Review: WWE 2K25

WWE 2K25 is the "Ultimate Warrior" of wrestling video games with an expansive suite of modes and characters to choose from. Unfortunately, one of its most promising additions for this year, The Island, feels a bit like a money grab.

That's because there's a low amount of currency being offered for playing the game and completing missions/objectives. But you can always buy some currency, right? Despite this, it's still a great game, and here's my review.

Can you smell what 2K is cooking?

WWE 2K25 offers so many modes that it may feel overwhelming, and for a yearly product, it's pretty impressive. There's the Showcase that represents the Samoan dynasty throughout multiple generations from The Rock's grandfather Peter Maivia to this current era's Naomi and Roman Reigns.

Paul Heyman alongside members of the current Bloodline like Roman Reigns gives a great description of each wrestler featured in the showcase. You get to know these wrestlers' history, the impact they've made on the industry, and knowledge of the growing hype for each match featured in the Showcase.

Each match seems to be more streamlined with fewer objectives, and the in-battle cutscenes are all seamless. There's no jarring transition between live-action and battle anymore, which is a huge plus. Except for the intro, we finally won't see the referees' faces or WWF logo getting blurred out during live-action sequences in the matches themselves.

WWE 2K25 does a great job of explaining each objective in the Showcase mode, but something I find annoying is the limited-time challenges. If you don't complete them, you'll miss out on the majority of the unlockables like Rikishi as a playable character. At points, it feels like you're not given enough time, especially if your enemy is able to counter your strikes or you get stuck in a punching animation (more on that later).

The Island is marred with microtransactions

The Island is WWE 2K25's biggest new offering. The overall concept is sound. You're exploring a well-designed theme park-like area, in which you challenge foes to be the very best and get yourself a WWE contract from Roman Reigns.

It makes you want a WWE theme park to explore in real life. You'll get all manner of quests to complete, such as defeating Gunther in a badass mech suit (I'm not kidding). These can be fun scenarios to finish as your custom character, even though the storytelling is made through a cheap PowerPoint-like production with static images and text.

Unfortunately, the in-game microtransaction system will leave your wallet just as empty as going to Disneyland or Universal Studios. The currency VC is given to players slowly and is required to upgrade custom wrestlers in the Training menu. You'll get 150 VC per match you win and 75 VC if you lose. Each stat point increase varies around 80-200, depending on the level. Despite this game being multiplayer-focused, you can pay-to-win as you can purchase VC for $99.99 which gets you 400,000 VC, and can drastically change your character, while $9.99 gets you 32,500 VC.

As you explore The Island, there are many cosmetics to purchase in various shops. In Becky & Seth's Driporium, you can get Rollins' ridiculous gnome-like red boots for 18,000 VC. To get this from in-game progression only, you'll need to complete 120 matches. That's a bit rough, and encourages players to purchase VC in my humble opinion. You can get VC from leveling up your rank, finishing challenges, and completing quests, but it's still a slow affair.

Free players will just have to ignore the cosmetics for now. Upgrading your wrestler is arguably more important than looking cool.

The Island is a genuinely fun mode, but the microtransactions do get to me a bit. Additionally, it isn't available offline, which is a shame. Another annoying factor is that you can't play The Island on PC, PS4, or Xbox One systems; it's only available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players.

MyRise is fantastic

My two favorite modes MyRise and MyGM return in WWE 2K25 and show significant improvements. The storyline with MyRise is gripping as it tells the narrative of current and former NXT stars trying to take over WWE and end Raw and Smackdown. This time, you get assigned male and female superstars to represent the two main shows.

It does a great job of encouraging multiple playthroughs as the personality type you choose for your character (brash and bold or comedic) offers different story missions. The relationship between the male and female characters also changes depending on your choice, and it's constantly referenced.

The cool thing about MyRise (which makes it better than The Island) is that everyone is voiced. You'll be led by CM Punk during the beginning of the campaign and run into Jade Cargill if you choose that your character comes from a rival promotion. The voice acting from the wrestlers themselves is actually not that bad, and you'll get pulled into the backstage drama of WWE. There are some unexpected moments within MyRise, and it's entertaining to see a new story that differentiates from the Bloodline-obsessed WWE creative team of the last four or five years.

An improved MyGM

Next, MyGM has received some major improvements. First, you can play this mode with your friends online for the first time. However, it comes with some caveats. You can't use Custom GMs or rosters, in addition to losing the ability to play and spectate matches.

