In this work, we present advances in the numerical modeling of the non-linear magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability (MCI) in relation to ion cyclotron emission (ICE) in fusion plasmas. We present the results of first 2D hybrid simulations of the MCI showing that only when excited waves propagate obliquely to the background magnetic field, the characteristic fingerprint of ICE in fusion plasmas is recovered. Different dynamics in 1D and 2D hybrid simulations of the MCI are observed and described. The results in the present work shed some light on the self-consistent dynamics of the non-linear MCI in scenarios where no analytical theory is available.