Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a side-scrolling action game with a T-800 Terminator as the player character. The NES version includes five levels based on the film. The first level is set at a truck stop, where the player must beat up truckers and acquire a motorcycle and gun. The second level is played from a diagonal overhead perspective, as the T-800 flees on motorcycle from a semi-truck, driven by the T-1000. Driving through a flood channel, the player must avoid debris while simultaneously using the gun to shoot at the oncoming truck, keeping it back a safe distance.

The player then searches for Sarah Connor in a mental hospital, encountering staff members and the T-1000. The player loses energy if they kill any hospital employees, and instead must crouch down and shoot them in the leg, disabling them. The player then travels to Cyberdyne Systems to plant explosives and destroy the facility. A final battle ensues between the two Terminators in a steel mill. The Sega versions omit the motorcycle level.