Trey Walker of GameSpot wrote, ' Beach Head 2002 delivers arcade-style shooting in its most basic-and repetitive-form.' Walker said the game 'gets old quickly' and not an improvement over Beach Head 2000, though it is 'visually pleasing'. Metacritic, a review aggregator, rated the PC version of the game 46/100 based on five reviews.
Some weapons are unavailable in certain stages. One of the challenges of the games is shooting down aerial targets. Players can use different combat techniques, such as illuminating the field of battle, to defeat the enemies. Enemies arrive in stages to surround the player. Taking control of the defenses of a bunker during an assault, the player utilises a variety of weapons to defeat their enemies, including airstrikes and other military equipment.
