Before we get into things,I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for all the support with the WWE 2K25 content so far, it really does mean a lot and it’s great to see everyone’s takes on what we’ve seen so far in WWE 2K25. Back at the start of the month I was invited by 2K to play a limited build of WWE 2K25, so I also want to say thanks to 2K for the amazing experience being able to attend the Royal Rumble and hang out with some really awesome people.
I want to reiterate that the build we played was an early build and a limited build at that, so my thoughts and opinions are purely based on that version of WWE 2K25 and things could have been changed or updated in the final build set to release next month.
As part of the event we had around 4 hours of capture time with 11 female superstars to play as including: Nia Jax, Lyra Valkyria, Natalya, Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan, Alundra Blayze, Jade Cargill, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Naomi & Bianca Belair. There was also the alternate Nia Jax Queen of the Ring model which looked amazing and well worth the surprise after fans including myself spoke out about the base game Nia model. I won’t go over the women’s models and my views as such too much today but let’s just say all 11 female superstars as well as the Nia alt, look bloody awesome.
As someone who has been watching Wrestling and let’s face it more specifically women’s wrestling since I was little, seeing Alundra Blayze back in the mix is bloody cool to me. Not only that but Alundra looks the best she ever has in WWE 2K Series, with both a new cape and entrance animation really capturing her classic essence. It’s also worth noting that Alundra’s model was named Alundra Blayze ’94 possibly hinting at at least one other alternate Alundra model be it a more modern version of Alundra possibly from MyRise or another classic alternate. In recent years 2K has gave so much love to the likes of Molly Holly so it’s great to see Alundra receive that too and I’m really hoping we can see other women’s legends join that mix too.
Amongst the available match types to play were a 10 Superstar Royal Rumble, 1 on 1, Tag Team, Triple Threat and Fatal 4-Way, which could all be played as intergender matches. The build also featured 2 brand new backstage brawls: The WWE Archives and the NXT Parking Lot as well as the brand new Underground Match type.
I personally had a really great time playing WWE 2K25 and could have happily continued to play with the handful of superstars and match types for hours if not days. There was a good blend of different superstar styles to play with, having the likes of Naomi, Sol and Kelani representing the athletic high flying stars, whilst Rhea Ripley offered up a more grounded brawler style approach. This year’s game includes a brand new Giant archetype with Nia Jax representing the giants on the Female roster making Nia harder to put down and batting off offence, which makes for super fun matches against those smaller superstars. It’s another of those small changes, that overall makes the game so much more fun to play as you think on your toes about how to take the giants down.
Visually I thought the game looked stunning this year, with shading, lights and lasers switching the vibe in seconds as each superstar makes their own unique entrance. One second you can have a more dark and eerie atmosphere as Rhea makes her entrance, then the next second your bopping along as Naomi makes the entrance ramp her dance floor. A standout for me was experiencing Lyra’s entrance for the first time, with Lyra adorned with giant bird feathers which were illuminated by Lyra’s titantrons and lightning as she makes her way to the ring.
The overall presentation made Lyra’s entrance feel more grand and special and I really hope we get more of these types of entrances be it in this game or the next. Just think how cool would it be to have the Goddess Alexa Bliss entrance or maybe the Marvel Big Time Becks entrance.
All this by the way is before we even toy with the third person camera which visually is a total gamechanger. With a simple button press WWE 2K25 allows you to be your very own WWE producer, with crowd camera cuts, drone like cameras which follow the superstars as well as a birds eye view which can all be used during matches too. When I first used the third person camera it felt totally jarring but in a good way, as visually it shifted how the WWE 2K series has looked for the past decade. It may sound silly but when using the camera inside matches, it felt like I had more control of the Superstar and as if I was looking through the superstar making their way around the space. Visually it may look great but it does take a little getting used to when controlling the superstar, especially when trying to position them with the carry and drag system. The third person camera is especially fun when exploring backstage areas as you climb and scale structures with ease almost as if you were playing GTA or some third person adventure
Gameplay wise, the game felt fun and familiar with the welcomed return of both chain wrestling and the submission wheel making the action more immersive and technically challenging for those who like to play with their friends. Like in previous iterations it was revealed that gameplay minigames can be switched out for an alternative minigame with button mashes and button holds depending on your favoured playstyle. I’m really intrigued to delve some more into submissions as in this year’s game Submissions didn’t see to come to a forced abrupt end making submissions against opponents even more nail biting as they attempt to claw their way out. During a match with Natalya it felt like Nattie resisted the boston crab for longer than usual making the match feel more lifelike.
