WWE 2K25 Review

Wrestling fans are a fickle lot. More often than not, the moment a crowd favourite underdog completes their ascent and lifts the title above their head, cheers will turn to jeers as the masses complain that their hand-picked star has grown stale. The WWE 2K series now faces that same dilemma. Having completed its reinvention over the last few years, the grappling simulator needs to defend its title with forward momentum in the form of further refinement and, more importantly, fresh ideas. In terms of the former, WWE 2K25 is a resounding success, as Visual Concepts continues to perfect its faux fighting formula. But with a new mode, dubbed The Island, the series has started to show signs of a heel turn.

If you’re coming back for another shot at the title after playing last year’s entry, you’ll know that the core combat systems are already tight, so few appreciable enhancements have been made in 2K25. Light and heavy combos, whips and drags keep matches going at a good pace, while the choice to tie all other moves to the grapple continues to pay dividends. There’s no significant overhaul this time around, but we do get the exciting return of chain wrestling. When locking up with your opponent for the first time, a minigame will ensue, challenging you to find the sweet spot with the left thumbstick and fill a meter before your adversary. Doing this will give you the upper hand to jockey for a better position, attack your foe, or attempt a pinfall. It’s a relatively small feature, but given most real-world matches start with a similar exchange, it goes a way to heighten the immersion.

We’ve seen more and more match types enter into the fray with each new iteration of WWE 2K, last year’s entry giving us the endlessly entertaining Special Guest Referee, Ambulance and Casket Matches. All previous match types return in 2K25, alongside two new ones: the Underground match and the Bloodline Rules match. Stripping the ring of its ropes and throwing in a crowd of onlookers around the canvas, the Underground match is effectively a street fight, with the only path to victory coming from a knockout or submission. Knocking out your opponent has become far less random this year, with a damage indicator letting you know when you’re in strife. Its inclusion doesn’t shake things up much, but it’s a nice addition for those who like to book their own shows in Universe mode.

The first item on the agenda: put the strap on Drew

With 2K25 centred around Roman Reigns and the wrestling dynasty he belongs to, it feels right that the Bloodline Rules match is the standout. Suitably chaotic and messy, this No Holds Barred stipulation gives each player the ability to call down up to three allies to help them at any point in the match. While this isn’t as groundbreaking as Wargames from years prior, the drama that unfolds during these matches is incredibly entertaining.

The final big change isn’t a match type, but the removal of a limitation. The dividing line between the locker rooms has been lifted, and Intergender wrestling has been made possible. While rare to see on a WWE show, players can now choose to pit Rhea Ripley against Dominik Mysterio or have a completely one-sided affair with tiny little Zelina Vega taking on Big Van Vader. In the interest of good taste, blood won’t appear during any intergender matches, but you’re otherwise free to mix it up with whoever, whenever, wherever.

The true focus of 2K25 is the Bloodline, the extended Samoan family whose members have been a constant presence within the wrestling industry for decades. As such, this year’s Showcase mode is a retrospective of the great dynasty that includes Umaga, The Wild Samoans, The Usos, Roman Reigns and, of course, The Final Boss, The Rock. Rather than play through historical matches without commentary and with archive footage interrupting gameplay, as was the case for the last three years, this time around, it’s far more focused on the action. Removing the Slingshot cuts to footage and replacing them with in-game cutscenes, you’re never taken away from the match. Instead, the context and history of each moment are provided before the bell by the ever-entertaining Wise Man, Paul Heyman.

Turns out The Bloodline does rule 

Instead of being shackled to reality and occasionally eating a pin, this year, you’re asked to rewrite certain parts of history or, on a few occasions, dip into fantasy booking territory with matches that never happened. It’s a far more interesting approach to the mode and it certainly helps to keep you engaged. Your main task is obvious, to win, but you’re also given several specific objectives to complete during the match to unlock wrestlers, arenas and cosmetics. Like last year, these objectives are a good way to keep each match feeling fresh, but the inclusion of timed objectives misses the mark. Instead of creating urgency, these are simply frustrating, particularly when you have 30 seconds to meet a requirement and your AI opponent decides to hit a move with a 15-second animation. I understand the intent here, but it’s frustrating when missing one timed objective at the end of a match will force you to replay it to unlock the majority of the rewards.

