Like many of the wrestlers the franchise lets you play as, the WWE 2K games have been on top of the world, down and out, and everything in between. Last year's WWE 2K25 was not a career high point as the game focused heavily on The Island, a new online hub in the vein of NBA 2K's The City, to the exclusion of almost everything else. Thankfully, as I described in my hands-on impressions, WWE 2K26 seems to be spreading the love a bit more with new features.
Does WWE 2K26 light a fire under the franchise? Or is it just trotting out the same old familiar act? It’s time to lace ‘em up again and find out.
It seems unlikely this series' core in-ring action will ever fundamentally change, at least not anytime soon, but WWE 2K26 does make a handful of key tweaks. I've long been critical of WWE 2K's stamina and reversal system, arguing there simply aren't enough ways to change the course of a match and that reversals are overused and frustrating. If you're not feeling the often-finnicky timing on reversals, your opponent can seemingly beat you down with impunity. Alternatively, it sometimes feels like higher-level AI or skilled human opponents can reverse literally everything you throw at them. This is a combat game that forces you to spend an inordinate amount of time stunned or lying helplessly on the mat.
With WWE 2K26, developer Visual Concepts has taken at least a half-step to address this. Now if you go for too many reversals in a row (around three) you'll become "winded" and won't be able to reverse anything for a few seconds. This means those infuriating stretches where an opponent won't let you land anything will eventually come to an end, although make no mistake, the average match still features a lot of reversals. Sometimes it didn’t feel like WWE 2K26’s AI was playing with the same restrictions I was, as I swear they could sneak in more reversals without getting tired than I could. Additionally, the actual timing of reversals still feels completely random. Some moves are reversible, others aren’t, and the reversal prompt will pop up before or during moves with little to no rhyme or reason.
Don't get me wrong, the stamina changes are a welcome, if modest, improvement. In some rare cases, the new approach even made me think a bit more strategically. Do I avoid reversing that basic strike and instead save up my stamina to reverse that special or finisher my opponent has in reserve? But ultimately, a more complete revamp is needed. Reversals should pop up at more predictable points during moves, and momentum and the type of moves being performed should be taken into account (my finisher should not be as easy to reverse as a random stomp).
Other in-ring tweaks include new start-of-match actions -- you can now offer a handshake, rush in for a hockey-fight-style brawl, etc. -- and additional weapons, like thumb tacks and a shopping cart you can take an opponent for an involuntary ride in. These features don't really change the core gameplay all that much, but are in keeping with Visual Concepts’ focus on simulating the look and feel of the real WWE TV product. They're fun little touches that should be appreciated by folks who primarily play these games to roleplay as a WWE Superstar.
Four new match types have been added -- I Quit, Dumpster, Three Stages of Hell, and the Inferno match -- all of which feel like worthwhile additions. I Quit is more than a simple submission match – while you can make someone quit with a submission, you can also beat them down and then ask for a verbal “I Quit.” If your opponent slaps you in a submission or asks for an I Quit, a minigame pops up where you have to time button presses as your cursor passes through several green zones on a circular meter. These green zones shrink depending on how much damage you've absorbed to various body parts, so it is quite possible to get an I Quit by simply beating your opponent to a pulp. I quite liked this system and wouldn't mind if something similar were used for submissions across all match types.
The Inferno match is simple enough, as you beat on your opponent with big moves until the flame meter is maxed out, then try to light them ablaze by throwing them into the flames. Mechanically, the match works, and there are some fun secret ways to win (flaming tables or fireballs will do the job), but the presentation is a bit iffy. The flame effects are obviously just a dated-looking flat texture, and you never actually get to see your opponent get lit up, just an animation of them being sprayed with a fire extinguisher (the game’s producers seemed to confirm this was a ratings issue during an interview).
The Dumpster match is another of your basic "throw your opponent into something and close the door/lid" matches, albeit one that's good for some juvenile boasting. Meanwhile, Three Stages of Hell allows you to pick any three matches you want to play back-to-back, allowing you to make it whatever kind of experience you want.
Visually, WWE 2K26 looks largely the same as last year’s title, despite the franchise finally dropping last-gen consoles. Most of the game's 400+ playable characters (that number includes alternate versions of characters and even completely fictional wrestlers from The Island) look largely unchanged, albeit with some tweaks for stars who have changed their looks and another level of polish on the lighting and some effects.