I did encounter one particular issue when it comes to the irish whip, with my superstar counterpart throwing my opponent in the wrong direction, which as you can imagine proved somewhat frustrating when trying to perform a specific action. I did pass this on however and as I say this was an earlier build of WWE 2K25 so I imagine that this will be fixed in later builds. Other than that the gameplay itself felt re
Pace wise the matches felt fluid with a mix of some short and snappy matches as well as matches were my opponent didn’t back down, resulting in some really great back and forth encounters. It could just be me but I also felt like the AI was a tad performative, doing actions in the leadup to doing a move instead of just performing them. There was one instance were Kelani placed me in the corner and instead of hitting a move straight off the bat she took the time to playout the action like you would see on WWE TV almost as if to get more momentum. If this is correct I’m really excited to see how other matches playout and how each different wrestling persona manoeuvres throughout the match.
Like last year in WWE 2K24, WWE 2K25 also has a lot of small changes, which on paper may not seem that big a deal, but when all combined together create a much better presentation of WWE 2K25. These range from the inclusion of the likes of the barricade dives and attacks, the multitude of climbable objects added backstage, women being able to bleed, new animations and so much more. Even just the small addition of new staggering animations when superstars are on the ledge of a structure helps blend actions making the presentation look more realistic. I honestly can’t wait to get more time with the game and see what other small details I missed out on. Even now watching other people’s content I’m still discovering things that I didn’t pick up on at first glance not to mention WWE and 2K announcing the return of ladder finishers and more.
Having played what I have so far, from my opinion it feels like there has been a lot of love from the standpoint of a fan injected into this year’s game with the inclusion of Easter eggs of not only previous WWE moments but WWE Video Game moments with the WWE Archives especially being a big proponent of that. There’s no great example of this than the WWE Archives, everywhere you look there is a nod to something of the past and I really hope that continues with future iterations. As someone who has been watching WWE and playing these games for over 25 year’s, I will always appreciate a nod to the past and If I can kick ass with those nods to the past, even better.
Of the two new backstage brawl environments my favourite hands down has to be the WWE Archives area not only due to the Easter eggs but the sheer amount of things you can do. From climbing and diving off the SmackDown First, to throwing your opponent off the WrestleMania sign hanging in the air onto a shelving unit which can then topple over and reward you with more weapons to play with. In years past whilst players have enjoyed the backstage brawl arena I think we can all agree that the area is somewhat baron with little to do aside from throwing your opponent off the side of a large structure. Sure there is the Ambulance and various weapons but you can experience all of that in their own match types. With the WWE Archives, everything is brand new with interactive elements all around you.
When it comes to the NXT Parking Lot, visually I really enjoy the area and It does come with it’s own unique spots including the glass pane and parking cones but when you’ve played the WWE Archives it doesn’t quite compare. I feel like the NXT Parking Lot represents the more realistic fanbase of the WWE 2K series whilst the WWE Archives represents all the crazy gamers including myself. That’s not to say the NXT Parking Lot is a miss by any means because I’m a big fan, I just feel like compared to the Archives there isn’t as much to use against your opponent. What I will say, is that the inclusion of the parking Lot will be a great area for those who create their own custom WWE stories and content with another area to shake things up and no doubt create all the injury spots we see in NXT.
Speaking of New brawling Areas, the WWE 2K25 build came with a first look at Underground matches in WWE 2K25 which can be played in any arena including custom arenas. The presentation of the Underground matches is like something straight out of WWE TV with it’s very own introduction thanks to the announcers. As the action begins superstars battle it out both in and around the ring in a bid to knock out their opponent as the referee attempts to keep up. The exclusion of the ropes in the ring is quite striking at first making the ring more of a weapon itself, with the ability to hurl your opponent at the steel turn post or throw them off the ring down to the mat.
I will say it’s so cool seeing various NPCs surrounding the ring cheering on the action, as you and your opponent pummel each other in a more intimate surrounding. To ensure it doesn’t amount to various glitches, Superstars pass through the NPCs, who still react when superstars approach or are thrown out of the ring towards them. Several times I found myself laughing away as the NPCs ducked, dodged and even fell to the floor after throwing my opponent out of the ring towards them. One word of warning however, don’t get caught up in all the action like myself and cost yourself the match with a DQ! Not only did I do this once, oh no two or three times. I got so caught up in trying to knock my opponent out I kept totally forgetting that the only weapons I could use were my hands. Hopefully there is an option to turn off DQ for the Underground and go complete fight club and pummel your opponent.
