Call of Duty 2: Big Red One is a first-person shooter that has a single-player story mode and a multiplayer mode. The player takes on the role of a soldier protagonist named Roland Roger in specific missions during World War II from the perspective of the American 1st Infantry Division.

Players assume the roles of three protagonists: British SAS Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick (Elliot Knight), former Delta Force operator turned CIA SAC/SOG officer Alex (Chad Michael Collins), and Urzikstan Liberation Force leader Farah Karim (Claudia Doumit).