Somehow, we’ve reached that wonderfully special time of the year again, folks – at least, if you’re a fan of professional wrestling. The blinding lights lining the road to WrestleMania stretch out before our very eyes, and the annual 2K WWE gaming offering has indeed landed. Sprinkled with a dash of much appreciated minor tweaks and adjustments (like a chain wrestling minigame), boasting a massive roster of playable Superstars from the past and present, and featuring some pretty major changes to the franchise’s usual modus operandi, WWE 2K25 makes one hell of a compelling argument for fans to once again return to the digital squared circle (and beyond!).



2K25’s Showcase theme this year is “The Bloodline’s Dynasty”, allowing players to follow (or alter) the timeline of various Fatu, Anoa’I, and Maivia family members over the years – with introductory speeches appropriately (and lovingly) performed by “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman. The selection of match experiences on offer here features zero real-life footage, unlike prior 2K entries - opting instead for in-game cutscenes and full commentary (from the current-day commentary teams, which just feels bizarre playing over classic matches). Of course, completing each Showcase chapter comes with its own unlocks – some requiring the completion of all mid-match objectives to obtain, including timed tasks that can be incredibly awkward and frustrating to accomplish within the designated time limit.



From Yokozuna taking on Hulk Hogan in 1993’s King of the Ring, to last year’s King and Queen of the Ring matchup featuring Nia Jax and Lyra Valkyria – there’s a great lineup of Showcase events this time around. As alluded to above, the outcome of a few clashes can be changed as well – like when Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns faced off at the 2022 Royal Rumble. While Showcase mode might not be the stand-out highlight of any WWE 2K entry, they’re great little diversions and historical slices of entertainment – and this year’s is certainly no exception.

2K25’s Showcase theme this year is “The Bloodline’s Dynasty”, allowing players to follow (or alter) the timeline of various Fatu, Anoa’I, and Maivia family members over the years.

Moving away from Showcase mode, one of the most hyped up and noteworthy additions of WWE 2K25 is, undoubtedly, the inclusion – or return, rather - of intergender matchups. It’s been well over a decade since the last WWE-related title that supported this functionality, and you’re given total freedom this time around as far as booking is concerned, including utilising the two new Bloodline Rules and Underground match types. There is, however, a limited selection of championships available for use in these bouts, like the 24/7, Hardcore, and Performance Center belts. Interesting side note: both male and female wrestlers can bleed in WWE 2K25, unless the active match type is an intergender fight. This is totally understandable.



As you’d expect, both MyRise and The Island (more on this in a bit) modes make extensive use of intergender matches in their respective storylines – injecting a breath of fresh air into familiar territory and opening up more narrative avenues in the process. As opposed to recent WWE 2K instalments, this year’s MyRise focuses on one unified story, with a major emphasis on player choice – allowing you to create (or import) your very own WWE Superstars using the included extensive creation tools you’ve come to know and love. I use the plural term “Superstars” here instead of the singular because you will indeed be controlling both a male and female wrestler as you progress through the mode – swapping from one to the other at pivotal plot moments.

Thankfully, the MyRise storyline this year is both highly enjoyable and surprisingly well-paced, full of all the twists and turns you’d expect from pro wrestling – focusing on both current and past NXT members forming their own rival Mutiny brand and attempting a large-scale invasion of Raw and Smackdown. It’s up to you and your partner (also CM Punk) to bring an end to this hostile takeover, upgrading your stats with attribute points earned from completing quests and optional Live Event matches along the way (with their own lineup of rewards earned via stars obtained through matches).



Fear not, obsessive completionists, as MyRise replays are highly encouraged – with the ability to carry over all attribute upgrades and custom Superstars from your previous playthrough to the next, as long as you use the same save file slot. This is ideal if you want to experience everything the mode has to offer, obtain any missed unlockable goodies, or witness one or two exclusive Ally Storylines (which sees you briefly control an existing WWE Superstar instead of your own creations).

Thankfully, the MyRise storyline this year is both highly enjoyable and surprisingly well-paced, full of all the twists and turns you’d expect from pro wrestling.

Switching focus over to 2K25’s other huge selling point, let’s talk about The Island – the title’s expanded online and PvP mode (sadly exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S systems). Taking place on a literal Island of Relevancy, the backstory here revolves around proving yourself to the Original Tribal Chief himself, Roman Reigns, by completing quests, improving your personalised wrestling avatar (using VC obtained from said quests, matches, or good old-fashioned real-world money), and taking on other players to raise your rank.



The eponymous Island itself is a sight to behold and honestly surpassed my expectations in terms of its approach to design and scope. Like a WWE-themed Disneyland populated by up to 50 players, each of the four explorable zones are filled with references to wrestlers and their related gimmicks and associated storylines. From the gigantic, golden, Roman Reigns statue at the heart of the map, to the Undertaker imagery-infused cathedral (and accompanying cemetery), the Island is a joy to just wander around – even if it is just fan service-laden set dressing for the most part.

The actual gameplay here, though, might not be everybody’s cup of tea. Quests are usually delivered via visual novel-esque dialogue sequences with static images of in-game NPC and Superstar models in the background, striking various emotive poses. Most of the writing is, unfortunately, extremely hit or miss, and objectives are merely thinly-veiled segues into your next match – structured like the most generic MMO fetch quests of your nightmares (minus the fetching). Running back and forth, sifting through lines of unvoiced and uninteresting rambling, then being dropped into a match gets repetitive very quickly – even with the sheer amount of outfit sets and player profile cosmetics the game dumps on you. I also experienced occasional menu loading and UI text update issues, but they weren’t offensively disruptive to gameplay by any means.



My beloved MyGM mode has also received a bunch of neat additions this year, most notably the ability to play with up to three friends online, freely alternating between human or CPU at will, and at any point, for each brand – with a few downsides. In online games, custom GMs or rosters cannot be selected, and players are unable to spectate or play out matches at all – meaning that every brand’s card results must be entirely simulated. This is immensely disappointing, for sure, but I have hope that these options will either be patched in at a later date or show up in the inevitable 2K26 release. Smaller customisation details - like being able to change up win condition criteria to either centre around fan count or trophies accumulated, adding an optional booking timer to spice up competition, and displaying the full roster during Drafts – go a long way in making the mode more immersive and enjoyable.

The eponymous Island itself is a sight to behold and honestly surpassed my expectations in terms of its approach to design and scope.

Meanwhile, Universe mode has reintroduced Promos as Rivalry actions, including offering and accepting open challenges, a call-out on a potential rival, interrupting an already in-progress promo, or a classic self-promo. Booking multiple shows (up to three) on the same night is now possible, too, as is enabling or disabling intergender matches. And if you’re a big fan of MyFACTION, you’ll be pleased by the improvements made to ranked matchmaking (including incentivising the use of lower tier cards in exchange for rewards), and the brand-new World Tour feature allowing players more freedom of choice when taking on challenges.



Ladies and gentlemen, WWE 2K25 is a massive, meaty, full-course meal of wrestling gaming goodness – and there’s plenty of other less obvious changes I haven’t covered here for you to discover on your own time. With an absolutely stacked playable roster, the return of intergender matches, a controllable third-person camera angle during entrances, tons of customisation options to mess around with, and a good variety of gameplay types to explore, it’s safe to say that developers Visual Concepts have truly outdone themselves this time. And if you’re on the fence wondering whether this year’s changes justify the upgrade from 2K24, the answer is, as the great philosopher Jey Uso once exclaimed, a resounding “YEET”.

*PS5 Review code provided by 2K Games