WWE 2K26 Brings a CM Punk Showcase, 400+ Wrestlers, and Pricey Special Editions in March

March is coming up fast, which means it’s nearly time for another dose of wrasslin’ game goodness, with 2K officially unveiling WWE 2K26 today. CM Punk is once again gracing the cover this year (a Punk with less gray in his beard appeared on the cover of WWE 2K13) and will be starring in this year’s 2K Showcase mode. Punk is far from the only wrestler in the game, as developer Visual Concepts has apparently packed a whopping 400+ Superstars into WWE 2K26 at launch – a number that will only expand with DLC, etc. You can check out the debut trailer for WWE 2K26, which debuted during the Royal Rumble, below.

You can check out a handful of early screenshots of WWE 2K26, below.

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Visual Concepts is also promising four new match types -- I Quit, Inferno, Three Stages of Hell, and Dumpster – as well as some new plunder to use against opponents, such as shopping carts and thumb tacks. Ultimately though, perhaps most exciting for folks like myself who have been playing WWE 2K forever, Visual Concepts have promised a full revamp of the reversal and stamina system, which has long been a glaring weak point for the series. We still don’t know much about how these systems are changing, but apparently the updates will “add a new layer of strategy,” which is exactly the kind of thing I was begging for in last year's WWE 2K25 review.

Here’s a quick rundown of some other new features coming in WWE 2K26…

• Creation Suite - 2X the CAS and Image Slots, Plus Body Morphing: The best-in-class customization mode now offers 200 Create-A-Superstar save slots, doubling the existing count in response to community demand. Community Creations now features a doubled image capacity of 2,000, deeper body and face morphing tools, and two-tone hair color blending, giving players unprecedented freedom to craft the Superstars, arenas, and other creations of their dreams.
• MyGM - More Shows, More Superstars Per Match: New Intergender Matches, 5, 6, and 8-manmatches, plus support for more match types than ever before, vastly increase the number of  possible matches and outcomes. More shows per season pose new management challenges in2K’s strategic brand management simulation mode.
• MyRise - New Theme, Increased Replay Value: Players define their MySuperstar’s journey through two new division-based storylines where villainous or heroic decisions impact MyPlayers like never before. Players can now keep playing even after the main stories are complete, with more unlockable content and achievements to earn for increased replayability.
• The Island - New Storyline and Environment, Available on All Platforms: 2K’s WWE-themed world is now bigger and more social than ever, and available for the first time on PC. Players will choose one of three factions and battle for control with a revamped progression system. The new Scrapyard Brawl environment, fresh Towers, new shops and branded gear, an expanded MySuperstar builder with face-photo importing, plus upgraded quests, complete with Superstar voiceovers, cutscenes and dialogue screens, enhance the immersive experience.

Of course, WWE 2K26 is coming in the usual dizzying array of special editions, and, in fact, 2K is pushing the bar further than ever this year, with the $150 Monday Night War Edition. Here are the different ways you can buy WWE 2K26:

• The Standard Edition is $70.
• King of Kings Edition will be available for $1oo. King of Kings Edition includes the Standard Edition, Joe Hendry Pack, Ringside Pass Premium Season 1, and 32,500 VC, plus the King of Kings Pack which includes playable Superstars Triple H ‘98 and Stephanie McMahon ‘00, and a “Triple H Signature Taunt” Emote for The Island.
• Attitude Era Edition will be available for $130. In addition to all content included in the King of Kings Edition, Attitude Era Edition includes access to Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-4,plus the Attitude Era Edition Pack, which features playable Superstars The Rock ‘99, Kane ‘98, and Chyna ‘97, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin “Rattlesnake” and The Rock “People’s Champ” MyFaction EVO cards, the Raw is War ‘98 Arena, and Undertaker “Thumb Across the Neck” and Shawn Michaels “DX Crotch Chop” Emotes for The Island. The Superstar Mega-Boost is also included, which grants 200 MySuperstar attribute points for MyRise plus 100,000 VC.
• Monday Night War Edition will be available for $150. In addition to all content included in the Attitude Era Edition, Monday Night War Edition includes access to Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-6, plus the Monday Night War Edition Pack, which features playable Superstars Shawn Michaels DX, Macho Man Randy Savage ‘98, Rowdy Roddy Piper ‘98, the WCW Thunder ‘98 Arena, and a Diamond Dallas Page “Bang!” Emote for The Island. Monday Night War Edition also grants entitlement for the WrestleMania 42 Pack, which includes the WrestleMania42 Arena and three WrestleMania 42 Superstar Persona Cards to be automatically entitled post-launch.

Oh, and yes, there will now be a premium battle pass, er, sorry, “Ringside Pass” offered as well. Here are the details on that.

• Ringside Passes - DLC Gets an Upgrade with More Post-Launch Content Than Ever Before: The all-new Ringside Pass offers players additional incentive to play, earning XP across all game modes, excluding online lobbies. 60 free tiers and 40 premium tiers will be available to reward gameplay, with players who can reach tier 40 of the Ringside Pass Premium Season able to unlock Superstars, cosmetic and customization items, VC, MyFaction and The Island content, and more. The Ringside Pass Premium replaces the previous DLC model, rewarding players with all-new playable characters unavailable on the base game roster, including current Superstars, Legends, Personas, and some unexpected names. Six Ringside Pass Seasons are planned to roll out throughout the year, with Ringside Pass Season 1 available at launch and featuring unlockable Superstars and Legends, previously available in the WWE 2K Supercharger, on the free tier.

WWE 2K26 hits PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and Switch 2 (yes, “last gen” versions seem to finally be behind us) on March 13, unless you buy the King of Kings Edition or above, in which case, you’ll be able to play a week early on March 6.

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