Critically, "Mega Man Xtreme 2" received an aggregate score of 74.17% on Gamerankings.com. Most reviewers saw the game as an improvement over the first "Mega Man Xtreme" with the addition of the DNA Soul system and the option to play as both X and Zero. Skyler Miller of Allgame and Giancarlo Varanini of GameSpot respectively noted these features as "somewhat fresh" and "interesting". Game Informer summarized "Mega Man Xtreme 2" as significant upgrade to its predecessor, citing the sequel's two playable characters, multiple hidden modes, higher boss intelligence, and a steeper difficulty curve. Varanini found that most of the unbalanced difficulty from the first "Mega Man Xtreme" has been alleviated, save for parts where the player must blindly leap off platforms without being able to see the next portion of the screen. Miller stated that, like other "Mega Man" titles, the game's challenge level tends to be frustrating without ever feeling impossible while encouraging the player to practice.