Sometimes the stars align. Right when an interest in wrestling has once more piqued, a new entry into the WWE 2K series releases. Where there may be delight in receiving an advance code to the game and its bounty of future DLC packs, being stuck on a train and unable to install it is torturous. Days later, the game installed and free time acquired, WWE 2K25 is booted up, explored, and can certainly be deemed one of the best in class. 2K has weathered a real storm in the last few years and they would be the first to hold their hands up and say recent releases in the series had drifted from what made it so special. They recapture the magic here. Whether that is through a sense of nostalgia from revisiting the Smackdown vs. Raw games of old or in making some neat and noticeable additions to their streamlined sports entertainment simulator, WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game in some time.
Crucial to this latest instalment is the variety on offer. What you get from a sports simulator is what you make of it. For some, the online play will be the go-to mode, though as someone who has sworn off multiplayer modes in search of something more fulfilling, who knows how WWE 2K25 fares online? It does make the MyFaction mode a tad redundant, though the card trading riff on FIFA’s Ultimate Team mode has always been a little hard to see as more than an adaptation of Slam Attax cards. A few unlockables tie it to MyRise, a story which calls back to the Invasion angles WWE tried to run in the early 2000s. Creating two wrestlers and fighting through a host of matches, it seems WWE 2K25 has put all their chips on the table for this mode, and they break even with it. Branching storylines, some neat achievements and even a small pocket of original characters to return to, it feels like a relatively nice piece of work, fleshing out the ever-growing MyRise features.
It is the same too for the 2K Showcase, focusing on The Bloodline and all those who can be tied to it. Umaga, Rikishi and Yokozuna can be unlocked through this mode, as can a few new faces for the game, which has a staggering roster. It’s the equivalent of a Glastonbury Festival lineup. We may be disappointed to see this name or that team disappear, but in its place is a host of other options. In WWE 2K25’s case, the deep-cut characters like Honky Tonk Man and The Sandman are maintained and joined by tremendous tributes to the lineage of WWE, with Peter Maivia and Headshrinkers Fatu and Samu marking decent additions to the roster. That ever-growing roster is bound to be a guilty pleasure for those who make use of the WWE Universe mode. Spread in a few CAWs to add those favourites in other brands and you have one of the more fleshed-out and in-depth experiences for both the ever-growing WWE Universe mode and the clunky but fun MyGM mode.
Irrespective of modes, rosters and severed online play, what matters for WWE 2K25 is its gameplay. No jitters to report just yet, though the occasional floating Sheamus is cause for fear. WWE 2K25 is the everyman wrestling game, a perfect blur of old school and new generation features which are no doubt a finer balance for newcomers and experienced wrestling heads. A reversals system which can be operated by those not yet fully awake, a fluid style to the little features like stamina and grappling which keep the game fresh for every match. There is a real abundance of features in WWE 2K25, and for the first time in a long while, it feels like everything has some deeper purpose, some longevity under the surface.
For those returning to the series after a few years’ absence, WWE 2K25 will feel like a massive overhaul, both graphically and gameplay-wise. It is still as thrilling to throw Doink the Clown into upset victory squash matches in Universe Mode and have him challenge for the Intercontinental Championship. It is still a treat to have The Hurricane clobber Hulk Hogan down from the Hell in a Cell cage. Inter-gender tag matches return, promo slots in the Universe mode too. Every mode has received an overhaul, and 2K has done extremely well to incorporate them. Those fundamental moments, the fits of laughter that come from couch co-op and simulating through Universe Mode are just the tip of the iceberg. Demand is high for sports simulation games, but expectations are higher still for their longevity. A year is a long time, and considering each roster and game must get us to the next year, it is both a relief and a pleasure to know WWE 2K25 has an abundance of features worth returning to.