Another returning mode is MyRise, the story mode that sees your created wrestler make their way up the WWE ladder. This time around there’s a single storyline that blends the men’s and women’s narratives – so don’t spend up all of your creativity on your first character. It’s as goofy and slapstick as ever, with storylines seeing you travel to Japan to wrestle a love-struck luchador and reclaim Cody Rhodes’ stolen title belt, before confronting an entire invading NXT roster hell-bent on taking over the main roster. You’re either into these story modes or you’re not, but for those who enjoyed the last few silly outings, this is another great entry.

The other returning modes are largely unchanged, save for some minor tweaks. Universe mode will let you become the creative force behind WWE’s weekly output, while MyFaction will have you opening card packs to put together the ultimate super group of bone-benders to take online and face real-world opponents. MyGM is continuing to grow, with more match types and stipulations added to the mix but, most importantly, the mode can finally be played online. There’s already a great variety on offer in the WWE 2K games but, as I mentioned from the outset, if you’re going to be an annualised series, you need to be able to offer something new. And that’s where The Island comes in.

I love you, Solo

Taking Roman Reigns’ metaphorical Island of Relevancy and turning it into a physical landmass, The Island is the new marquee mode for 2K25. Like MyRise, you’ll start by creating your own wrestler and choosing their basic look, moveset and backstory. Brought to the Island to compete for Roman’s approval and a WWE contract, you’re then set loose to explore what is essentially a WWE amusement park filled with themed areas like Asuka’s Arcade of Tomorrow and the Undertaker’s Deadlands.

Running around at the pace of someone wearing 50kg shoes, you’ll talk to quest givers like R-Truth and Xavier Woods, who’ll then point you to another part of the Island that will undoubtedly force you into a loading screen. From here, you’ll wrestle a short match against a generic create-a-wrestler, make your way back to the quest giver – enjoying a few more load screens along the way – gain some virtual currency, rinse and repeat. Those of you eagle-eyed enough will spot the driving force behind this mode in that last sentence: virtual currency.

Yes, much like NBA 2K’s The City, this is a mode tailor-made to drain your real-world wallet. Most of The Island is made up of storefronts filled with overpriced cosmetics for you to adorn your created wrestler with, and each storefront comes complete with its own loading screen as a bonus. Some shops are themed, like a Rhea Ripley tattoo shop or Rey Mysterio mask outlet, while others are straight-up endorsements, like the massive Nike store that sticks out more than Kurt Angle when he joined The Shield that one time.

This is what The Island is when you distil everything down

Rings are set up throughout The Island that, when interacted with, send you into matchmaking against other players in the mode. These matches are indistinguishable from the regular online suite, save for the fact you’re using your created Superstar. This almost sounds like it could be fun, until you’re told that your player’s initial stats are garbage and the only way to improve them is by spending that sweet, sweet VC. Sure, you can earn the currency by playing matches, but you’ll be getting peanuts for a win and even less for a loss. Or, if you’re willing to play the corporate game, you can shell out and spend your real money. Complaints about monetisation in a 2K game are probably as tiresome to read as they are to report at this point, so I’ll pin it with this fact: fully upgrading your wrestler’s stats on The Island will set you back $60. Pay. To. Win.

Rather than end things on that dour note, I should make mention of the presentational improvements that fans will no doubt appreciate. As is expected, character models continue to look better year after year, with my man Drew McIntyre coming off near photo-realistic these days. As matches drag on, wrestlers now show greater signs of damage, with prominent bruises appearing and sweat beading as the brawl ticks by. Before the bell even rings, you’re now given the option to change camera angles for entrances, and again when the action kicks off. It can take a bit of finessing, but with WWE employing drone shots in the modern product, it’s a fun option to have.

Final Thoughts

I feel like I’m repeating myself each year at this point, but the moment-to-moment gameplay in 2K25 is the best the series has ever seen. A packed roster of gorgeously animated wrestlers can be used across a suite of varied and enjoyable match types and modes that give new and returning players a range of options. The changes made to returning modes like Showcase and MyGM mostly improve the package, and the existing systems continue to shine. However, despite The Island being an addition to the product that can (and should) be ignored, it’s an invasive shift towards monetisation that this series has largely managed to avoid up until now, and it’s a move that fans of the series should keep a wary eye on.

Reviewed on PS5 // Review code supplied by publisher

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