Grand Theft Auto 2 for Game Boy Color is set in a fictional future and centers around a single city divided into three unlockable districts: downtown, residential, and industrial. Players engage in missions activated by answering phones and can explore the open world from an overhead perspective. Progression requires accumulating points through crime and completing tasks to access new areas.
The game takes place at an undisclosed time in the near future. Unlike the first game which featured three different cities, Grand Theft Auto 2 only features a single town, but it's divided into three districts which are unlocked one at a time: downtown, residential and industrial. Like in the original, the player goes around answering phones to initiate various missions. The game uses an overhead camera in a 3D landscape and allows the player to freely explore the city and steal any vehicle the player sets his or her eyes on. To unlock new districts the player must reach a certain score which is done by committing crimes and finishing missions.