8Bit/Digi

Then There Were Two

It’s wise to release these games during the Road to Wrestlemania because the hype is real and circular. Watching WWE makes me want to play their games, and vice versa, so here I am living the wrestling dream. I often question whether we need a new one every year, but then I play the fresh version and get hooked all over again. WWE 2K25 is no different. It has the good, the bad, and remains on top without changing too much, appeasing hardcore fans and some casuals.

Everyone comments on how great these games look because the visual presentation is typically top-notch. The graphics are excellent for the most part, adding more polish with each version, but there are a few still images and character models that seem copied and pasted, with certain skins looking like they were thrown together quickly, or how parts of the crowd appear soulless. Maybe they’re just having a bad time at the wrestling show. The original arenas for the different modes here look wonderful and add variety. Every installment makes slight tweaks in the engine, usually pushing toward this more ‘realistic’ aesthetic, and it works.

The Draft and the Furious

Players have more control over the camera movement here, especially during entrances. This allows us to play cameraman and gives more moments that a cinematic touch. This makes Steel Cage and Elimination Chamber matches a little more appealing, even though some objects are still very much in the way. Wrestlers can bleed, of course, but now there’s a level of visible damage and bruising. It looks good, giving bystanders an idea of how brutal the bout has been.

Developer Visual Concepts knows that a game needs to look superb, but it’s more important that the gameplay is solid. The last few entries in this series have seen to that, with the actions and core mechanics remaining mostly unchanged. Opponent AI is all over the place, certainly better in some areas, ruthless when it needs to be, and ganging up on the player, but other times wrestlers will randomly wander off or set themselves up for elimination. Ref bumps are exciting, assuming they remember to do their jobs in the first place, and tag matches are easier to win with slightly better partners.

Most of the tweaks involve small adjustments or reductions, such as removing things like the block feature (which many felt was redundant). Some mini-games were altered, like reaching for items at the top of a ladder, and a new one was added for chain wrestling. The good news is that the settings allow players to change these types of interactions for a more enjoyable experience. I always try the mini-games out and usually turn them off after a while.   

I always recommend that people play a little bit, see what they do and don’t like, and then check the settings to help make the game more enjoyable for them. Many players will put a lot of time into this game and I’ve always made sure to go in and play with the jukebox lineup as well, as certain songs can quickly become annoying, but I was grooving a bit more this year, especially hearing Stormzy on there. The overall interface is quite serviceable, with decent menu navigation, and only a few options hidden away in odd places. The important modes are all represented with their own thumbnail images, but for those new to the series, all this content might seem intimidating.

Back By Popular Demand

There are always exhibition matches for some quick entertainment, featuring plenty of variations to choose from and two new additions with the Underground and Bloodline Rules stipulations. The first removes the ropes from the ring for something closer to an MMA-type encounter that encourages players to win by knockout or submission, while the second is a more chaotic and overbooked affair where each wrestler can call in their allies for help. I spent extra time with the Backstage Brawls this year because there are more areas to play in and a large amount of toys to help destroy someone with. The new WWE Archive setting stands out as one of the best playgrounds, replete with nods to the company’s history while trying to beat each other senselessly.

MyRise returns with another silly and enjoyable narrative, attempting to recapture the Nexus storyline in a play that seems a bit off at first while managing to deliver. Instead of splitting this mode into a men’s and women’s path, the player will control two characters in the same story, sometimes making decisions that change how much each is played. We choose between types of storylines we want to pursue also, like the chance to be ‘bold,’ ‘comedic,’ or ‘scheming,’ on top of decisions that may alter the path or determine who we ally with. Live Events are available now for additional practice and experience points, adding even more to this mode’s replay value since there are multiple endings and unlockables. We all love unlocking stuff.

We have a new Showcase mode as well, featuring matches from across the years starring members of the Bloodline, giving players some nice variety as they revisit moments in WWE’s illustrious catalog. The introductory videos from ‘The Wiseman’ Paul Heyman are fantastic because talking is this man’s gift. We see some archival footage before each event, but they’ve removed it from the middle of the matches this time, which I feel helps the flow with less downtime, while also taking something a little special away. This mode also allows us to unlock wrestlers, venues, attires, and championships, but most require the player to succeed in every objective. For some reason, they thought adding timed directives was a good idea, such as forcing us to do multiple combos within 30 seconds, but one reversal from the opponent means failure and starting over what is not a short match just to get all the rewards. This is the only mode that had me questioning if I should lower the difficulty, so I could spend less time focusing on the objectives and try to enjoy the classic matches where we can change history.

