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Video Games and modern professional wrestling have sort of grown up together, in a sense. You could argue that gaming didn't really start to become the business that it is now until the mid-1980s, when the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the United States. It was around then when WWE - then the World Wrestling Federation - really started its nationwide expansion.
Mainstream wrestling video games - specifically the WWE 2K series - have adopted the same formula as most major sports titles. Games like Madden NFL or FC (formerly the FIFA series) come in an annual release cycle, simply building upon the foundation of the previous year's edition. It's a tested, dependable formula that usually works, releasing competently made - if usually uninspired - annual installments.
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However, before then - and even up until today - there have been plenty of pro wrestling titles that have attempted to do something different from the "usual." Some of these titles are amazing. Others, well... at least they tried, you know?
So, let's look at a handful of these "weird" pro wrestling video games released across the decades.
#5. WrestleQuest (2023) is not like most wrestling games
So, "Wrestling Game" isn't a genre. There have been wrestling fighting games (like Saturday Night Slam Masters, an arcade classic), wrestling beat 'em up games (think that one Game Boy Color game featuring The Rock), and, of course, your modern simulations, like the WWE 2K series.
One genre that's rarely been touched by the wrestling world is the role-playing game (RPG). That all changed in mid-2023 when Mega Cat Studios unleashed WrestleQuest upon the world.
We won't go into too much detail about the game itself, especially since we did that already. Twice, in fact. To sum up, WrestleQuest is a turn-based RPG in the vein of classic Final Fantasy games but set in the wrestling world. Well, actually in the pro wrestling action figure world. It's... hard to explain, but once you play it (and you should), you'll get it.
WrestleQuest also features classic stars from the past, like Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Andre the Giant, and, most significantly, Randy "Macho Man" Savage. There are also a handful of cameos from some well-known video game and pro wrestling YouTubers.
It's something different, but if you love old-school wrestling or old-school RPGs, you need to check it out.
WrestleQuest is available on the PlayStations, the Xboxes, the Nintendo Switch, Steam, and even through Netflix.
#4. Wrestling Empire (2019)
When it comes to pro wrestling video games that are actually about pro wrestling, you're not going to find any weirder than Wrestling Empire
With gameplay very similar to classics like WWF No Mercy and graphics in the vein of, er, QWOP, Wrestling Empire is absolutely bizarre - and in all the best ways.
The game has all the standard modes you'd expect from a title of this sort: Exhibition, Story Mode, Multiplay, Create-a-wrestler, etc. It's that story mode where things really get wacky. Let's let Patrick Gill from Polygon demonstrate:
This one is 100% worth checking out at least once in your life - though you may get addicted to it.
#3. Fire Pro Wrestling World (2017)
The Fire Pro Wrestling series is lauded, and rightfully so, as perhaps the most in-depth wrestling simulators on the market. Except for the one released on the Xbox 360. That game was just garbage. Seriously bad.
Fire Pro Wrestling World was released on the PlayStation 4 and PC in 2017 and was the first game in the series to feature a license from an existing promotion. That promotion? New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Which means it was the first time fans got to play as Bullet Club and Kenny Omega without having to create them themselves.
FPW World's graphics are pretty basic, 16-bit style, but still very detailed. There's a robust create-a-wrestler feature - maybe one of the most robust in wrestling game history. You can even share your creations online. It's just... a process to actually do that.
You really can't go wrong with any Fire Pro Wrestling game (save for the Xbox 360 abomination), but World is especially good.
#2. WWE All Stars (2011)
As great as (most of) the games in the WWE 2K series are at recreating the action in a WWE ring, sometimes you just want something different. More over-the-top. More... arcadey. That's a word, right?
Well, in 2011, then-publisher of WWE video games THQ released WWE All Stars, and boy, was it all three of those things. And it was glorious.
Featuring then-current WWE stars like John Cena, CM Punk, and The Undertaker, there was also a handful of legends to boot. Which meant you could have "dream matches" like Punk vs. Randy Savage, Bret Hart vs. Rey Mysterio, or John Cena vs. Sgt. Slaughter.
The character models are exaggerated, the controls are simple, and the gameplay is obnoxiously addictive. It was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and hasn't seen a rerelease since, so that's the only way to play it at the moment. WWE Battlegrounds comes close, but... it's just not the same, man.
#1. RetroMania Wrestling (2021)
Speaking of arcade wrestling games, there was one cabinet released in the late '80s/early '90s that defined a generation. Yes, Saturday Night Slam Masters was a great game, but it wasn't WWE (or WWF, whatever). WWF Superstars was a good first step, but it wasn't quite there yet.
Then, Technos unleashed WWF WrestleFest upon the world - and nothing has been the same since.
But that's not the game we're talking about here. We're talking about not just its spiritual successor but, according to original dev studio Technos, the legit sequel to WrestleFest - RetroMania Wrestling.
RetroMania takes the same arcade gameplay and uses it to recreate both legends and indie stars. The roster includes such names as Matt Cardona, Chris Bey, Tommy Dreamer, Nick Aldis, and, most importantly, Mr. Hughes.
Now, the game isn't without some controversy, as developer RetroSoft has yet to update the title's story mode and has seemingly left it drifting in the wind. Be that as it may, it's still an extremely fun arcade-style wrestling game with a lot of names you wouldn't expect (you can play as Nick Aldis, for crying out loud). It's worth a try if you have the opportunity.
Any other out-of-the-norm wrestling games you can think of? Let's hear it down in the comments.
