Dakar 2 is a racing game, of course simulating the famous Paris-Dakar Rally. Although not the real 6000 kilometers can be crossed in the game, the rally mode takes the player through 12 tracks all the way from France to Dakar. The tracks lead racers through cities, forests and the desert. Most of them are simple tracks, but there are desert tracks where the player can drive around freely, finding the checkpoints faster than the opponents. The player can choose from the officially licensed cars, trucks and bikes from Dakar 2002, but only vehicles of the same type can compete in a race. There is also an arcade racing mode, where all the tracks and vehicles that have been unlocked in rally mode can be selected, as well as a splitscreen mode for two players.