In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Virtua Cop 2" on their November 1, 1995 issue as being the second most-successful dedicated arcade game of the year. Reviewing the arcade version, a "Next Generation" critic commented that "the action, enemies, variation of levels and backgrounds, and the fun are all so improved over "Virtua Cop", and in all the right places, that no other laser-gun shooter comes close to it right now". He especially praised the high frame rate, the level design, the need for skilled aiming, and the way the game is paced such that bouts of intense shootouts with "multitudes of terrorists" are broken by short pauses to give the player a breather.