WWE 2K25 – Xbox Series X Review

WWE 2K25 by developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Games—Microsoft Xbox Series X review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

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To be frank: this is what you hope to see in an annually released game. More features and improvements across the board combine to make it better than ever. WWE 2K25 is exactly that – bigger and better than ever.

Bigger really stands out right off of the bat. There’s numerous modes to choose from – including a new one called The Island. Much more to talk about there in a bit, but it’s also worth calling out that the roster is absolutely massive with wrestlers both past and present in the mix. There’s so much variety in the different types of wrestlers that the roster alone could keep someone busy just figuring out what styles appeal to them the most. 

Then we move into the menu’s many modes of mayhem (try saying that ten times fast). There’s the traditional quick play where you just go in and fire up a quick match with the wrestlers and rules of your choice. It’s a great way to try some different types of wrestlers out before sinking time into creating your own wrestlers. You’ll eventually be doing just that though, as you create a wrestler for the MyRise and The Island modes. MyRise is what it has been for years now, a story-driven mode with some RPG elements like progression and choices to make through either a male or female wrestler’s story as you seek to become the face of a new era in WWE. All of the usual hijinks and betrayals are here and it’s brought together quite well between the overall presentation, especially the audio.

Now, the Island is another thing altogether – and frankly one that is likely to be a bit controversial. Years ago, I remarked that I was surprised WWE hadn’t yet created the kind of experience NBA 2K had, where they blended a story line with online play. Why? Well, my thinking was twofold. First, MyCareer in NBA 2K is by far the game’s most popular mode. It boasts a new story each year where players can compete with one another or stick to just single player content while incrementally improving their custom player. The second reason I figured a mode like this would eventually come along comes down to VC (Virtual Currency). It’s the microtransaction currency used by 2K, and it presumably makes the company a ton of money over and above the base game sales. In the past, WWE only had one use for VC – buying packs of cards in MyFaction. MyFaction is a mode that combines elements of card collecting and improving your roster through these wrestlers you collect.

To be honest? This is probably my least favorite WWE mode. It is an okay diversion, but I enjoy this mode far more in the NBA 2K games. Still, it’s a long-running mode that will likely stick around in the WWE series indefinitely because I’m sure they make money off of the VC bought and used in it. Now there’s a use for it in The Island. Like NBA 2K, in WWE 2K25 you can use VC to level up your character’s abilities. You can earn more VC by playing the game in this mode as well, so it doesn’t all have to be purchased. Time will tell what the grind / improvement curve looks like. Being a new mode, there’s likely to be some imbalance there.

So, what is The Island actually like to play? Well, if you can get past the slightly grimy-feeling microtransaction part of it? I had fun with it. There’s a new story separate of MyArise that basically puts you and everyone on this Island of Relevancy to try and earn the good graces of Roman Reigns. It’s a silly premise, but does the job and sets the stage. The things that work? The Island is pretty vibrant-looking, I appreciate a second story – even if it doesn’t feel as fleshed out as MyArise. There’s lots of quest-like objectives, and many of them are actually quite fun to try and complete. The progression elements like improving stats and badges are an effective carrot to dangle.

What maybe doesn’t work quite as well? Well, the first is how expensive VC is, especially when buying cosmetics for your wrestler. There’s no map, which feels like a bit of an oversight as I got so used to using it in NBA 2K. Luckily The Island is not too large and unwieldy, the layout is logical and it isn’t too hard to get the hang of where thigs are. One guardrail missing that’s in NBA 2K is that you can dump all the VC you want into your character right out of the gates. I saw several people running around at a 100 overall on day one. In NBA 2K, there’s a system that unlocks the next stage in a rising cap as you play. That limits how fast you can upgrade your player that’s lacking here in WWE 2K25. 

I spent a lot of time in both The Island and MyArise modes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they somehow became blended together in the future the way MyCareer has in NBA 2K. Universe mode is basically a giant sandbox mode. It’s fun to fool around with, but the lack of structured objectives doesn’t make it where I tend to spend my time. I will say that MyGM mode is looking better than it has in over a decade. It took some time off, came back a few years ago, and of all the returning modes, MyGM has received the most love it seems. It’s a season long campaign broken up over a couple of dozen weeks where you take a brand and create a stable of wrestlers to compete against one another. At its core, it’s a simulation mode that you can go hands-on with during matches if you’d like. Add to it that your created superstars can participate too, and there’s a lot of fun to be had here.

Lastly, there’s the Showcase mode. Usually this mode follows a specific wrestler through some of the biggest fights of their career, interspersed with interviews and live footage from their actual matches. In WWE 2K25, the focus is spread out a bit and follows The Bloodline, which is in-line with all of the Roman Reigns in the presentation. It feels a little less forced / scripted in trying to make you authentically recreate the matches of old (and there’s a sort of ‘what if this happened?’ mode as well that’s made up of imaginary scenarios), which is appreciated. I always liked this mode, but often felt like the objectives were a bit too restrictive at times. They made sense, but still had me frustrated. There was less of that this time around. The mode does feel a bit more accessible, though a few of the imposed time limits do seem a little harsh. Completing these scenarios however, is a lot of fun. You get some cool looks at WWE’s past and generally some good unlockable rewards too.

None of this would matter much if the in-ring action didn’t hold up its end of the bargain, but the good news is that WWE 2K25 delivers here as well. I mentioned earlier that the presentation was fantastic, and it really is. Authentic commentary, fluid animations and a variety of distinctive playstyles depending on your wrestler of choice and opponent make every match feel like an event. Thankfully the combat aspect has been solid for years and this year’s is more minor polish and tweaks. Controls are responsive, you can tweak numerous single-player settings to make the gameplay a bit more attuned to your preferences. I really appreciated how much different a massive, hulking tank of a wrestler played versus a quick, agile high-flying sort. One tweak is the return of ‘chain wrestling’, which is like a minigame within the match that just adds a layer to the already existing action.

Simply put, WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game on the market. The developers manage to make smart improvements to existing modes, roll out an entirely new mode and continue to make the action in the ring look and feel authentic. While the whiff of increased microtransactions is going to bother some, I do appreciate that the series isn’t resting on its laurels and gave us a game that continues to justify its annual release.

 

Score: 8.5 / 10