The game was banned in China after six months of sales (having passed censor inspection with an incomplete copy of the game that lacked the final six levels of Chinese content), because it was perceived to damage the Chinese army's image. Xing orchestrates various events (such as armed robbery of advanced prototype technology from the Russian mafia) in order to get electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weaponry on a space rocket that he has launch control over.

The game's plot features a rogue Chinese General, 'Wu Xing' as the primary antagonist. Chris Ryan, a former Special Air Service operative best known for being the lone successful escapee of Bravo Two Zero, served as a consultant to the game. Covert Strike added multiplayer play and limited save game capability. The original, published by Eidos Interactive, offered only single-player play, and no game saves. It is the sequel to Innerloop's Project I.G.I. The game is a stealth-based first-person shooter. 2, is a 2003 tactical shooter video game developed by Innerloop Studios and released by Codemasters.

I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike, known in the PAL region as Project I.G.I.