For those more interested in making their own history there’s Universe mode, where we can control the roster, assign stables, and make all types of decisions, or just choose to guide the fate of one lucky superstar. People seem excited about promos making a return to Universe mode, but they have no voice acting and just feel in the way at times. MyGM is a beautiful time sink where we take the booking seriously, picking from an excellent list of GMs to compete against other figureheads, all so we can suck up to Triple H and eventually reach the Hall of Fame for our meddling. This mode requires us to manage a budget, deal with performers getting injured and demanding special treatment, all while we use cards to help our situation and hurt others. Now, we can take this type of messy action online to battle our friends. One of the new big additions is cross-brand PLEs, which is a great idea to encourage healthy competition on paper, but it puts a little too much emphasis on the winners between each promotion and makes me want more time to focus on my storylines. Putting in go-home shows was a neat idea, but I’m still waiting for a better option for setting up a #1 Contender’s match. I enjoy this mode, even if there is a ton of tiny text to read.

We’ll Do It Live

What I can never get into: MyFaction, the card-based mode with matches attached. I made an effort to really dive in last year, and see what I was missing, but I couldn’t find the motivation this time around. It’s slightly updated as well with new card types and, events, and objectives, but fans of this gameplay will fall right back into the grind of virtual currency and opening packs to acquire new cards.

The big new attraction is The Island, something like a Mortal Kombat tournament where Roman Reigns has invited everyone out to compete for a WWE contract, minus the lethality. Players create a character specifically for this mode and are whisked away to a place that looks like the company’s version of a Disney theme park, and I will not be shocked if WWE makes this thing a reality in the future. It’s what I imagine that would look like, themed areas for popular superstars and groups with smaller restaurants and businesses named after individual personalities littered across the land. I can’t imagine what they’ll charge for bottled water. 

This is another neat idea and something that’s enjoyable for a few hours, but it quickly starts to feel more flimsy, like a shiny distraction rather than a worthwhile mode. I hopped between most modes on this game gleefully, but logging back into the island lost its luster after a while (the load times didn’t help). It’s mostly walking around in near-silence, reading text, going to shops to browse things I couldn’t afford, and doing a few interesting matches in a straightforward storyline that I’m not sure I’ll finish. There are good parts here, some inspiring design, but Street Fighter 6 did this gimmick better in their World Tour mode.

Biggest Nights of the Year

The last two modes I’ve mentioned unfortunately come with some heavy monetization elements, encouraging players to spend real-world money. See, everything on The Island costs virtual currency, whether it’s a new pair of Nikes, tattoos, or even attribute points to upgrade a wrestler’s stats. This place is expensive and will require a lot of grinding for people who don’t open their wallets. The same goes for MyFaction, where we can go through the mode without spending a legit dime, but get ready for an insane grind if we aren’t lucky with card pulls. The real dollar price isn’t cheap either. The Island could be a cool mode, but it’s hard to accept it with the monetary baggage. A little work for something can be enjoyable, but this feels borderline predatory. I fear we’ll see more of this, but if it stays this bad I’ll probably start ignoring these modes in the future also.

So yeah, there’s a lot to do and fans of the series will most likely dig the new installment, while new players are likely to be confused but get some serious enjoyment out of the experience. Some stuff may go unnoticed by people who haven’t played these for years. There’s a new Giant class that’s neat, even if I’m not big on their mechanics, it’s good to see some expansion. Possibly one of the best changes is the company allowing intergender matches again. It feels like something that should have been back years ago because I love pitting Rhea Ripley against Dominik Mysterio or doing R-Truth versus Nia Jax after what she did to him during that one Royal Rumble. They’re even letting the women get damaged and bleed, just like the boys.

Not everything saw improvements and additions. As much as people tout the creation suite, I feel it lost some of its luster. This feature is a big deal to some players, especially those trying to make awesome Create-a-Wrestlers (CAWS) and custom looks, but it feels like barely anything was improved and it was more annoying to find certain options. Custom arenas could also use some new toys to play with. 

Rise Through the Ranks

This brings us to the roster, which is completely stacked and all of the new entrants I’ve tried out like Jacob Fatu feel awesome. There are way more coming too, with the DLC introducing names like the Motor City Machine Guns and Penta, along with surprise challengers such as Abyss and New Jack. Truth is, we’ve been eating pretty well with Roman and Visual Concepts at the head of the table. These last few entries have been great, even if there are only slight improvements each year, it’s just hard to sell someone who isn’t really into it. I also think we’d be better off if they dropped something like The Island and put more effort into their better modes. I want things to improve more, not at a snail’s pace. We’ve gotten comfortable, and sometimes you need a bomb like WWE 2K20 to encourage a real revamp. Enjoy this one while we have it though because next year will be here before we know it.

Disclaimer: The publisher through a PR representative provided the game used for this review.

This review is the critique and thoughts of one writer. If you want to see how other critics felt then check it out on OpenCritic.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

WWE 2K25 (PS5)

9

Excellent

9.0/10

Pros

• Gameplay is still tight and enjoyable.
• The visual presentation is top-notch.
• Intergender matches are back!
• A huge roster and plenty to do.

Cons

• Virtual currency grind and monetization.
• Timed objectives for Showcase matches.
• The Island is lackluster.