WWE 2K26’s Cover Star, Gameplay Details, And Release Date Have Been Revealed

Publisher 2K and developer Visual Concepts have revealed that CM Punk will be gracing the cover of WWE 2K26 when it launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PC on March 13.

We’ve been drip-fed information about the various editions of WWE 2K26 over the past week on Raw, SmackDown, and Saturday Night’s Main Event, and now, during the Royal Rumble Kick-Off Show, we know that the Voice of the Voiceless will be this year’s cover star for the standard edition. More than that, the Second City Saint, and current World Heavyweight Champion, will be the focus of 2K26’s Showcase Mode, chronicling his infamous career in WWE, providing a few dream matches with wrestlers from beyond Punk’s era, as well as asking the question that many fans often ask: What if CM Punk never left WWE?

In addition to the Punk-focused Showcase mode, 2K26 will offer four new match types in the form of the I Quit match, Dumpster match, Inferno match, and Three Stages of Hell. Alongside these new match types, players will now be able to stack tables to inflict more damage and utilise thumbtacks as a brand new weapon type. The ever-expanded roster has grown once more, with over 400 wrestlers rounding out the field, including current-day superstars and legends from the past. This year’s pre-order bonus will even see the believers among us rewarded, as Scottish sensation Joe Hendry will make his WWE 2K debut.

Tweaks to interactive entrances, the expansion of The Island mode, new options for MyGM mode, and an increased limit for custom creations further separate this year’s iteration from the last, but it’s the new approach to DLC that might raise a few eyebrows. Rather than simply adding the wrestlers to your roster, 2K26 will implement a season-based system with the Ringside Pass. This will essentially operate like a battle pass, with free tiers offering cosmetics and other rewards, while paid tiers will unlock new wrestlers as they become available. In essence, this will require players to earn XP across the game’s various modes to unlock additional characters.

With the…interesting monetisation to one side for now, we did get another tidbit of information in relation to the game’s Switch 2 version. While you won’t be going full Wii Sports boxing, you will be able to use the system’s mouse function to navigate menus and the creation suite, making things far easier and more user-friendly. You can also use a single Joy-Con to play, which will make local multiplayer much easier to facilitate.

Are you keen to get around WWE 2K26? Who do you have winning the Royal Rumble tomorrow? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.