WWE 2K26 Review - A True Contender
The WWE, in a lot of ways, is the perfect product for a video game conversion. The sweaty musclebound drama, the structures, the characters and the competitive elements all lend themselves to the world of games. That said, truly great wrestling games are hard to find; for some reason, the high drama has been hard to capture for developers. Maybe it is a tech thing, maybe it is a lack of understanding of the WWE, or maybe it is just that the concept is harder to capture than is apparent to outsiders like me. Whatever the case may be, WWE 2K is back for another year and, I am pleased to say, that it is closer than ever to that video game wrestling nirvana that I have been waiting for, but not without some caveats.
The first thing that hit me in the face like a steel chair from Stone Cold is the sheer amount of things to do in this year’s edition. From match types to superstars to modes, there is simply an enormous amount of content here for the WWE faithful. If it has ever been part of WWE production over its long history, chances are it is here in virtual form. It is almost to the point of being overwhelming, especially if you are a more casual fan. There is even more content to unlock through modes and the season pass, which, to my mind, has had some notable improvements in this year’s edition. Just like Call of Duty’s latest, players can earn Season Pass progress through every mode in the game. This makes the whole process feel much fairer for all players, not just those who like to partake in the competitive or collector modes. The unlocks, even on the free tier, are also fairly decent, with things like new costumes for the create-a-wrestler mode and alternative versions of WWE Superstars on offer. The paid version does feel a little on the pricey side, which isn’t unexpected for a 2K game, but that is a judgment that players are going to have to make for themselves.
As for the modes, there is so much to talk about. If you have ever played a WWE game, you probably know most of them, but there have been some notable twists and turns this year. The first one I want to talk about is MyRise, the create-a-wrestler story mode. This year, there is only one story for both male and female wrestlers. This is a change from the last WWE game I played, and one I am not sure how I feel about. I liked the two separate stories offered before, but this story seems to present a lot more in the way of varying choices and different paths to take, so I can see multiple replays being a legitimate option as opposed to playing the same thing over with a slight variation. Either way, the story is fun, well-designed and well worth playing through. It does get bogged down with some pacing, forcing players to compete in multiple consequence-free matches to progress the story, but otherwise it is well worth your effort.
The best mode, however, at least in my eyes, was The Island. I missed last year’s game, so I can’t say as to how it has changed, but for me, this is the mode I am going to keep coming back to. For those that don’t know, the Island is akin to NBA 2K’s The City, yet for many reasons, it seems both a better fit here and more entertaining. Players take their created superstar and choose one of three factions, one led by Aussie Legend Rhea Ripley, one by the American Badass Cody Rhodes and the other by coverstar C M Punk. Once a path has been chosen, players essentially begin a WWE-focused RPG game, where quests must be completed, EXP is earned, and stories unfold. It is bonkers, unrealistic, at times silly, yet perfect for the WWE. It feels like the developers have embraced the inherent (and wonderful) stupidity of professionally wrestling and run with it. It is such a unique way to experience the WWE that I couldn’t help but fall in love. Within this mode, there are extra features like Towers, in which big rewards are earned for completing a series of matches and challenges with one health bar, and multiplayer tournaments. The Island is such a cool place to hang around in, and it really is my favourite part of the game.
This year’s Showcase focuses on C M Punk and while there is no denying that Punk is an A-lister, I feel like it is fair to say he isn’t on the same level as someone like The Rock, John Cena or The Undertaker, so his appeal will be limited to those who are really into wrestling and those who only pop by for Wrestlemania each year may be less inclined to engage with this mode. That said, it was nice to play some classic matches, mix up the results and generally dive a bit deeper into one of the more polarising stars from WWE’s history. It doesn’t change the Superstar mode in significant ways, but then it doesn’t really need to.
To round things out, there are the old faithful modes like MyGM and MyFaction that are back, and they are much the same as they have always been. MyGM allows players to run their own show, while competing against other GMs for audience and revenue share. It is a fun diversion that I can see a certain type of person getting really addicted to perfecting. Juggling the match types, personalities, and audience expectations adds a fun level of strategy to the usual biffo. MyFaction is the card collector mode that, if I am honest, I have always disliked. It isn’t that the mode is inherently bad, but it is where the worst monetisation practices rear their ugly heads. I know lots of folks love it, though, so I won’t bag it; it just isn’t for me.
Finally, I want to talk about the tech behind the game. This year’s edition is the first to focus solely on the current generation of gaming consoles, and it is apparent that this has led to some significant graphical upgrades. Ditching the Xbox One and PS4 has allowed a much needed improvment to the detail of the wrestlers. The big names, people like Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins, especially have benefited from a huge improvement in the detail levels. It is great to see. That said, the game still suffers from the classic WWE glitches. Hair wigging out, the ring ropes doing weird things, players getting caught in odd positions due to objects outside the ring. You know, the type of glitch that has plagued wrestling games since time began. It is hard not to be annoyed that this sort of thing keeps being an issue.
I feel like this year’s WWE has come to a point where it has gotten as good as it is going to get on the current building blocks. The series has been on the up and up since the disaster that was 2K20 and I feel like it may have peaked here. That said, 2K runs the real risk of once again heading towards disaster if they don’t freshen the franchise, especially on the tech side, over the next year or so. There are parts of the game that work well, but are showing their age, and those sorts of issues will only magnify as the years go on. It may be getting close to where a year off is needed for a full refresh, but I fear that won’t happen as a preemptive strike, but only when things crash and burn, which would be a giant shame. I guess time will tell on that score.
Overall, WWE 2K26 is the most fun I have had with a wrestling game that I can remember. A couple of tech issues and some odd pacing choices in the story modes are about the only thing that really bummed me out. There are also the ever-present issues of VC and 2K’s monetisation that hover over all of their titles, but I can’t tell if I am just numb to all that now and ignore it or if it isn’t that bad this time around. On the good side, however, there is so much to like. The Island is a real highlight, the actual grappling is sharp, and the sheer amount of content is mind-boggling. WWE 2K26 is a real treat for fans, both new and old, and is easy to recommend to anyone who loves a bit of in-ring action from time to time.
WWE 2K26 was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
