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As an annualized series, WWE 2K does a good job of iterating and improving upon itself year after year, at least since the debacle with WWE 2K20. That title received overwhelmingly negative reviews, launching in a broken state with numerous physical, graphics, and targeting bugs, to say the least. Ironically, it also featured Roman Reigns on the cover just like WWE 2K25 does. Unlike WWE 2K20, however, WWE 2K25 has quickly proven itself to be a game worthy of The Tribal Chief and his Bloodline—even after a little time with the game.
Game Rant recently visited Indianapolis, Indiana, where we played roughly four hours of WWE 2K25. Among other things, we were able to check out three matches in WWE 2K25‘s Showcase Mode and play a handful of Intergender matches. MyGM Mode, MyFaction Mode, Universe Mode, and the new Island Mode for WWE 2K25 were not available, so while we cannot speak to every facet of the game, we had a ton of fun with what was available. If everything delivers on what was promised, by both WWE 2K25‘s reveal and our time with the game, it’s clear that this is not just going to be another annualized title: it’s going to wreck everyone and leave.
WWE 2K25 Showcase: The Bloodline’s Dynasty
For the Showcase Mode, we were able to check out the following three matches that adhere to its new structure of Relive History, Change History, and Create History.
- Relive History: Nia Jax vs Lyra Valkyria (King and Queen of the Ring ‘24)
- Change History: Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns (Royal Rumble ‘22)
- Create History: The Wild Samoans vs The Dudley Boyz
As their names suggest, Relive History lets players have the typical WWE 2K Showcase experience by recreating matches from WWE history, Change History lets players experience real-world matches but with a different ending, and Create History lets players experience dream match-ups. As we dived into the matches, two things immediately struck us: the powerful presence of Paul Heyman and the removal of WWE 2K‘s Slingshot technology.
Narrating the segue between Showcase matches, Paul Heyman delivers all the promo skills he’s developed over the years. He is as enthralling in WWE 2K25 as he is anytime on the mic, and just having Paul Heyman elevates the overall experience. It’s entirely possible, of course, to skip these moments between Showcase matches, but anyone who does so is doing The Tribal Chief and themselves a huge disservice by discounting the Wiseman. Joining him, rarely it seems, is The Tribal Chief himself, and without going into spoilers, the dynamic is as strong in these moments as any time in WWE.
As we dove into the matches, the removal of WWE 2K‘s Slingshot technology was immediately noticeable. Some fans enjoyed this feature, many fans did not, and so it makes sense to drop it in WWE 2K25. Given that some matches feature altered outcomes or completely invented match-ups, it couldn’t have been used in every match anyway. Instead, players are treated to some moments in WWE 2K25‘s graphics instead of archival footage. If anything, that seems to make these moments more impactful. Seeing Nia Jax hit Lyra Valkyria with the Annihilator at King and Queen of the Ring 2024 is always a shocking experience, but seeing it in WWE 2K25‘s graphics just makes them look even better.
Of course, based on screenshots and our gameplay so far, WWE 2K25‘s models have made serious strides in capturing the likeness of WWE Superstars. Cody Rhodes and Bayley look way better than they did in WWE 2K24 based on recent screenshots, but both Lyra Valkyria and Nia Jax’s models captured them perfectly in our gameplay. However, this tends to be a mixed bag year after year, and that seems to be the case here as well. When Triple H crowned Nia Jax after the Showcase match, he did not look like Triple H. His teeth were too pronounced, his jaw was out of proportion, and there was definitely something “off” with this version of Triple H. One or two errant models do not ruin the whole bunch, however.
Notably, some of the match requirements/challenges in WWE 2K25‘s Showcase Mode also come with a time limit. There seemed to be only one in each match, likely designed to add more challenge to these requirements (outside checking the menu on how to do some of the more complicated moves). We missed the timing of one by a few seconds, and as a result, the completionist in us had to replay the match to get it.
Seeing the ferocity of The Wild Samoans paired up against the brutality of the Dudley Boyz is a fun dream match, and on that front it delivers. However, it feels worth mentioning an AI issue we had in this specific match. It is fittingly a table match, and putting an opponent through the table ends the match. Before we could finish the objectives of it, our AI partner put one of the Dudleyz through a table, ending the match and forcing us to replay it. This could be the only match where this specifically could happen, but assuming there’s at least one match with the Usos, it’s something to watch out for in any tag match.
Overall, though, despite an odd moment here or there, WWE 2K25‘s Showcase is clearly keeping things fresh with a wide variety of real-world and dream matches. Getting to see the entire Bloodline Dynasty, as opposed to just Roman Reigns, goes a long way in ensuring that this feels like a Bloodline Showcase and not a Roman Reigns one. Having him appear in narration, while it is primarily delivered by Paul Heyman, means this is not a Showcase to skip.
Intergender Matches Fulfill a Specific Fantasy
WWE 2K25 also introduces Intergender wrestling, which no doubt lets players fulfill their fantasies of beating up Dirty Dominik Mysterio as Rhea Ripley. If anything, it feels like this feature was introduced for this reason and this reason alone. It’s worth mentioning that, alongside this feature, blood is finally available in women’s matches. However, blood is turned off for any intergender match. Intergender matches are not available in MyFACTION or MyGM.
Indeed, dominating Dirty Dominik Mysterio as Rhea Ripley is a lot of fun. As Rhea, it was a blast just beating him to a pulp, charging up our finishers, and hitting him with her super finisher: the Avalanche Riptide. This feature shines when it comes to finally seeing Superstars like Dom put into their place, but it doesn’t really work with every playable Superstar. Chyna, Nia Jax, and Raquel Rodriquez are but just a few superstars who no doubt benefit from this feature, as they can stand toe to toe with anyone on the male roster. Our one qualm with this feature is that it is on by default, and when it is not fulfilling this very specific match set-up, it is immersion-breaking.
Without thinking so much about the rules, we loaded a 10-Man Royal Rumble match and put ourselves as the first entrant, as Jacob Fatu. With no control over the other 9 contestants, we ended up starting against The Rock, but entrant number 3 was Liv Morgan. The immediate differences between Jacob and Liv took us out of the game entirely. After leaving the match, it was a quick fix in the menu to remove female Superstars as possible entrants, but there are cases where the Intergender feature feels out of place as opposed to a natural gameplay element. There is no appeal in wrestling Liv Morgan as Jacob Fatu. Intergender wrestling feels like it should be more limited than it is in WWE 2K25—defaulted off, if not an outright independent match type—but knowing the option is there definitely fulfills its purpose and can be tons of fun in those specific circumstances.
Other Gameplay Improvements
Beyond these, there are a ton of new gameplay features in WWE 2K25: small, but smart iterations. Chain wrestling returns as a quick way to touch up and make matches more realistic, while barricade diving is simple but tons of fun. There are also Underground Matches, alongside the standard match types of WWE 2K25 and all its other game modes. Overall, it feels less like an interactive entry in the franchise and more like a truly imaginative one.
WWE 2K25 Says Acknowledge Me
Of course, this is based on only four hours of the game focused on a handful of matches and the Showcase. On this front, WWE 2K25 seems ready to deliver. There’s still a lot to see, with perhaps WWE 2K25‘s Island game mode being the biggest mystery at this point (almost as much as what CM Punk intends to do with his favor from Paul Heyman), but as far as first impressions go, WWE 2K25 nails it.
As of right now, our brief time with WWE 2K25 feels like a legendary return like Roman’s at SummerSlam 2020. It remains to be seen if it can achieve the “same” legendary status that Reigns’ overall run as The Tribal Chief did, however.
