WWE 2K25 is exceptionally good. Visual Concepts has done a fantastic job building on the excellent base of earlier entries to bring an unrivalled amount of content for the budding wrestling fan this year. Whether it’s the return of chain wrestling, the best Showcase mode to date or the excellent additions to the ever-addicting MyGM and Universe modes, 2K25 is simply phenomenal.
It may come as no surprise to say this year’s gameplay feels similar to 2K24. That’s not a bad thing though, as the general flow of matches across the last couple of WWE 2K games has been nothing short of excellent. That said, the team’s brought back some highly requested features for 2K25 while introducing a handful of new ones to keep things feeling fresh.
One of my favourite features from earlier games was the back and forth tussle you’d get from the chain wrestling mini-game, which makes its long-awaited return in 2K25. Similarly, the slider submission mini-game has also returned as an alternative option for those who don’t like manically tapping buttons in the default submission mini-game. These returning features make for a more enjoyable experience in-game, complementing the brilliant blow-for-blow striking mini-game that usually comes at a pivotal point in a match.
Visual Concepts has also introduced intergender matches, barricade diving, new camera options for entrances, a handful of new match types – including the very enjoyable Underground match type – and the ability to do contextually-appropriate finishers off the top of ladders (think frog splashes and swanton bombs). These all add to the experience and general immersion of the game, whether you’re hitting a frog splash from atop a giant ladder onto an opponent laid out on a table below or watching your created wrestler’s entrance from within the audience – they all feel like meaningful, yet minor, improvements.
After a stellar showcase celebrating 40 years of Wrestlemania in WWE 2K24, I was genuinely curious about what the team could do to one-up itself in 2K25. That answer, of course, was showcasing the Bloodline Dynasty. This year’s Showcase mode dives deep into the roots of the Bloodline, covering the Anoa’i, Fatu and Maivia families and their historic rise through the company across multiple eras.
Paired with narration from the brilliant Paul Heyman, this year’s Showcase mode is easily the best in the WWE 2K series so far. That’s thanks to tinkering that’s been done with the mode, where you play through three different ‘styles’ of matches – reliving history, changing history and creating history. The former is all about reliving the major moments of the Bloodline that actually happened, like Yokozuna capturing the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan at King of the Ring ‘93, while the latter two focus on rewriting history completely, changing the result of a past match and dreaming up entirely new ones to experience.
I really like this change to Showcase mode as it kept the experience fresh all the way through. It’s also a genius way of making use of many wrestlers that have been part of the Bloodline. I was also glad to see the use of full cutscenes this year rather than the team relying on using old footage and slicing it in between gameplay, which felt jarring. Commentary being featured in each match rather than music was also a big plus, even if it was a bit strange to hear the modern commentary team commentating over matches from 30 years ago.
The only major issue I have with this year’s Showcase mode is the introduction of timed objectives. It was hard enough in previous Showcases to set the AI up for specific objectives, and that’s been made worse this year, as you now have to move relatively quickly to complete some objectives. No matter what they were, I felt like I had very little time to get the AI in the right spot to complete the timed objective, and it made the experience feel like a bit of a slog. Completing every objective nets you unlockables to use in other modes in 2K25, and having these unlockables tied to frustrating timed objectives, especially those done in multi-person matches, took away from the experience.
WWE 2K25’s advertising has been all about The Island. If you’re an NBA 2K player, you’ll probably be familiar with the premise thanks to its striking resemblance to The City. You create your character – known as a MySUPERSTAR – and are plunked on The Island – a sprawling, wrestling-themed space with up to 50 other players. The Island’s packed with things to do, with the ultimate goal to win favour with the Tribal Chief himself, Roman Reigns. To do that, you need to complete quests and level up, progressing through chapters that slowly unravel more about Roman’s challenge.
The Island itself has been designed to be chock full of callbacks to past and present wrestlers, including locations like the Arcade of Tomorrow, modelled after Asuka’s ‘Empress of Tomorrow’ moniker, and The Undertaker’s Graveyard. As someone who’s been watching wrestling for almost my entire life, I enjoyed exploring the variety of locations on offer and seeing the nods to WWE’s all-time greats.
That said, the visual experience is generally abhorrent no matter what platform you play on – character models look terrible, whether it’s your MySUPERSTAR or actual WWE Superstars, and the overall graphical fidelity is severely lacking when compared to other modes in the game. This, mixed with the litany of zany events and quests you go off on, just didn’t click with me.
