WWE 2K25 Review – An Outstanding Entry Held Back By Its Newest Feature

WWE’s 2K series has been on quite the roll, building upon a stellar gameplay foundation as it continues to add new modes and ways to enjoy the core experience. WWE 2K25 continues that trend and brings one of the most stacked entries yet, and while all of those new additions aren’t as polished as they need to be, the sheer amount of options, match types, and modes in which to experience the fantastic wrestling in the ring greatly outweigh the negatives. WWE 2K25 is outstanding, and what’s crazy is with another round of polish the game could be even better next time around.

It all begins in the ring, and the good news is that the team has continued to expand and refine the core wrestling experience that makes this whole thing move. From a gameplay perspective, the various Superstars and Legends all feel distinct from one another and many of them feel accurate to their real in-ring counterparts. MyFACTION and Universe continue to be showcases in this regard, putting you in scenarios where you are required to try out new Superstars, and the more I give a chance the more unexpected favorites I end up adding to my list.

The big additions to the in-ring product are the return of chain wrestling, the ability to dive from the barricade, a visual upgrade to how damage is conveyed, and the debut of intergender wrestling. As I previously stated in my first impressions, intergender wrestling wasn’t something I gave much thought to going into WWE 2K25. After getting some time with it and its impact on modes like The Island, I have to admit it’s opened the roster up in a truly entertaining way. The mix and matching of it all is absurdly fun, and it also throws an element of unpredictability in who you’re facing in any given mode. Plus truth be told, it’s just fun for Becky Lynch to manhandle slam The Rock, and you can even create a mixed Tag Team Championship if you find a pairing you love.

Chain wrestling is a welcome return, and adds yet another wrinkle to how a match can play out along with the striking mini-game and the updated submission mechanic. The latter isn’t my cup of tea and always gives me problems, but I appreciated that the old reliable button-mashing mechanic was still there (bless you 2K).

[RELATED: WWE 2K25 Update 1.04 Released With Patch Notes]

Part of the fun of 2K25 is the sheer amount of unique modes and match types in which you can jump into. 2K25 adds the Underground Match and the Bloodline Rules Match to the already vast selection, and there are also new locations to brawl in as well. The Underground match is fun and does shake up your approach to the fight thanks to the removal of ring posts and ropes from the ring, and it is fun to throw your opponent off the ring to the floor and to let weapons soar unencumbered into the ring. That said, it’s not a huge departure from other match types, so your mileage will vary.

What is a huge departure however is Bloodline Rules, which essentially allows you to recreate the famed match from WrestleMania 40. The gimmick is that your opponent can call in Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu at various points in the match, and then as time goes on you can also call in some help from Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, and Jimmy Uso. One of the most genuinely absurd and thrilling experiences I had with 2K25 was with this match, as at one point it was just carnage as I battled four people, only to survive long enough to get reinforcements and then somehow win the match. The thrill of winning was my own tiny WrestleMania moment, and it was glorious.

When it comes to the Superstars themselves, as with every year there are some Superstars who look just like their WWE counterparts, while others could use another round of polish to truly capture the real-life likeness. This year though there are more standouts than letdowns, with a few names like Jey Uso, Becky Lynch, and Damian Priest standing out for how great they are. There are some key names missing from the roster, but most of those have been addressed in the upcoming DLC, so can’t complain there either.

Let’s shift to some of the other modes in this year’s edition. The Bloodline Dynasty takes one of my favorite yearly modes and combines it with one of my favorite wrestling storylines in recent memory. As such, it was always going to be difficult not to fall in love with this mode, especially with the narration of the Samoan dynasty from none other than the Wiseman Paul Heyman. The mode features a brilliant mix of classic matches and more recent battles, and I also credit it for making the great Peter Maivia a new 2K favorite.

MyFACTION makes a return mostly intact from last year, though there are already more persona cards early on than last time, and so far I’m enjoying the World Tour giving me continuous reasons to try out new Superstars, even if I get constantly distracted by action figure Jey Uso. MyRISE now boasts a new singular multi-gender story that is actually compelling and utilizes current Superstars and NXT in a satisfying way.

My MVP mode of the past few years however has been MyGM, and that crown doesn’t look to be changing this year either. MyGM adds even more bells and whistles to an already fantastic mode, with small but impactful changes to the various show enhancements, free agent recruitment, and interactions with Superstars throughout the season. The major addition however is online multiplayer, which now allows you to challenge up to three other players and complete an online WWE draft as you build your dream show and roster. MyGM was already great, but online play allows it to fully realize its potential.

Speaking of potential, that brings us to two modes that don’t meet their admittedly high ceilings. Universe Mode received some updates, including the return of Promos, but in my time with these, I didn’t come away very impressed. They just felt stilted without actual voice acting to go with them, and the branching choices weren’t all that immersive either. This doesn’t bother me in MyGM when assigning promos, as I simulate these and am looking more at the result of the promo on the show, but in Universe, actually experiencing it was a rather lackluster experience, and nothing else in the mode really stood out.

Now we turn to The Island, which is the biggest change to the WWE 2K landscape. The Island allows you to visit various WWE-themed areas and locations based on Roman Reigns, The Undertaker, Damage CTRL, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, and more, and you’ll move through the Island as your custom-created Superstar. This is the most immersive part of The Island however, as aside from running around the area and interacting with one of several storyline-related quests, there’s actually not much else to do here aside from buying more gear for your Superstar.

The quests are entertaining though, especially as you interact with superstars like LA Knight, Xavier Woods, Dakota Kai, Austin Theory, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, and of course Roman Reigns, and moving through The Bloodline challenges will unlock video segments with Reigns as you move throughout your journey. Unfortunately outside of Reigns’ cutscenes, the other stories are played out through various renders of the superstars, so while enjoyable it just takes you out of whatever story’s being told, especially compared to modes like MyRISE and Showcase, where you’re seeing everything played out using the game engine.

This mode has so much potential though, as some of the quests are genuinely entertaining, and the locations themselves have lots of nodes and homages to the various WWE Superstars on the roster. Plus it is actually fun unlocking new things to outfit your superstar with, but if there’s nothing to do in the locations themselves, then your time is better spent in MyRISE or Universe. This is exacerbated by frustrating load times within the mode, and though these got better with a recent patch, they are still too long and there are too many of them, with the reward for dealing with them not particularly compelling.

This is the main thing holding back WWE 2K25 from true greatness. The gameplay is as fun and thrilling as ever and becomes that much more immersive with each new entry. Many of the Superstars look better than ever and the number of ways to interact with the game is truly impressive. Additions to returning modes like MyGM and new matches like Bloodline Rules raise the replayability factor in a huge way as well, but while The Island’s promise is grand, it needs another round of development before it can achieve the promise it holds. All totaled, WWE 2K25 is simply fantastic, and still has room to become even better.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The WWE 2K25 Standard Edition releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on March 14th.

Which mode do you think is your favorite and who is your favorite WWE Superstar? Let us know in the comments, and you can also talk all things wrestling and gaming with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!