ships that have landed on Earth, or added to a collection to be sold as a cohesive art collection to museums back home. Excavation Earth ends after three rounds and the player who earns the most money during the game wins.