WWE 2K24 attempts to bring the incredible stunts from sports entertainment and build an enjoyable video game around it. More work has been put in to improve the flow of matches since last year’s entry, and it pays off big-time. It isn’t perfect, nothing is, but it is a huge step up for the franchise with a massive package featuring well over 200 wrestlers. It seems to have even dodged most of 2K’s microtransaction fervor, with a roguelike mode that has me itching to play more. Let’s go over all that is new and see why this one is worth picking up.
Game Modes
- MyRise – The story mode with two branches, Unleashed and Undisputed
- MyFaction – The card filled mtx fest with a new Roguelike run-based mode as part of its returning competitive package
- 2k Showcase of Immortals – Celebrating the soon-to-be 40 years of WrestleMania you’ll go through select matches throughout WWF/E history with period-appropriate graphical filters
- MyGM – Play as a GM, either six people or any mix of humans and AI. Take over various WWE productions and choose a GM as you work to win the most fans as you book shows
- Universe – Build and develop rivalries and storylines in a sandbox mode
- Play – Setup a match in a wide variety of match types using over 200 wrestlers, dozens of arenas, and more
You have options to go through and edit characters, create, and download other’s creations (not available during review) and it is a massive package that leaves few fan wishes on the table. Unlike most of the people who cover video games, seemingly, I haven’t followed wrestling much lately. I’ve reviewed the last few WWE 2K games though, and this one is by far the most feature-filled and enjoyable to play yet.
For MyRise there are now voiced cutscenes featuring actual wrestlers, mostly in the Undisputed mode. That one finds you fighting for a vacated Universal belt and feels like it had more work put into it. In Unleashed you’ll create a female wrestler (male in Undisputed) and work your way up through the local independent scene while following a strict ruleset on how your matches need to go. Neither of them felt great, especially the restrictive nature of Unleashed where winning a match doesn’t matter, you must complete all of the objectives in order.
MyFaction returns with a key change that has me itching to play more. I’m a sucker for roguelikes and they’ve added a run-based mode where you’ll use your roster to try and complete a lightly randomized series of matches. 2K showcase of Immortals is a loving look back through the history of WrestleMania, starting with an early match that you’ll play with a heavy CRT filter effect and I loved it. In some modes, you will see a bit of Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar as it was too late to fully remove them from the game after recent allegations came out. They are gone as playable characters in any mode as far as I could tell.
MyGM felt similar though a big benefit for a lot of the modes is the lack of requiring contracts. It was a mediocre system that was more of a hassle than something interesting. Universe is interesting if a little bit basic. You select a wrestler and start building up storylines and rivalries for them. It’s mostly menu-based but is another good excuse to have some less randomized matches.
Finally, the mode I mostly played in WWE 2K24 was simply called Play. Setting up 1v1, 2v2, all the way through 30-man battle royales is easy, with customizable rulesets and a massive amount of venues. You’ll need to play through various modes to unlock a lot of them, and while the game does have an incredibly large roster of over 200 people there’s still a fair number stuck behind DLC. We were given the deluxe edition which offered up a handful of wrestlers and promised 5 future update packs.
Gameplay
One of the biggest areas of improvement in WWE 2K24 is the flow of combat. They still go for that realistic wrestling look but you feel more in control. It will feel familiar to anyone who has played the last few entries. X is used for light attacks and A for heavy. B grapples and Y is your counter button. Controls are mostly the same but everything feels snappier and more predictable. Gone are the hilarious to watch but infuriating to experience bugs (as far as I can tell). I put in dozens of hours over the 4 days I had for this embargo and only saw a few instances of physics breaking. Even then things would quickly snap back to behaving correctly.
You can customize damned near everything, but I didn’t feel like I needed to with the base characters. Depending on their size and style their move sets make sense, no matter who they’re fighting. Playing someone small and they will have power moves against other smaller individuals. Go up in weight class and they’ll focus on strikes and trips. This goes for anyone, where the big guys will toss the small fries around like they weigh nothing but show appropriate effort if it’s a fellow tank. An easy-to-understand stamina circle shows up whenever you’re doing a show of strength or anything that requires a lot of oomph to pull off.
The game features a comprehensive tutorial to walk you through all of its gameplay systems. I did them all but the “attack from the middle rope” one never worked. It is a complicated grappler and you can tell the developers love sports entertainment. It’s not “fake” but it is scripted and/or choreographed stunt work that beats down the bodies of those who perform. WWE 2K24 feels like a love letter to all the hard work that those people have put in over the decades. You feel the showmanship without being frustrated over losing control too often.
Presentation
Graphically the game is gorgeous. Playing on a Series X the likenesses are damned near perfect, going for an almost photorealistic look. Seeing the differences between personas/eras for different wrestlers like various Undertakers, or the young Rhea Ripley vs. her current look is a testament to how much flipping work they put into everything. $70 every year is a big ask, and I get it if people want to wait on a sale. I never once when watching the ring entrances, going through the menus, or seeing the recreations of various classic WrestleMania matches thought that anything here felt phoned in.
Hell, even the commentary is great. It’s not repetitive nor does it ever get in the way. I didn’t feel like they recorded 15 lines for certain situations and that you’d just hear them over and over again. It’s a theme throughout the game, where nothing feels forced. The UI is slick but not overdone. They’re ok with having clear color selections and not making everything a moving video that is a mess to navigate. There was a clear vision of how they wanted WWE 2K24 to feel, like the classics but properly representing modern gaming and wrestling.
The voice acting during the MyRise segments is fine for what it is. William Regal is your mentor, depending on how you choose to go and I could see myself playing it through. I never felt turned off by any part of the game, and even the tougher matches weren’t cheap. As long as I timed my counters correctly and didn’t leave myself open too often I could win more often than I lost even in situations where my character’s skill level was lower than the competition. My only complaint would be how half of MyRise and Universe feel underwhelming compared to the rest. We also couldn’t play online or do much with the creation system so you’ll want to make sure to check online how that all works post-launch.
Wrapping Things Up
WWE 2K24 is the best wrestling game that Visual Concepts has made by far. They have a complete package, with a massive roster, and a clear vision. If you’ve held off on upgrading at launch the last few years I think this is the time to jump in.
WWE 2K24
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- Looks Great
- Plays Well
- Tons of Content
- Massive Roster
CONS
- A Few Modes Feel Underbaked
Looking forward to this one
Been playing wrestling games since the PS1 days, I even modded things to play the New Japan and AWA wrestling games way back when even printed out translations to create wrestlers in those games even though I cannot read japanese.
The last 2 entries have been some of the best wrestling games I’ve ever played, the match types/moves and CAW modes are top notch and every year the community makes awesome old school CAW wrestlers.
Before WWE 2k22 these games were utter crap so I’m happy and surprised this series turned the corner and is now probably the best wrestling games series to ever exist.
I have my pre order done and will be playing tomorrow.
https://x.com/beastmxmllnr/status/1764811127022657552?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ
Okay, this is going to be the Forge of WWE.
Bummer community creations is broke for Xbox crashes instantly to dashboard when trying to view them