Grand Theft Auto 2 is a follow-up to Grand Theft Auto , where you play as a criminal who must lie, cheat, and steal your way through three districts of a huge city. Your goal is to earn the respect of seven different gangs by demolishing the town and making lots of cash.
The game takes place at an undisclosed time in the near future. You'll explore a single town divided into three districts: downtown, residential, and industrial. Each district will be unlocked as you progress through the game, and you'll need to reach a certain score by committing crimes and finishing missions. The player can freely explore the city, steal vehicles, and answer phones to initiate various missions.
The game features multiple criminal gangs, so you must choose allegiances. Completing missions for one gang will decrease your reputation with another. As you commit crimes, you'll become wanted by the police, who will escalate their response from SWAT Teams to Special Agents and finally, the army.
New features include the ability to save your game at a church when you've donated enough money, as well as side missions like becoming a taxi driver to earn cash. The game also introduces new cars with attached weapons, such as a firetruck with a flamethrower or a car with machine guns.
The PC version allows for more flexibility with time of day, while the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions have limited options.