WWE 2K25 review: A Hall of Fame worthy entry with go-home heat

As with every passing year, WWE 2K25 was a game I was immediately excited for. I’ve been a wrestling fan since the mid-80s, so even when I was a kid, I was trying to pick up and play whatever the latest and greatest professional wrestling title was. There have been some hits and misses over the years, even in the 2K franchise. I do feel like 2K25 builds nicely upon the previous year, which was one of my all-time favorites.

However, some issues took place at launch, which have been fixed, and others persist to the time of writing, which I simply cannot overlook. A dangerous precedent is being set in this game, and hopefully, one that I hope disappears with this entry.

WWE 2K25 offers an a deluge of content for all types of wrestling fans - as long as you play on console

Whether you want to make your own characters and play through unique storylines in WWE 2K25 or relive some of professional wrestling’s greatest moments, you can do these and more in this latest entry. You can create the matches of your dreams, from hardcore to War Games.

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WWE 2K25 has fantastic matches and storylines in the MyRise mode (Image via 2K Games)

For me, it’s all about MyRise, because I’m a sucker for a unique story mode. This one’s incredibly fun too. I won’t spoil the story, but there are lots of choices to make and plenty of replayability. Not having the story gender-locked (two stories, one for each gender) was a good idea too. You get a male and female wrestler, and can swap between them to take on different parts of the same storyline.

Whether you want to participate in generic matches, create your own chaotic version of the WWE Universe in Universe Mode, or test yourself as the ultimate GM in MyGM, WWE 2K25 overflows with great content. But there’s a catch.

WWE 2K25 genuinely offers something for everyone — as long as you’re playing on consoles, anyway. To get the true, “full” experience, you can’t play on PC, unfortunately. That’s because one of the premier new modes, themed around the Bloodline, The Island is only on console.

One of the developers opened up to WCCFTech about why The Island isn’t on PC. One of the reasons given was to avoid hackers ruining the game mode, and destroying the economy, which I suppose is fair. But, I feel like we should discuss that particular mode in greater detail.

The Island and MyFaction both are interesting ideas with sinister levels of microtransactions baked in

Every year, 2K tries to make WWE 2K: The Gathering happen. I'd be interested to see how much it makes (Image via 2K Games)

As I said in the review of WWE 2K24, I’m a bit forgiving when it comes to card games/card packs, because I’ve played MTG for over 20 years. Naturally, I understand that those are often going to come with a real-world cost. However, this is a retail-priced game, so I feel less comfortable with it. WWE 2K25 has not one, but two modes with microtransactions!

The Island is a reference to WWE’s One True Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, and his “Island of Relevancy.” It was a concept he and his Wiseman Paul Heyman often talked about during his title reign. Now it’s this vast theme park island, where players can duke it out in Battle Royale style matches to see who is the strongest of all, who can prove themselves worthy of joining The Bloodline.

That’s a really cool concept, and I’m a fan of it — as far as that goes. However, it’s absolutely stuffed to the gills with microtransactions. You can spend real money (VC) on cosmetic stuff, which I don’t suppose is too damning, considering it doesn’t increase your stats in a meaningful way.

All you need to get great stats are deep pockets, or an intense amount of grinding (Image via 2K Games)

You can, however, spend VC on your actual in-game stats. Sure, it doesn’t make you better at the game, but it does let you hit harder and survive longer without having to do any real grinding. I spent most of the VC that came with my version of the game on stats for The Island, and easily had a stat average of over 92. It made pretty much every match a breeze.

I hesitate to call it pay-to-win, but it’s definitely pay-to-go-faster. It sets a really dangerous precedent, to be honest. It’s trending toward the microtransactions found in NBA 2K, and that’s not a good thing.

Many players won’t be affected by this at all — they either won’t play the modes in question or will and are perfectly fine spending money this way. Some won’t be spending money, but also won’t care one way or another. However, I do think it’s worth spending time considering.

WWE 2K25’s Showcase Mode is a brilliant version of the yearly gameplay mode

Whether playing as Yokozuna, Solo Sikoa, or Roman Reigns, this mode was amazing fun (Image via 2K Games)

I’m not always excited for the Showcase Mode, despite being a fan of the Sport of Kings. That’s because it can occasionally focus on things I’m not interested in personally. However, this year’s story, focused on the history of The Bloodline, is fascinating and a great deal of fun.

It features a wide array of historical matches, alongside some fictional offerings to challenge yourself as a player. Between these and the documentary-style footage offered, narrated by the greatest mind in professional wrestling of all time, Paul Heyman, is emotional and educational. Even if you aren’t a fan of The Bloodline storyline on TV, you will learn a great deal about the men and women who ultimately gave up their blood, sweat, and tears to entertain fans worldwide. It’s a fantastic choice.

The moment-to-moment gameplay doesn’t disappoint at all

Even the casual matches were a ball, and felt just the right amount of competitive (Image via 2K Games)

Sure, the game modes are great, but what about the actual wrestling itself? I feel like it’s improved a great deal from the previous 2K games, that’s for sure. The addition of Chain Wrestling — a mini-game where players jockey for position and try to grab holds and overpower their opponents — was a really fun addition to the game.

The combat is smooth, and while you have approximately six hundred moves to pick when creating a character, it all came together in a way that made sense to me. You have plenty of unique ways to deal damage, be sneaky, or try to make your opponents tap out. If you’re new to the game or need a refresher, there’s an incredibly in-depth tutorial at the Performance Center as well.

No matter your skill level, you can dive in easily and get to work punishing people in the Squared Circle. There is a truly phenomenal amount of offensive moves in WWE 2K25, and I found it pretty easy to get into the habit of countering and counter-attacking as I sank more and more hours in.

The presentation of WWE 2K25 continues to impress

Paul Heyman's genuinely the best. He was perfect for this game mode (Image via 2K Games)

For the most part, all of the wrestlers in WWE 2K25 look amazing in-game and in cutscenes. There are a few that I think Visual Concepts did incredibly dirty, though. The in-depth character designer, entrance designer, this all felt amazing. Matches looked good and were seldom so cluttered that I couldn’t see what was going on — even in Wargames.

The audio engineering for the game is also top-notch. The cutscenes and documentary footage are all of the highest quality. This is important for someone like me, who is hard of hearing. The only real downside in the audio is that sometimes, the MyRise characters didn’t really seem to bring a lot of emotion, much chutzpah to their line readings. This made for some great moments anyway — intentional or otherwise.

Final thoughts

There are some truly chaotic, hilarious moments in MyRise mode. It's 100% worth a run or two (Image via 2K Games)

Every mode in WWE 2K25 is incredible — except MyFaction and The Island. I can overlook MyFaction, though. It’s been in so many games, it has to be doing something right. However, I think The Island needs to lay down for that three-second tan, and never be seen again. It’s microtransactions are repugnant and spoil an otherwise interesting idea. Maybe it can be repackaged with a new gimmick in the next game, but hopefully without all the extra nonsense.

All in all, I think WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game since 2K24; however, the microtransactions really do a lot to hold the game back. Not enough to not recommend it, but it is something players should be aware of. There were also some issues with glitches and load times never ending, but the glitches were rare, and the load issues seem to have been resolved.

It’s a great time to be a wrestling fan, and if you’re looking for good stories and great matches, WWE 2K25 is here to give you a plethora of Wrestlemania moments of your own.