WWE 2K25 Review

I still remember playing WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2007 with my brother, recreating some of our favourite WWE moments, looking past that game’s quirks and limitations, and creating some memorable pieces. Fast forward to WWE 2K25, developed by Visual Concepts, wrestling simulation is no longer bound by technical limitations but instead only limited by a player’s imagination. WWE 2K25 offers countless creative freedom inside and outside the ring, and apart from a few questionable game modes, provides a headlining wrestling performance.

Familiar or not to the WWE franchise, WWE 2K25 does a great job with its opening tutorial section set in the WWE Performance Centre, explaining in detail each aspect of the ring and the many moves and interactions. A practice arena for real-life superstars translates well into an introduction for newcomers to the WWE 2K franchise. It has been quite some time since I played a WWE game, but muscle memory kicked in, and with the great tutorial sections, I was back up to speed fast. In this tutorial section, it started to hit me that this was no longer a limited representation of the action in a WWE ring, but this was now as lifelike as it could get, and I was just scratching the surface.

After the tutorial section, I was presented with a number of various game modes that the WWE 2K franchise has built over the years, and I was let loose on whatever direction I saw fit. Menus were accompanied by a stellar soundtrack showing the best of today’s metal, rap, and pop genres. For players intent on playing in matches without any of the bloat, you can just do that in “Play Now”, with one of the biggest star-studded rosters in any WWE game, with a large, expansive selection of matches from the newly introduced intergender matchups to the classic Royal Rumble; you can set up any match you like.

I was eager to dive in and see what WWE 2K25 had to offer, and a few minutes into my first match, I was completely blown away by the amount of detail that goes into each match. I feel every hit with a resounding thump as you beat down an opponent. From jumping off the top rope to timing a reversal, it all feels fantastic and responsive. Nothing feels overbearing, and my partner, who doesn’t play a lot of games in this genre, had clicked to the controls and gameplay within a few minutes, showcasing WWE 2K25’s approachability. As time went on in a Money in the Bank match, I was awestruck at the marks and sweat that began to appear on characters in the ring with each hit they took. You can see it in each superstar’s movements and the gruelling toll that begins to set in; each superstar looks fantastic to the last detail.

There are many welcome additions to the wrestling experience, such as chain wrestling that usually starts off a real-life match that’s recreated in remarkable detail, back-and-forth shots that drive up a crowd, pin reversals that had me on the edge of my seat, and crowds chanting “this is awesome”. One notable addition is a third-person camera that completely changes a player’s perspective during matches and entrances. Visual Concepts really have done a tremendous job nailing every last detail; each match is fun and exciting, and I found myself often in awe at the many spectacles of each match.

The highlight for me in WWE 2K25 and one of the main selling points of WWE 2K25 is Showcase mode. I love how WWE centres on a particular storyline or group with each entry. WWE 2K25 features arguably one of the most important pieces in WWE history, The Bloodline’s Dynasty. You control various members of the Bloodline throughout history, from The Rock and Umaga to Roman Reigns and the Usos, as you relive or, in some cases, rewrite history as you lead each member to victory. In previous Showcase modes, sometimes matches in the game would cut to archival footage, which was a nice touch but could break up the gameplay flow. In this year’s Showcase mode, moments are recreated in-game and blend seamlessly with player control. 

There is one factor that elevates this showcase mode to the next level, and that is the wiseman himself, Paul Heyman, acting as narrator and guide through the annals of Bloodline history. Showcase mode is both an interesting history lesson and an opportunity to relive all these electrifying moments firsthand. On top of this, the match commentary is specific to the moment and is fantastic. Commentary isn’t just random cuts of conversation that you often find in these games. 

Throughout each Showcase match, there is a small number of objectives that you can complete on top of winning to unlock further cosmetic rewards. These objectives are well thought out and help reflect what happened during the real-life match, but there are a handful of objectives that are timed and often result in frustration. For example, an objective would ask me to lock someone in a submission, and then a following objective would pop up with a 30-second timer while I was performing the submission. By the time the submission was broken, I only had five seconds to go and ended up missing on bonus unlocks. These made some objectives feel based on luck and you being in the right position at the right time (I’m looking at you, Money In The Bank). Completely scrapping the random timed objectives would have improved the Showcase mode, allowing me to appreciate the matches even more instead of honing in on an unnecessary timed detail. Outside of these odd objective choices, WWE really delivered with this year’s showcase mode, and I’m hoping Paul Heyman somehow becomes a mainstay in the WWE video game narration.

MyRISE is considered the story mode of WWE 2K25, creating a custom character that is thrust into the world of WWE in a storyline that involves a large number of Superstars. This mode is a great way to interact with the world in fully voiced scenes and scenarios. Matches are split up between small activities such as interacting on your social media and making simple choices with other superstars. Some parts of this mode do feel a bit too simple for this modern age, but MyRISE has a large offering of content with choices dictating what you see and do. Further replayability is offered to experience new storylines, including Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley.

Visual Concepts really have done a tremendous job nailing every last detail; each match is fun and exciting, and I found myself often in awe at the many spectacles of each match.

The mode that intrigued me the most, however, was WWE 2K25’s The Island. A place where we join an online world in pursuit of gaining favour from our tribal chief, Roman Reigns. After a few hours into this mode, it became clear that this mode is nothing more than a cash grab grind that drags down the rest of WWE 2K25’s fantastic offering. 

You create a custom character and navigate a theme park world full of WWE locations and shops that house cosmetic items. These clothing items are all ludicrously priced with a virtual currency. After doing the math, I would have to pay $16 NZD for one pair of Nikes. Currency packs are predatory, with one pack being just short of what you need for most items, requiring you to buy two. 

Outside of this cosmetic rip-off. The Island’s content consisted of me running around a mapless theme park, getting lost with some characters even commenting that “finding the right place is half the battle”, competing in random matches against even more random custom-made characters (one wearing a chef jacket, another dressed like a clown). 

The Island consisted of me participating in these random matches because Roman Reigns told me to via a small paragraph of text. Virtual currency is also rewarded during missions; I would be lucky to afford one pair of Nike shoes after 50 matches. Honestly, this game mode is a complete letdown and has no place compared to the rest of WWE 2K25’s game modes. This mode belongs in a mobile game spinoff and is something I hope does not get repeated in future WWE 2K titles. 

Any diehard fan has an insane amount of creation tools at their disposal in the WWE2K25 creation suite, with players able to lose days just putting together characters with their own movesets, entrances, and victory sequences. Don’t forget custom belts, briefcases, shows and custom videos. The amount of content in the creation suite alone is dizzying. The community is already putting this to good use, recreating missing superstars that have gone to rival promotions, with me downloading Edge almost instantly in near-perfect fan recreation.

Carrying on in a creative fashion is the WWE sandbox, Universe mode. Allowing players to recreate their favourite shows down to every detail, every match, and every promo. Everything that eager fans create can be fully realized in this mode and is a true WWE fan’s dream. I’m no creative expert and preferred participating in modes like Showcase and MyRISE, but I can see how people can really push their imagination in this mode. 

Rounding out WWE 2K25’s mode are MyGM and MyFACTION. Future WWE managers can rejoice with MyGM mode, with you running your own show from a manager’s standpoint. This is involved as much as you’d like, with you being able to simulate or compete in your pre-done matches from a manager’s standpoint, but it does feel like a more segmented version of WWE Universe. MyFACTION is the card collecting game of WWE that has carved out its own niche. A boggling amount of menus introduced this mode that also made me think, this doesn’t exactly belong here and would be more appropriate to be its own spin-off game.

A review code was provided by 2K Games for PlayStation 5.