The player takes the role of Captain Scott Mitchell, who is a squad leader of the Ghosts. The game takes place in Mexico City, where separatists have attacked a North American summit, leading to the Canadian Prime Minister being killed and the Mexican and US presidents gone missing. Throughout the campaign, the player will need to rescue the presidents, recover a nuclear football and defeat the leader of the separatists.
The Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter experience on Xbox is less tactical than other versions, with a more streamlined level design played entirely from a first-person perspective. The game uses the UnrealEngine2, whereas other versions use the Yeti Engine. The player here only has one AI-controlled teammate with them and not a full squad.
The multiplayer components differ between the versions. Both the Xbox version features online multiplayer, while local multiplayer is only available in this version. The Xbox version supports up to four players in split-screen and up to twelve players on Xbox Live or System Link. The campaign can also be played in co-op by two players.