Players once again assume the role of John Mullins, a military consultant working for the top-secret anti-terrorist group known as The Shop. In the game, players must tackle a wide-range of missions, from hostage rescue and intelligence gathering, to search-and-destroy missions.

Soldier of Fortune II brings to gaming a vivid damage modeling and animation system for body destruction. The game also includes an accurate reproductions of actual weapons and missions taken from international hotspots including Prague, Colombia, Hong Kong and Kamchatka. Level design in Soldier of Fortune II is flexible enough to allow for multiple styles of play. "Hit `em hard" with a frontal assault or use stealth weapons for a subtle approach.