We’re on the Road to Wrestlemania, with the granddaddy of them all just a few short weeks away. With that, 2K has followed suit with what’s now a tradition: releasing a new WWE video game in the same time frame. WWE 2K25 hit physical and digital shops earlier this month, and I’m pleased to say that the game just might be the best instalment of the series yet.
There’s always a potential danger when sports games offer up yearly iterations. What sort of improvements can actually be made year over year that necessitates fans coughing up their hard-earned money? Are incremental graphics or gameplay tweaks enough? There are the diehards that will undoubtedly buy every year, but how does 2K appeal to gamers skeptical about the financial and time investments that purchasing a title comes with? The solution for WWE 2K25 was a simple two words:
Paul Heyman.
This year, Roman Reigns’ (and CM Punk’s??) wise man is the not-so-secret weapon in making WWE 2K25 as fun and engaging as it is. Heyman’s presence is constant throughout the various game modes, including the always popular Universe, along with this year’s feature presentation: the ability to play through the storied history of The Bloodline. Heyman’s introductions and explanations on various wrestlers and match history are entertaining; you want to keep playing through The Bloodline mode just to hear from him.
Using The Bloodline Dynasty as this year’s 2K Showcase is a big reason for fans of the WWE 2K franchise to feel confident in purchasing WWE 2K25. There’s such a long history of Samoan culture in WWE and professional wrestling as a whole that the game is able to pull from and feature some of the biggest legends ever to enter the squared circle. The Bloodline Dynasty Showcase offers players a chance to play or rewrite history, and unlock lots of characters along the way. For this mode alone, WWE 2K25 is worth a purchase.
Like every year, there are always additions to the franchise, and Bloodline Rules is one of the biggest ones. Much like last year’s Wrestlemania XL main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns, the Bloodline Rules match allows for interference from multiple WWE superstars. It’s a lot of fun, and in its first time inclusion in a 2K game, the developers have delivered the goods.
There’s also the addition of The Island in this year’s game, an “immersive WWE-themed world” that I admittedly haven’t travelled to as of yet. I think it’s worth mentioning it, though, because it’s another way that 2K has set out to innovate their franchise. I’ve just been more interested in playing through the Bloodline Dynasty and Universe modes to check out The Island.
WWE 2K25 has over 300 WWE superstars to choose from, and while I may be deferential to my man, CM Punk, I’ve definitely been trying out a host of talents in various modes. I love playing as The Hart Attack and nailing their classic finisher, and it’s very cool to see D-Von and Bubba-Ray Dudley enter a WWE ring again. Throw in the created wrestlers that are constantly available to download courtesy of the fantastic WWE 2K fan universe, and you’ve got an infinite number of wrestlers to use.
Mind you, the one aspect of WWE 2K25 that needs work is the character design for some legacy wrestlers who continue to appear in the game year after year. The one that stands out the most to me is Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who seems to look the same as he has in previous games, and that’s not good. His hair and face look nothing like the Excellence of Execution, and considering how spot-on so many other renderings are, I think these legacy characters should be revisited so that all of them are up to par with the newer additions to the franchise.
From the moment WWE 2K25 kicked in on my PS5, I’ve had a lot of fun playing and exploring its myriad options. Overall, it could just be the strongest iteration of the title yet. If you’re a fan of WWE or wrestling games, this is the best game on the market right now.
Acknowledge it.