The game’s level of bugginess wasn't as high as it's been in some years, but, of course, some years it’s been very, very buggy indeed. I still encountered a good number of odd occurrences and a few crashes, although a pre-launch patch seemed to reduce the latter issue. Unsurprisingly, the return of body customization to the create-a-wrestler suite often results in unforeseen clipping and visual glitches, but those issues might be worth it if pushing the editor to its limits with weirdly-shaped monstrosities is your thing (it’s definitely mine).
As usual, 2K Showcase is this year’s most heavily promoted mode, with CM Punk being the focus this go ‘round. The Showcase features the usual recreations of real-world matches, but also some intriguing "What if?" and fantasy matches imagining what might have happened if Punk hadn't taken a decade-long sabbatical from WWE. It's a clever hook, but the Showcase matches suffer from the same problem they always have -- a very exacting list of objectives that can be frustrating to pull off just the way the game wants you to.
Interestingly, this year, there is also the option to take on a gauntlet of regular matches to unlock all the exclusive Showcase content, but unfortunately for those who don't love checking off objectives, playing through a 20-person gauntlet with no recovery between matches is no easy task. I’m sure some WWE 2K savants will be able to pull it off, but for most folks, it won’t be much of a viable alternative to the usual Showcase route.
Happily, the MyRise career mode is back on firmer ground after being badly neglected last year. WWE 2K25’s MyRise only featured one story, regardless of whether you played as a male or female Superstar, and characterizations that felt completely divorced from actual WWE programming. This year, we get separate stories for both men and women, and a narrative that feels more grounded in real WWE programming, with players taking on the role of "The Archetype," a main-event Superstar returning on Raw after WrestleMania to much fanfare. Unfortunately, your big return doesn't go so hot, as you're taken out by Paul Heyman's latest champion (Bron Breaker or Jordynne Grace, depending on which gender you choose to play as). From there, you embark on a worldwide tour of Japan, Mexico, the UK, and even the underground shoot-fighting scene, in order to earn back some cred for your eventual WWE return.
Like most of the better MyRise entries, this year’s story mirrors real-world narratives, in this case, folks like Cody Rhodes touring the world and finding their edge before making their triumphant return (minus the AEW stopover, of course). Various decision points also give you the option to play the good guy or heel, with the latter resulting in some amusingly jerkish behavior. These decisions make MyRise relatively replayable, which is good, because a single run through won't take you all that long.
As for The Island, it's back, and while I still didn't find it an entirely gripping experience, a number of improvements make it less outright embarrassing than last year's effort. While The Island's single-player missions still include some wacky fantasy elements, you don't get the sense that the writers are outright treating the story like a joke, and, lo and behold, we even get actual cutscenes and voice acting this year. The Island’s layout has been redesigned to be easier to navigate in general and a new faction system and replayable PvE Towers offer some challenge and structure beyond “grind levels and buy cosmetics.”
Even the lower-profile modes get some solid upgrades this year. I still find the fact that you can't pre-determine outcomes in MyGM frustrating, but the mode has received a healthy array of additional features, including a number of new match types (including 5, 6, and 8-person battles), more PLEs, and perhaps best of all, the ability to "double book" your roster by having a wrestler cut a promo and wrestle a match on the same show. Meanwhile, the sandbox Universe mode introduces the WWE Draft for the fantasy bookers to tinker with, and MyFaction adds a few new match types and challenges. Neither Universe nor MyFaction is really my cup of tea, particularly the microtransaction-heavy latter mode, but if they’re your thing, they haven’t been neglected.
Of course, not every new feature is created equal. This year, WWE 2K26 is rolling out a series of new Ringside Passes, with each one having a free and paid track (the latter essentially replacing the traditional DLC character packs of the past). As many feared, earning all the content in these passes, even the stuff you’ve paid extra for, is a bit of a trudge. Sure, the free track actually offers some decent stuff, including some retro Superstar favorites, with the paid track largely focusing on things for the also-heavily-monetized MyFaction mode, but it still took me over 20 hours to unlock Mr. Iguana, which feels like a bit of a heavy ask.
While you can earn RXP toward Ringside Pass unlocks in a number of different ways, your progress bar constantly popping up feels like a reminder of your slow progress -- progress that could be sped up with a few paid tier skips, nudge nudge. Ultimately, WWE 2K26 is a game that gives you a lot. More than any previous entry in the series, perhaps, but it always feels like it’s asking for just a little something in return.
This review was based on a PS5 copy of WWE 2K26 provided by publisher 2K Games.
About the author: Professional writer of trivial things. Nathan has been covering games, entertainment, and online culture for over a decade with bylines at IGN, GameSpy, Cracked, Uproxx, ComicBook, and more. Joined Wccftech gaming team in 2017, and has written hundreds of game reviews and thousands of news stories since.
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