Second, MyGM now lets you use up to $4 million for the drafting process. The number of wrestlers you can pick up has greatly increased, letting you pick the superstars you want on your roster more easily. Third, the AI has been improved, especially during the draft. For example, if the AI picks Angelo Dawkins, it is more likely to complete the team by selecting Montez Ford, his teammate, next.

Fourth, MyGM has an expanded list of GMs from last year, increasing the number to 19. They each have their own perks at your disposal. Nick Aldis can add 10 weeks to a contract's duration, and Ava can prevent your superstars from getting injured during two separate shows. The mode's really been expanded. Lastly, there's an all-new approach to PLEs. Your wrestlers are fighting stars from other brands to get special perks for your brand. While it would have been nice to have the option to have normal PLEs like the last few years, it's a neat addition. You'll resolve rivalries on Week 4 and Week 5 now as you have one slot for a match on PLEs.

Despite missing the option to have regular PLEs, which should be added by the way, there are far more options for MyGM players. Likely inspired by YouTubers such as partsFUNknown, you can now place a timer on each player in-game. If someone goes over the time limit, they'll lose fans. Additionally, you can choose between the Hall of Fame trophies and the number of fans as the pre-requisite to win, adding more freedom to the player.

MyFACTION and Universe additions

MyFACTION and Universe have also returned in WWE 2K25. I have less experience with these mods as I usually touched Showcase, MyGM, and MyRISE in previous years. MyFACTION seems to be a fun experience as you collect cards and complete quests in the World Tour to proceed. It is annoying, however, that the game forces you to pick weaker cards in your line-up rather than giving you the freedom to pick the cards you unlock via VC or in-game progression from the get-go. The microtransaction system seems to be just as wild as The Island as you can use VC to get new card packs. There's a reason why I avoid MyFACTION like the Plague.

Universe has been improved in multiple ways. While the WWE superstars aren't talking during these segments, you can finally have them work on a promo in front of the crowd. The announcers weirdly explain what your wrestler is saying to their rival. It's certainly an improvement, however, as it gives you more customization on your booking experience. Plus, you'll be able to customize where each battle takes place. You can have a multi-day PLE, change the dates of specific shows, or simulate the Monday Night Wars once again and have two brands slugging it out on the same day.

WWE 2K25 plays well for the most part

But after all this, how does WWE 2K25 play? It's a mostly thrilling experience. Each move feels powerful and you'll likely wince at the punches, kicks, and suplexes these men and women dish out on each other. It's fantastic that you can finally have intergender matches and have a man and woman like Drew McEntire and Bianca Belair fight in the ring against each other. This is so long overdue.

Most attacks register perfectly in the game, but some eccentricities need to be worked out. Some attacks, when you feel like they're about to land, somehow miss the enemy, especially if there's an object blocking their path. The hitbox of some attacks is also quite strange as some wrestlers zoom from one side of the squared circle to the other in a flash. Sometimes strikes from a weapon that should hit your foe don't register, leading to an awkward few seconds of animation. Most of the time, it's fine, but you may be scratching your head at times.

Mostly stellar production value

The graphics of WWE 2K25 are stellar. You can really tell if a battle is getting to your rival. The blood and the sweat mix together in a natural way and look impressive on each model. You can see the scars on their body, showing the damage you've dealt to each other in the ring. Lighting seems to be improved across the board, and some of the facial animations when opponents get struck look impressive. The likenesses of most of the WWE superstars are spot on as well, and their entrances are simulated perfectly.

However, it has been said that Jey Uso's entrance from within the crowd is regrettable as members of the public do the YEET motion in the most robotic, unnatural way. Speaking of the crowd, they can be genuinely creepy to look at with their blank faces. You'll also notice your ringside managers performing actions at exactly the same time, taking you out of the game. It's genuinely creepy at points. There was also one point when my custom character's face was blackened and had a weird white shine during an entrance as well.

Something else of note is the sheer amount of commentary added to the game for different scenarios over multiple different modes. It's impressive.

WWE 2K25 improves upon the formula

WWE 2K25 is one of the biggest leaps in the series so far. While the Island is disappointing, the sheer amount of content in this game is unmatched. You have over 300 wrestlers with more DLC on the way, plenty of fun modes like the highly improved MyGM and the story-focused MyRise, and gameplay that still feels satisfying to pull off, even if the animations can be weird at points. It's just the microtransactions that really pull this game down.

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