With the inclusion of Underground NPCs I really hope we see lumberjack matches make their debut in the WWE 2K Series because the work is pretty much already there, the only difference would be working out how to have the NPCs interact without breaking the game.
I’m also personally looking forward to playing Underground on a harder difficulty as when playing as the women I found that the matches ended quite quick so I’d love to play the mode when pushed to my limits and see just how much the opponent can take before calling it a match. Overall Underground matches visually look great and give a different vibe alongside the many match types in the WWE series and it will be interesting to see how or if this match type evolves over time.
Speaking on evolving modes, this time around WWE 2K25 ditches the controversial slingshot technology of Showcase modes past, in favour of the return of fully animated cutscenes which is a complete win for everybody! On paper and even visually the slingshot technology was a good idea with seamless transitions between gameplay and WWE footage but for me it just didn’t work. Using the slingshot technology is perfect for trailers and promotional content but when playing showcase and WWE 2K25 i want to feel like I’m playing a game and the slingshot technology just completely took me out of the match and the game time and again.
This time around 2K is once again fully animating entire cutscenes recreating WWE moments and moves and boy do they look good. My inner nerd loved seeing Nia hit her finishing move on Lyra with complete sass and badassery in a way only gameplay could. Essentially is it like watching WWE TV footage? On paper maybe, but here it just looks and fits so much better. It’s so cool watching historic moments recreated in the WWE engine and it’s not a chore to sit through either and selfishly as a creator I don’t need to worry about getting a copyright strike either. Not only that but entrances are back too this year, which is soooo much better, especially following awesome introductions from the Wise Man Paul Heyman who offers up a history lesson in true legendary Heyman style.
As part of the build we had the option of three Bloodline themed showcase matches with myself obviously picking the Nia Jax and Lyra Valkyria Queen of the Ring finals from last year. As mentioned earlier Lyra and Nia both look flawless here and I’m really hoping we get to see either Naomi or Tamina also featured in the mode with an older or alternate model for each, especially Tamina who we haven’t seen in quite some time.
One of the great new additions to the WWE 2K series is the return of Intergender Wrestling which can be played across all match types and boy is it fun to play, especially if you’re playing as Rhea getting your own back on Dirty Dom. The return of intergender wrestling feels so nostalgic to me and takes me back to playing classic WWE games with my friends where I would kick the Rock’s ass with Chyna. In previous year’s I’ve had the opportunity to play intergender matches thanks to the awesome modding community but due to the attributes matches would often feel unbalanced with male superstars often dominating the action. This year thanks to the return of intergender matches, superstar ratings have been revised and tweaked to make ratings more equal thus resulting in more fair matches. Playing as Nia with her giant archetype in the men’s Rumble was so much fun and I’m sure it’s something many people will recreate.
It was revealed during the event that although female superstars can bleed in this year’s game, they won’t bleed at the hands of male superstars which is completely understandable. Speaking of blood, by god does it flow this year. During a match against Lyra in the Underground, Liv’s head was pouring with blood and she looked so damn badass. I’ve since seen various content creators put out images of the brutal encounters they have had too and it just looks so much better this year.
As I say I had an absolutel blast with WWE 2K25 and I really can’t wait to get my hands on the game again and go into further detail when it comes to the gameplay topics I mentioned as well as getting a look at the rest of the women’s roster, because let’s face it that’s the highlight of the year.
Ive said it time and again but like WWE 2K24, WWE 2K25 has countless minor small updates and changes which overall make not only the presentation better but also the gameplay. There’s such a great blend of realism and arcade this year and the blend between both is better than ever. Sometimes WWE 2K games have gone too heavy on either realism or arcade / fantasy but here it just feels right. Areas that don’t feel out of the realm of possibility, intergender wrestling, third person view and over the top weapons, each thing compliments the other and I couldn’t be happier.
I feel like we’ve only just scratched the surface with WWE 2K25 and I can’t wait to not only experience it more for myself but for you at home to see how it feels for you and what craziness you can get upto. So with that in mind let me know in the comments below what you are most excited for in WWE 2K25 and what has your interest peaked.