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As a result, I spent very little time in The Island. Much like NBA’s The City, The Island loves to entice VC spend, whether that’s to use on cosmetics or to give your player a boost in stats, and it feels inherently gross.
I found the quests and story itself a bit tedious too, and while I did enjoy how Visual Concepts modelled shops and zones off of wrestler personas, I just didn’t have all that much fun in the mode. It feels like a slog at the best of times, and your time’s better spent elsewhere. That’s not to say there isn’t some level of potential here – I’m interested to see what a second or third iteration may look like down the line – but I couldn’t help but feel like The Island was purposely built to ring money out of players rather than creating a genuinely fun new experience to enjoy together with mates.
I had a much better time in this year’s MyRise story, dubbed MyRISE Mutiny. Rather than have two separate storylines like last year, this year’s story has you importing a custom male and female superstar and taking them through the same storyline. The story itself revolves around NXT being taken over by a range of talent that want to essentially overthrow the entire WWE, including Smackdown and Raw, with your superstars tasked to head up the counter attack. It’s clearly inspired by the Monday Night Wars in a way, and while it doesn’t always hit with its narrative it’s a fun, original story to play through.
MyRise also has branching storylines, meaning subsequent playthroughs are required for full completion. After finishing up a playthrough, you’ll be able to replay the story on your current save slot to bring your original custom characters through with their overalls carrying over, or start fresh on another save slot. It’s a nice change, and one that’s encouraged me to continue exploring the other optional storylines on offer.
Throughout the MyRise story, you’ll also be able to tackle Ally Storylines which allow you to play as a WWE Superstar rather than your custom one, which is a nice change of pace. As well as this, another new addition to the mode is Live Events – optional matches that will give you attribute points, unlockable superstars for other modes, MyFACTION cards and some MyRISE characters to use outside of the mode.
Speaking of MyFACTION, 2K25’s take on the card-builder is the best it’s been. The introduction of World Tour, which essentially replaces Proving Grounds from previous entries, breathes life into the mode – allowing you to take on unique challenges across the world and earn a variety of rewards. Matches in this mode come with different rules and stipulations, increasing in difficulty as you uncover new locations to visit.
While I’ve never been one for the MyFACTION experience, I’ve been glued to it this year – the addition of World Tour helps flesh things out, while I’ve also enjoyed Faction War runs and checking back in for the Weekly Tower and Live Event matches. Rewards feel scant thanks to 2K’s push for in-game purchases, but I’ve been able to get by without having to spend anything thanks to the multitude of ways to earn and level up cards.
Universe Mode has seen a couple of welcome changes in 2K25, with a particular highlight being the return of promos. Promos are now included in rivalry actions, and allow you to further build out storylines and rivalries in interesting and fun ways. They’re split up into five different categories – self promos, call-outs, promo interrupts and being able to issue or accept an open challenge. I had a great time playing around with each of these, with my particular favourite being the open challenge feature, which acted as a clean break after a major rivalry had concluded and I wanted to kick off something new.
Being able to assign multiple shows to the same day is a neat addition, as well as being able to now have PLEs run across two days. It feels like each iteration of Universe Mode is more detailed than the last, and I’ve absolutely loved my time with the mode – even if I’m not one to dig that deep into the bells and whistles of it all.
To round out 2K25’s offering, MyGM has received some small, yet meaningful, changes this year. Online support has now been added, allowing up to four players to play together. You also have the flexibility to sub in CPU or human opponents at any time on any save file, which is a really nice touch. The only downside is that you can’t actually play matches when playing with others online. That said, I’ve always viewed MyGM as similar to something like Football Manager, where you tinker around with the management and logistics rather than actually jumping in and duking it out.
One of the other big changes I really like this year is the inclusion of cross-brand PLEs, which has each brand in the MyGM save sharing the spotlight throughout the night. Openers and main events now feature superstars facing each other across brands, with the winner receiving a bonus for their brand. You’re also given a mid-card match and promo slot to finish off major rivalries and push your superstars. This means go home shows – which happen the week of the PLE – act as a way of finishing off smaller rivalries or kicking off new ones.
At the end of the day, it all comes together to form a hell of a package. With the biggest roster in a WWE 2K video game, a killer soundtrack and gameplay that continues to feel fresh whether you’re just starting out or are into your hundredth hour, 2K25 is an exceptionally good entry in the long-running series. Qualms about The Island and some expected jank aside, WWE 2K25 is one for the ages.
