ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 is based on the Winter Olympics, featuring 10 events that include skiing, curling, bobsledding, and figure skating. The gameplay for each event varies but uses similar controls that require tapping buttons to control speed, timing, and other factors.
The game offers four different gameplay modes, including Championship , where players compete in a series of events to win the gold medal, and Head-to-Head , which allows two-player competition. The ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 license adds to the realism with TV-style presentation and announcers for in-game commentary.
ESPN International Winter Sports 2002 was released on Xbox in January 2002 for the European market, later being re-released as part of the Xbox Classic compilation.