Grand Theft Auto 2 is a follow-up to Grand Theft Auto , where you lie, cheat, and steal your way through three districts of a huge city. Earn the respect of 7 different gangs as you demolish the town in your attempt to make lots of cash.
The game takes place at an undisclosed time in the near future. The player goes around answering phones to initiate various missions in a single town, but divided into three districts: downtown, residential and industrial. To unlock new districts, the player must reach a certain score by committing crimes and finishing missions. The game uses an overhead camera in a 3D landscape and allows the player to freely explore the city and steal any vehicle they set their eyes on.
Because the game now features multiple criminal gangs, the player must choose allegiances. Performing missions for one gang will decrease the player's reputation for another. When the player commits crimes, they also become wanted by the local police. As more crimes are committed without shaking the police, they will give way for SWAT Teams, then Special Agents and finally the army.
New features include the ability to save at the church when donating enough money, various side missions like becoming a taxi driver to earn money, and many new cars with weapons attached such as a firetruck with a flamethrower and a car with machine guns.
The game has different time constraints on different consoles. On PC, the player can change the time of day from noon to dusk for moody lighting. On PlayStation, the game can only be played at noon. On Sega Dreamcast , the game can only be played at dusk.