Three versions of the film exist: the Theatrical cut, a "Special Edition" of the film for Laserdisc, VHS and DVD and an "Extended Special Edition" available only as an Easter egg on the Ultimate Edition DVD. The "Extended Special Edition" was titled the director's cut on the European HD DVD release.
The special edition has been the same from release to release, with all the scenes that Cameron reinserted intact. There are, however, two scenes that Cameron shot but chose not to reinsert into the film which have been included as an accessible extra on most "Special Edition" releases. The first scene shows the T-1000's tactile approach to acquiring information about the physical world, "scanning" John's room with its fingertips, and eventually finding a hidden shoebox containing pictures and tapes of Sarah, seen at the end of the first film. The second scene is an alternate ending set in 2027 with an aged Sarah Connor reflecting on how Judgment Day was averted. The addition of these scenes is the only difference between the "Special Edition" and the "Extended Special Edition". This version can be accessed by pressing 8, 2, 9, 9, 7 (based on August 29, 1997, the date of Judgment Day) on the main menu of the DVD. The Easter egg is only functional on the Ultimate Edition DVD (no longer produced); however, these scenes can be accessed at a certain point in the film with the interactive mode on the Extreme DVD. In addition, the Extreme edition contains several Easter eggs, which include access to the theatrical version of the movie and a preview for the Ultimate Edition DVD.
The Extreme edition DVD has several DVD-ROM features, including Infiltration Unit Simulator and T2 FX Studio, an application where images of a person can be imported and morphed into a T-800 or T-1000, and Skynet Combat Chassis Designer, a program where viewers could build a fighting machine and be able to track progress online.[17] The Extreme DVD also contains a WMV-HD theatrical edition of T2, where the film can be watched, for the first time, in Full HD 1080p format. However the DRM rights required to watch the film had been heavily criticized.[by whom?]
Two Blu-Ray editions of T2 have been released, a UK and a US version. Both are presented in a grainy, slightly washed-out 1080p transfer and included no special special features and a DTS 5.1 audio track from the DVDs instead of a high definition audio track. On May 19, 2009, the film will be re-released on Blu Ray with an enhanced video transfer and TrueHD audio and will released in two editions: a "SkyNet Edition" and a limited collector's edition encased in an Endoskull. The limited collector's edition will include the Blu Ray "SkyNet Edition" as well as the Extreme Edition and Ultimate Edition DVDs and a digital copy of the film.