In a Capture the Flag game, each team must capture the other team's flag and return it to their own base to score points. Game variations can require that their own flag be at home. Flag carriers in Halo 2 cannot fire a weapon and move more slowly than unencumbered players.

A gold Elite is King of the Hill on Midship, and guards his position with a plasma sword. King of the Hill is a game variation where players try to accumulate time in sole possession of a specific area of the map.

A Banshee approaches the high central area of the multiplayer map, Ascension. Most, if not all, of Halo 2's multiplayer maps are expected to be in settings similar to locations from the campaign mode.

Ascension has indoor and outdoor areas.

The Crazy King game mode is a variation on King of the Hill where the location of the hill moves randomly at intervals during the game.