As a lifelong pro wrestling fan, few things excite me outside the actual pro wrestling. The number one is by far the video games. After the epic failure of WWE 2K20, every subsequent release has been upgraded and improved.
However, with the release of WWE 2K25, it feels like this entry still needed a bit more time in development to iron out some other technical issues, particularly those in the new The Island mode.
WWE 2K25 like 2K24 and 2K23 is mostly built on the same engine. This means you shouldn’t expect extreme redesigns of the superstars and arenas. This is fine because the character models and arenas already look amazing. The crowd models are hit-and-miss but who’s focusing on the crowds? On that note, I’m still hoping they add in Vlad the super fan in the front row at the Madison Square Garden arena (if you know, you know).
The lighting and sound bring the arenas and stadiums to life and pull you into the match. A cool new feature is the third-person camera angle which can be accessed by pressing (Y) during your entrance. You can use the right stick to move around while your superstar makes his or her way to the ring. This produces beautiful visuals and great screenshots that have never been obtainable in prior releases.
While on the topic of entrances, the run-in action has changed and it’s a much-needed improvement. Before while in the ring you could trigger a run-in and then need to make your way up the ramp to attack your opponent. Now you can press (A) when prompted at the top left of the screen. Once the superstar is close to the ring your superstar will auto perform an attack. The same goes for performing run-ins from the back. If you have weapons selected at the start of the match you will see your superstar use them during the run-in.
Now you can play the match in the third-person view but it also changes how you use the controller since the right stick also moves the camera. I didn’t like using the camera angle while playing but it is fantastic when spectating such as in a Royal Rumble match.
The overall gameplay mechanics for WWE 2K25 is the same as WWE 2K24 with one key returning feature and changes to mini-games. The returning feature is chain wrestling which hasn’t been seen since WWE 2K19. You start by holding down the (B) button to initiate a grapple. Once in a grapple, a circle will appear at the side of your superstar. You’ll need to move your left thumb stick around to find the sweet vibrating part to complete a grapple move before your opponent does the same.
I’m indifferent to this feature, you can always turn it off in the settings along with the trading blows mini-game which I did turn off. While in the settings menu, you may also want to turn on blood (which is off by default). There is a lot more this year including blood splatter and more visual bruises which are more noticeable during weapon matches. The pin kick-out is now a timed mini-game in which you must press A in the large box moving left to right. The more damage you take the smaller the box becomes. For some reason, the AI opponents this year love to go for quick roll-up pins and if you are not ready you will miss time the button presses and lose the match. Thankfully if you prefer the button mash (rapid) press option this can be changed in the settings.
Another mini-game that has changed is the Ladder match. This is now a QTE in which you must press the displayed button multiple times within three waves.
If you fall or are taken down upon climbing back up, you’ll need to start all three waves again. This is extremely frustrating and I do not think this is a better option than the previous mini-game. In fact, I rather we had a rapid button press option for this mini-game as well.
Submissions are the same in that you need to button mash the button that appears to move the meter toward completing the submission. There was a balancing issue with this in WWE 2K24 in that the AI would perform quick submissions and for whatever reason it was almost impossible to press the displayed button fast enough to escape.
From the few submission attempts I’ve had, it appears this balancing issue has carried over to WWE 2K25. This can be corrected in the settings menu by adjusting the submission sliders.
WWE 2K25 has included more backstage brawl environments and The Underground match. Many years ago, Shane McMahon was airing these matches during RAW, saying they were in shady underground warehouses or club basements. You would see people walking around drinking and some wrestlers surrounding a raised platform not quite the size of a wrestling ring with no ropes. It was presented as a shoot fight intended to get some superstars over with the crowd as legit badasses. Well, it never really took off and disappeared but for some reason, 2k felt the need to bring it back in WWE 2K25. While I’m all for adding whacking match types (where’s my buried alive match?) this underground match fails to deliver any real gameplay excitement. It’s just a ring with no ropes and superstars standing around watching. You can throw your opponent off or dive off but that’s the extent of the excitement.
On the other hand, the backstage arenas are all filled with fun objects to interact with such as taking the elevator up to the 2nd level to beat on your opponent and chuck them off to the ground floor or through a large spotlight. One of the backstage areas is the WWE props warehouse and you fight on the barbershop set and can throw your opponent through the window to re-create the Marty / Shawn moment. I do wish I could have learned the opponent next to the window to perform a super kick, meh, maybe next year.
MyFaction is back and with more persona cards. Honestly, this entire mode has failed to grab my attention and I LIVE on FC 25 FUT so I’m no stranger to card-based microtransaction games. But the rewards for all the grinding and extra money spent for those looking to get a superstar variant card to play outside MyFaction are not worth it.
I recall seeing people disappointed last year with the final boss Rock. After unlocking, they noticed he did not look anything like the final boss Rock persona (now in WWE 2K25) and did not come with a new entrance. The other letdown is these imported variants cannot be edited in the superstar edit mode.
This year WarGames is back but with a new camera angle that now shows the rings vertically. It’s not great and the overall match type still doesn’t work well, in that once all the superstars are in the ring the match officially starts and like clockwork, an AI superstar from my or the opposing team will go for a pin and the match will be over.
Unlike real life, the game superstars have health meters and if some are taking a ton of damage before the match starts, all it takes is one pin, and it’s over.
So, let’s talk about The Island. This is created by the same team that works on The City in the NBA 2K series. For those unfamiliar, these are interactive HUBs for your created characters to move around and explore while playing different PVP and some PVE game modes.
Also within these HUBs are shops where you can buy Nike, Jordan, and WWE apparel for your created wrestler.
Now I love The City in NBA 2K25, it’s massive, there are plenty of match types to play, mini-games such as go-kart racing, and a home base court so you can invite your friends to play some other match types together and there is even a campaign fully voice acted between two rival basketball factions. The Island is a shell of what The City is and feels incomplete. It’s dark, and gloomy, and fails to deliver the vibrant atmosphere found in The City.
For example, in The City, if you see some people playing a match you can just walk up to an open circle spot and you’re now in queue for the next game. You will also see other players line up next to you. Once there are enough players, you’re redirected to the court to dribble around and take some practice shots while you can still hear the current game going on with the score.
In The Island, you walk up to a terminal and press A to search for an opponent. And you will see this while searching for an opponent a lot, even if other real-world players are standing next to you doing the same thing. This is a server/matchmaking issue but the all-around experience isn’t fun.
There is also a location full of arcade machines, yet you can’t play any of them. If you’ve figured it out, please comment and let me know how at the bottom of this review. There is also no voice acting.
Once you arrive at The Island, you need to talk to Paul Heyman, and it’s all text-based letter boxes. I’m extremely disappointed in this mode which I had such high hopes for. While having a Nike and Jordan shop makes sense in NBA 2K games, they feel a bit out of place in this realm.
WWE 2K25 is not just a great wrestling game its an overall fun beat’em up fighting game. There’s a very active and talented creators’ community constantly updating the community creation center from superstars to belts and arenas. There are plenty of match types such as a new Bloodline showcase in which you can change the outcome of historic matches hosted by Paul Heyman or jump back in my GM but now with online play.
I hang out in Universe mode which now has an updated promo system. But like the previous promo system, I will quickly click pass since it all starts getting repetitive overtime and I rather just want to get into the match or build the feuds. However, with that said, some modes like Myfaction and The Island are trying to do what has worked in other games but failing to deliver what makes those modes successful which is making them incredibly fun to the point you don’t see the microtransactions as cash grabs and rather boost to the gameplay experience.
This review was written based on a digital review copy of WWE 2K25 for the Xbox Series X provided by 2K.
