[5] The project's release was officially announced on September 28, with the duo confirmed the release date and previewing the album with a horror-themed,[6] "macabre" trailer directed by Gibson Hazard, narrated by actor Morgan Freeman; he recorded his contributions onto his iPhone at his home.

[7] The visual contains in-studio scenes of the pair, as Freeman informs viewers of the meaning of "savage mode": "'Savage' is defined as 'fierce, beastly and untamed'.

[10] It is a "nostalgic" and vintage artwork, "heavily" inspired by those of Cash Money and No Limit Records and is a nod to the "bling rap" album covers of the 1990s.

[6][10][11] A promotional website for the album was created, featuring a live countdown to the project's release and a phone number that listeners could call to hear snippets of the tracks.

[17] In a positive review, Dhruva Balram of NME wrote that "As a whole, the album is confirmation of two young artists at the top of their game, watching the landscape unfold from the throne they earned themselves four years ago".

[23] Robin Murray of Clash praised the "crisp and future-facing" production from Metro Boomin, as well as the rap performances by 21 Savage.

He concluded: "Savage Mode 2 matches ruthless entertainment to phenomenal artistry, a collaboration that works on a number of levels.

[27] Rashad Grove from Consequence enjoyed the album, saying, "21 Savage, accompanied by the golden touch of Metro Boomin, have given the hip-hop world their most well-rounded project to date, and they set the bar high for others to measure up to".

[24] Mark Elibert of HipHopDX said, "The Grammy Award winner shows he continues to be ambitious as an artist while keeping up the Slaughter King mantra he ran with early in his career.

For Young Metro, Savage Mode II asserts there's no rust on his boards and proves he's still one of the best architects in the game".

[22] Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Alphonse Pierre stated: "The first Savage Mode didn't become an ATL classic because of celebrity cameos or Billboard numbers; it was because Metro and 21 were at the peak of their powers, and only the producer is close here.

[21] Savage Mode II debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 171,000 album-equivalent units (including 22,000 pure album sales).