WWE 2K25by developer VisualConcepts and publisher 2K Games—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written byNickwith a copyprovided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
To be frank: this is what you hope to see in an annuallyreleased game. More features and improvements across the board combine to makeit better than ever. WWE 2K25 is exactly that – bigger and better than ever.
Bigger really stands out right off of the bat. There’s numerousmodes to choose from – including a new one called The Island. Much more to talk aboutthere in a bit, but it’s also worth calling out that the roster is absolutelymassive with wrestlers both past and present in the mix. There’s so muchvariety in the different types of wrestlers that the roster alone could keep someonebusy just figuring out what styles appeal to them the most.
Then we move into the menu’s many modes of mayhem (trysaying that ten times fast). There’s the traditional quick play where you justgo in and fire up a quick match with the wrestlers and rules of your choice. It’sa great way to try some different types of wrestlers out before sinking timeinto creating your own wrestlers. You’ll eventually be doing just that though,as you create a wrestler for the MyRise and The Island modes. MyRise is what ithas been for years now, a story-driven mode with some RPG elements likeprogression and choices to make through either a male or female wrestler’sstory as you seek to become the face of a new era in WWE. All of the usualhijinks and betrayals are here and it’s brought together quite well between theoverall presentation, especially the audio.
Now, the Island is another thing altogether – and franklyone that is likely to be a bit controversial. Years ago, I remarked that I wassurprised WWE hadn’t yet created the kind of experience NBA 2K had, where theyblended a story line with online play. Why? Well, my thinking was twofold.First, MyCareer in NBA 2K is by far the game’s most popular mode. It boasts anew story each year where players can compete with one another or stick to justsingle player content while incrementally improving their custom player. Thesecond reason I figured a mode like this would eventually come along comes downto VC (Virtual Currency). It’s the microtransaction currency used by 2K, and itpresumably makes the company a ton of money over and above the base game sales.In the past, WWE only had one use for VC – buying packs of cards in MyFaction.MyFaction is a mode that combines elements of card collecting and improvingyour roster through these wrestlers you collect.
To be honest? This is probably my least favorite WWE mode. Itis an okay diversion, but I enjoy this mode far more in the NBA 2K games.Still, it’s a long-running mode that will likely stick around in the WWE seriesindefinitely because I’m sure they make money off of the VC bought and used init. Now there’s a use for it in The Island. Like NBA 2K, in WWE 2K25 you can useVC to level up your character’s abilities. You can earn more VC by playing thegame in this mode as well, so it doesn’t all have to be purchased. Time willtell what the grind / improvement curve looks like. Being a new mode, there’slikely to be some imbalance there.
So, what is The Island actually like to play? Well, if youcan get past the slightly grimy-feeling microtransaction part of it? I had funwith it. There’s a new story separate of MyArise that basically puts you andeveryone on this Island of Relevancy to try and earn the good graces of RomanReigns. It’s a silly premise, but does the job and sets the stage. The thingsthat work? The Island is pretty vibrant-looking, I appreciate a second story –even if it doesn’t feel as fleshed out as MyArise. There’s lots of quest-likeobjectives, and many of them are actually quite fun to try and complete. Theprogression elements like improving stats and badges are an effective carrot todangle.
What maybe doesn’t work quite as well? Well, the first is howexpensive VC is, especially when buying cosmetics for your wrestler. There’s nomap, which feels like a bit of an oversight as I got so used to using it in NBA2K. Luckily The Island is not too large and unwieldy, the layout is logical andit isn’t too hard to get the hang of where thigs are. One guardrail missingthat’s in NBA 2K is that you can dump all the VC you want into your characterright out of the gates. I saw several people running around at a 100 overallon day one. In NBA 2K, there’s a system that unlocks the next stage in a risingcap as you play. That limits how fast you can upgrade your player that’slacking here in WWE 2K25.
I spent a lot of time in both The Island and MyArise modes,and it wouldn’t surprise me if they somehow became blended together in thefuture the way MyCareer has in NBA 2K. Universe mode is basically a giantsandbox mode. It’s fun to fool around with, but the lack of structuredobjectives doesn’t make it where I tend to spend my time. I will say that MyGMmode is looking better than it has in over a decade. It took some time off,came back a few years ago, and of all the returning modes, MyGM has receivedthe most love it seems. It’s a season long campaign broken up over a couple ofdozen weeks where you take a brand and create a stable of wrestlers to competeagainst one another. At its core, it’s a simulation mode that you can go hands-onwith during matches if you’d like. Add to it that your created superstars canparticipate too, and there’s a lot of fun to be had here.
Lastly, there’s the Showcase mode. Usually this mode followsa specific wrestler through some of the biggest fights of their career,interspersed with interviews and live footage from their actual matches. In WWE2K25, the focus is spread out a bit and follows The Bloodline, which is in-linewith all of the Roman Reigns in the presentation. It feels a little less forced/ scripted in trying to make you authentically recreate the matches of old (andthere’s a sort of ‘what if this happened?’ mode as well that’s made up ofimaginary scenarios), which is appreciated. I always liked this mode, but oftenfelt like the objectives were a bit too restrictive at times. They made sense,but still had me frustrated. There was less of that this time around. The modedoes feel a bit more accessible, though a few of the imposed time limits doseem a little harsh. Completing these scenarios however, is a lot of fun. Youget some cool looks at WWE’s past and generally some good unlockable rewardstoo.
None of this would matter much if the in-ring action didn’thold up its end of the bargain, but the good news is that WWE 2K25 delivershere as well. I mentioned earlier that the presentation was fantastic, and itreally is. Authentic commentary, fluid animations and a variety of distinctiveplaystyles depending on your wrestler of choice and opponent make every matchfeel like an event. Thankfully the combat aspect has been solid for years and thisyear’s is more minor polish and tweaks. Controls are responsive, you can tweaknumerous single-player settings to make the gameplay a bit more attuned to yourpreferences. I really appreciated how much different a massive, hulking tankof a wrestler played versus a quick, agile high-flying sort. One tweak is thereturn of ‘chain wrestling’, which is like a minigame within the match thatjust adds a layer to the already existing action.
Simply put, WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game on themarket. The developers manage to make smart improvements to existing modes,roll out an entirely new mode and continue to make the action in the ring lookand feel authentic. While the whiff of increased microtransactions is going tobother some, I do appreciate that the series isn’t resting on its laurels andgave us a game that continues to justify its annual release.
Score: 8.5 / 10
