Ever since its profitable 2022 reinvention, 2K’s in style WWE collection has frequently made a number of iterative enhancements in an try and not solely construct upon its successful components but in addition justify its annual releases. WWE 2K25 definitely guarantees a brand new batch of iterations, together with a model new, on-line interactive world referred to as The Island, a revamp of its story, basic supervisor and Universe mode, a brand new hardcore match sort referred to as Bloodline Guidelines, and a number of other extra. Nevertheless, I can’t say if all these new additions will elevate 2K25 above its predecessor as a result of, sadly, I didn’t get to pattern any of them at a current preview occasion.
As a substitute of sampling this 12 months’s most vital alterations, my time with 2K25 was largely centered on the (principally) unchanged core gameplay and this 12 months’s adjusted Showcase Mode, which focuses on The Bloodline secure of wrestlers. However whereas I used to be locked out of most of this 12 months’s new concepts, I did admire some small however important alterations. They’re sufficient that I’m assured WWE 2K25 will probably be one other profitable evolution of the collection and almost certainly price any wrestling fan’s time.
WWE 2K25’s Showcase Mode focuses on the historical past of the Anoa’i household, headlined by its most up-to-date stars Roman Reigns and The Bloodline, but in addition celebrates earlier generations like The Wild Samoans, Yokozuna and, most famously, The Rock. The mode now consists of three varieties of matches: Ones the place you recreate historical past, others the place you create historical past, and most apparently for me, matches the place you alter historical past. I bought to expertise all three varieties within the form of recreating Nia Jax’s Queen of the Ring victory from 2024, making a dream Wild Samoans versus The Dudley Boyz match, and altering the historical past of the enduring Roman Reigns in opposition to Seth Rollins bout from the Royal Rumble in 2022. All three provided their very own type of enjoyable and distinctive perspective for any hardcore WWE fan and an enchancment on final 12 months’s showcase mode. However that’s to not say there aren’t nonetheless some small points.
The Showcase Mode in final 12 months’s WWE 2K24, very like the one in WWE 2K23 earlier than it, was hampered by an over-reliance on switching to real-life footage that ran for a number of minutes – a system developer Visible Ideas dubs “Slingshot”. As I identified in my preview for WWE 2K23, “I discovered myself eager to be again within the motion and create these moments myself, not simply watching clips of footage which might be already burned into my mind.” Two years later, I’m pleased to substantiate that though the difficulty isn’t utterly solved, progress has been made.
The reduce to real-life footage is now gone, as is the over-reliance on taking you away from the motion (at the least so far as I skilled within the hands-on session). Key moments are recreated in-engine via animation, offering a much less jarring expertise and a degree of satisfaction from seeing iconic moments realised within the sport’s (principally) attractive graphics. These sequences additionally appear considerably shorter, which means much less time away from controlling the motion.
That’s to not say that each one my prior gripes with staying in management have been addressed, although. In the course of the conclusion of my Nia Jax match, full management was taken away from me. Quite than keep within the ring, I used to be compelled to embody a bystander in the course of the 1,2,3. Ideally, I’d like extra management throughout these essential moments. I need to relive them with my very own gameplay choices, not merely observe as a passive bystander.
Elsewhere, 2K25 makes minor enhancements to different tough edges. Earlier showcase modes relied closely on a guidelines system, requiring you to finish typically rudimentary manoeuvres to set off the match’s live-action sequences. A typical grievance is that this strategy makes a match really feel much less like dynamic gameplay and extra like a to-do record. This technique is again, which little question will show contentious as soon as once more, nevertheless it has been barely refined for WWE 2K25, with added non-compulsory aims on a timer. You’re rewarded for finishing these actions with cosmetics, however most significantly you’re not punished for failing them as you have been in earlier entries. It’s a significant (child) step in the proper route.
