As you might already know, I am a fan of wrestling. Yes, I know it’s scripted. Yes I know they don’t actually (intentionally) punch each other in the face or throw each other off of bridges. Even with that, these are some of the most talented athletes on the planet. Acrobatics, strength, and storytelling. Have you ever watched a Spider-Man movie? Same thing. Costumes and all. That being said, WWE 2K26 is as close as you’ll get to the real deal. Beautiful character models, fluid gameplay, and more modes than you could ever know what to do with. But is it worth your time? Let’s find out!

Aesthetically Pleasing

There are certain moments while playing WWE 2K26 where I thought to myself “holy moly, this looks so real!” Some moments that took me out of the immersion as well. Sometimes a character model can look so photo-realistic, and you’re amazed, but then they’ll do an action like smile or scowl, and their face suddenly looks just a bit off. It wasn’t often but I noticed it when it did happen. I understand that we cannot get every single wrestler’s face to look exactly how it does when they smirk or yell, so it’s fine in that aspect.

Arenas look great and give the presentation that broadcast feel for sure. I really do believe we’re so close to making the crowds feel more real as that has been something that has plagued sports games all the way back from the 90’s. While it is true that a ton of sports fans will have on the same shirt, hat, ect, they don’t all have the same face. I know that a randomly generated crowd would take up a ton of resources, so it’s not a fault, it is just something that has been ever so present in sports games. I’m excited for the day audiences will be more dynamic. That will take everything to the next level. Regardless, it still feels nice and the environment is solid. The new backyard brawl arena is also pretty detailed and have an open world type feel in a way to it. I really appreciate the effort put into it!

Alongside visuals, we get some audio. The audience may look the same but they absolutely sound awesome. Big moments cause big cheers. Chants through entrances, 1-2-3 counts, and overall ambience. There is nothing like being at a WWE event and 2K captures that pretty well here. The entrance music sounds great as always and mixes well with the pyro, crowd, and announcers. Speaking of that, the commentary team has Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Wade Barrett and Booker T. While that might sound overwhelming, it works well. Booker T may sound too excited and not excited at all sometimes but Wade Barrett is such a fantastic commentator in this that it smooths it all over.

They also added some personal wrestler voices to the “I Quit” matches and, of course, MyRise. Some Superstars recorded their own lines for these and some voices are done extremely well, and others couldn’t be bothered. Not nearly as bad as some of the NBA 2K recordings of video game past but sometimes I would almost rather just read the text.

It’s Time To Play The Game

So we know what it looks like and what it sounds like, but, c’mon, how does it play? Straight up, WWE 2K26 feels great. Last year’s edition felt pretty nice and there are slight improvements and tweaks to make this year hit the sweet spot. While there are some random spikes in difficulty with the timing of reversals in modes like MyRise or The Island, there is a balance and a good skill gap. You’ll obviously get your occasional jank but for me, it did not affect the way I felt while playing it. Weapons feel useful while on the ground, attacks feel meaty, and game modes feel complete. Have I thrown K.O. into a dumpster a few times to really make sure I had the mode down? Why yes I have. Why? Because it felt right.

Those tweaks I previously mentioned all add up and I never felt like I was battling against the controls or gameplay. Sure, occasionally my opponent and I would jump at the same time and whiff our attacks but even with little things like that, it was never a hindrance. Climbing ladders, cages, and other environments can take a quick second to get used to but after you do it once, it’s a breeze. Hitting signatures and seamlessly rolling into finishers still brings me an adrenaline rush that I love to find in fighting and sports games in general.

With a roster of over 400 wrestlers, it would have to start feeling repetitive, right? Not entirely! Each wrestler DOES feel unique, and in their style. Penta is quick with flashy moves, while CM Punk is a little slower and more cut and dry grappling. I ended up picking at random with who I was and who I’d go against to see how it would play out, and they all felt different. This is especially true with the new stamina system. You really have to pay attention to not spam grapples and attacks at will or you’ll gas out pretty quickly. Certain superstars can go for multiple moves at a time, while others need a more methodical approach. It adds a nice strategy element to it so while you can still dominate, the match can turn around in an instant if you are a little overzealous. I personally loved this.

Is New Better?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! (Look I know he is with a different company but the chant is still fun) WWE 2K26 has 4 new match types that include: I Quit, Inferno, Three Stages of Hell and Dumpster. They’re all great additions and make the variety even broader.

MyRise is back with a brand new story. You are The Archetype, making your return to the WWE to face Paul Heyman’s Superstar. While I won’t go too much into detail, this was such a fun time to play. I always enjoy interacting with the other wrestlers, not knowing who will pop up to challenge me to random matches. It remains the same level of fun here.

MyGM and Universe modes get all the match types sprinkled in with more outcomes, challenges, and more control than ever before. These are your long term modes and there is SO much to do here that you could spend your entire year here without realizing there are other things to do in WWE 2K26. I often get sucked in to these by creating dream Premium Live Events, match-ups and having ME be the GM of RAW.

The Showcase mode features The Voice of The Voiceless: CM Punk. You get to play through the start of his illustrious and controversial WWE career. You also get to play out some “What-If” scenarios as if Punk never left the WWE all those years ago. I always take this mode in stride as playing as the same person over and over can get a bit tiring. If you do a few matches here and there in-between your MyRise mode, you get some match insights from CM Punk himself and unlock some cool new things for your overall experience.

The Island gets some new additions as well. In my time, it felt bigger, smoother, and offered more customization for your created superstar. You get to choose between 3 factions in your playthrough and take on opponents in the story mode and even other players online. I waited for this mode to get expanded upon last year and I enjoyed this year’s improvements. I’d like a different setting and more fluid route to 1 on 1. While I do like NBA 2K’s The City, and WWE’s The Island, I sort of miss just hitting “Online Matchmaking” from a menu and waiting to grab a match. Maybe I am showing my age a bit.

I don’t have a problem with the new. They’re all welcome additions to the WWE games and they are bigger than ever.

So What Is The Catch?

Look I wont sugarcoat it. Sports games always have a tendency to sell you things. They don’t hide it or shy away from it. WWE 2K26 is no different. You’ll have to shell out the cash to get everything in this game, whether that is the old RAW arena from the 90’s, attitude era superstars, and taunts. While I wouldn’t think that is a bad thing if these games came out every 2 years, they’re annual, and your purchases don’t transfer. I will always see this as a deduction in score because it is very egregious. If my VC, purchased items, or wrestlers came with me to 2K27 this, to me, would be a solid investment. A year definitely seems like a long time to play a game, but most players time should be considered in pricing/content included.

2K also included a new Ringside Pass which is, well, a battle pass that you progress through tiers by completing matches/events in the game. You can unlock extra venues (this one in particular is AAA Lucha Libra themed), championships, wrestlers, and more. I progressed pretty quickly through most of it just by playing MyRise and the Island. You can get XP through all modes including MyFaction/MyGM as well.

Is It Worth Your Time?

Do you like wrestling? Do you yearn for the days of WWF Smackdown? WWE 2K26 is absolutely for you. With such a huge roster, a laundry list of unlockables, and more game modes than ever before, WWE 2K26 has brought me closer to the days where I’d run home from school to play the newest Smackdown game on my Playstation. I simply cannot get enough of this entry. Minus the microtransactions and hefty Ultimate editions prices, this is an absolute must for wrestling fans. If we’re giving a number scale here, WWE 2K26 gets an 8 out of 10.

WWE 2K26 is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S.

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