Jump in the boots of a mercenary sent to an African country where the civil war breaks out. Your target is a notorious arms dealer that supplies both sides of the conflict. As the player arrives at the hotel, they pass out due to malaria. Waking up, you find your target standing over you, reading the mission briefing. The player is too weak to eliminate the arms dealer due to malaria-induced weakness. The Protagonist is left for dead by their target as shooting begins outside the hotel. Get out there, find the target and eliminate him.

Far Cry 2 is the first game to feature an open world. It offers a large set of means of transportation. A day-night cycle is also featured. Far Cry 2 is a very realistic game featuring weapon degradation, dynamic weather, simulated fire, vegetation regeneration, the players even have to take out the physical map and GPS in order to find their way in the game world.

A class-based multiplayer mode with up to 16 players is also featured.