The standout addition to Showcase Mode is surely the aforementioned skill to alter the conclusion of sure historic matches. The place Roman Reigns as soon as misplaced by disqualification to Seth Rollins, now you can expertise how issues might have performed out ought to Roman have altered his temperament within the remaining moments. It’s a contemporary expertise for hardcore followers of WWE and I’m very excited to see what occurs within the different unannounced change matches.
Whereas there are notable modifications in modes and match varieties, the core gameplay essence of WWE 2K25 is mainly the identical as earlier than with some minor tweaks. That’s not essentially a nasty factor. I used to be already proud of the grappling motion in WWE 2K24, so I largely imagine it’s a good move to stay with the confirmed, profitable components. There are although just a few attention-grabbing additions and returns, nonetheless.
WWE 2K25 sees the long-requested revival of chain wrestling, a gameplay sequence that was sacrificed with WWE 2K22’s enormous engine revamp. In the course of the opening moments of a bout, instigating a grapple will now pressure gamers right into a mini-game that permits you to achieve the higher hand. After locking up you may select to drive, wrench, assault and in the end reposition your opponent right into a spot that’s advantageous to you. Just like the buying and selling blows mechanic launched final 12 months, chain wrestling provides one other staple of WWE motion, taking one other very important step in the direction of precisely recreating what followers see on TV each week.
Additionally making a return is the submission system, a mini-game wherein you could both keep away from or match your opponent’s color block on a wheel. Whereas it has an awesome U.I. presentation, it rapidly turns into second nature, and I’m glad to see it return. For those who’re much less excited by its reappearance, it might probably thankfully be disabled within the choices. The identical goes for chain wrestling and different quick-time occasion moments – they’re all non-compulsory.
Certainly, my favorite gameplay function from WWE 2K24 additionally makes its triumphant return: weapon throwing. Not solely has the roster of weapons been improved, however the backstage brawls have now expanded into new environments which might be good for weapon tossing. One of the best location I skilled within the demo was the WWE archives, which not solely permits you to toss apples, footballs and megaphones, but in addition drops you right into a WWE fan’s dream surroundings, plagued by historical past and easter eggs galore. Oh, and you can even struggle on prime of a large Wrestlemania signal and everybody’s favorite large fist from the Smackdown days of yore.
As to be anticipated, very like in actual life, the ring space is roofed in Prime sponsorships. Say what you’ll about that, nevertheless it does permit you to use the Prime Hydration Station’s large bottle as a weapon. For my cash, wrapping a bottle of Logan Paul’s luminous juice round your opponent’s head definitely appears like the perfect use of the egregious electrolytes.
Maybe probably the most notable gameplay alteration this 12 months, although, is the long-overdue intergender gameplay. For the primary time in a 2K WWE sport, you’re in a position to pit the boys in opposition to the girl in a match of your selecting. This, together with the biggest roster ever (with 300+ wrestlers to select from) lastly opens the doorways to an entire host of matchups that beforehand weren’t obtainable.
Lastly, though the demo construct featured a restricted quantity of recent updates to discover, I did get some hands-on time with the brand-new match sort referred to as Underground. It’s a rope-less variation of an exhibition match that places you in a Combat Membership-like setting with lumberjacks across the ring. That is one thing utterly model new for the collection and one thing I can share extra about later this month as a part of our unique IGN First content material. You should definitely verify IGN later this week to get a have a look at a full match, in addition to a full, detailed rationalization of the brand new match sort from Visible Ideas developer, Derek Donahue.
WWE 2K25 continues the current custom of the collection, layering new options on prime of present and sturdy fundamentals. Nothing proper now feels notably revolutionary because the components feels largely in step with final 12 months’s providing simply with some small-but-smart tweaks. Time will inform if the marketed large sweeping modifications and new modes I didn’t get to see will really make this version stand out from its friends, however from my temporary expertise, it’s onerous to say that is something however a really incremental step for an already well-realised collection.
Dale Driver is an Govt Producer of Video Programming at IGN and a lifelong WWE fan/apologist who acknowledges his Tribal Chief. Be totally bored by following him on Bluesky at @daledriver.bsky.social
