The WWE has been absent from Nintendo consoles for quite some time after the disastrous release of WWE 2K18 back in late 2017. With the introduction of the more powerful Nintendo Switch 2, a lot of developers are jumping onboard to support the new hardware, the WWE included. Is this port of the company’s premier grappler worth your hard earned cash? For the most part, yes, but there are some issues to consider. Let’s get into it.
Gameplay & Roster
For those who have never played a WWE 2K game, controls definitely take some getting used to. There are a wide variety of moves that you’ll need to come to grips with. The best way to get than hang of the gameplay is to go through the tutorial through the Performance Center. This will put hopeful future champions through the basics and some more advanced techniques. Generally speaking, you can perform weak strikes with Y, strong attacks with B, dodge with X and initiate grapples with A. X is also something that you will frequently need to use through matches to initiate reversals based on time button presses. Chain wrestling is also here as are some blow-for-blow segments, various attack combos, intergender wrestling and more.
There really are a lot of options to obliterate your opponents once you get a handle on the moves. Although I usually prefer the easy pick-up-and-play style of the past AKI wrestling games on the N64, that control style comes with its own limitations. Things in 2K25 (and the series in general) are complex but provide so many more options that help add to the realism that is being presented.
Gameplay wouldn’t matter one bit if there weren’t great characters, and there are plenty of them on offer. Over 300 superstars both past and present stack the roster in 2K25 - a huge number. Still, some of this is a little bit inflated as different era versions of wrestlers count towards the roster count. For example, there are multiple versions of The Rock, Undertaker and many others. I’m not bothered by this and even as is, there still are a lot of superstars to choose from. You’ll also have access to a lot of great venues from the past, including WCW and ECW themed shows and venues. Whether you’re a fan of classic wrestling or the current roster and venues, there really is something for almost any wrestling fan.
Modes
WWE 2K25 is absolutely packed with modes. The Home tab features Play Now, MyRISE, Showcase, The Island, MyFaction, Universe and MyGM. Tabbing over will take you over to Creations, Online and then Options. I’m going to focus on a few of these shortly, but wanted to touch on a few beforehand. MyFaction, the card collecting based feature, and The Island both make use of 2K’s in-game currency VC while the other modes don’t at all. I’m typically not a huge fan of how 2K uses this, but these two modes might be fun for some. The idea of The Island is interesting - you are presented with a variety of tasks to try to garner favor with Roman Reigns. This mode and MyFaction are just not what I picked up the game for.
Showcase - The Bloodline’s Dynasty
Narrated by Paul Heyman (and occasionally other Bloodline members), Showcase takes you through the 40 year history of the families that make up The Bloodline. More or less a playable documentary (kinda), you’ll play through a number of key matches featuring the likes of the Headshrinkers, The Rock, Peter Maivia, Roman Reigns and more. These are all presented with a variety of missions to complete throughout the match. You don’t have to complete all of these, however, doing so will net you WWE legendary superstars, venues, managers, championships and more. While I think this look at the history of The Bloodline is really awesome, some of the missions can be a little bit annoying. In particular, some of these have a time limit, which can make completing them tricky. For example, in one of the matches as Rocky Maivia taking on Triple H, you’ll have 45 seconds to hit two heavy combos. Well, I was caught up in a somewhat scripted trading blows with HHH and didn’t even see the prompt until there were less than ten seconds left. Outside of things like this, everything else is really well done. If these timed sections were removed, it would be even better.
MyRISE
This story driven mode centers around your created superstar(s), both male and female, as other Superstars from NXT prepare an invasion and re-shaping of the WWE. This features full voice acting from the created superstars as well as various real-life superstars like CM Punk Seth Rollins and more. This is a kind of mode that depends heavily on the story being told, so if you don’t buy in or just aren’t interested on what’s being told, you might not like this mode. For me, I thought it was pretty cool. Throughout the mode, you’ll have to make a variety of decisions which further the story. Branching paths present different story options and players are encouraged to go back for multiple playthroughs.
Again, I’ve enjoyed my time with the mode, but this is going to vary depending on what you’re looking for in a wrestling game. The only thing I didn’t like is that you are forced to create two characters, both male and female. I get it from the perspective that 2K is pushing intergender match types this year, but it’s one aspect I could have done without.
Universe
If you’re looking to completely immerse yourself in the world of WWE, Universe is where it’s at. Upon getting into the mode, you are presented with two playstyle options - Superstar Mode and Classic Mode. Superstar will allow you to focus on one superstar from the WWE roster (or your created character) of your choosing over the course of their WWE career. Classic puts you in control of everything - brands, divisions, champions - and then allows you to play through the WWE calendar for a year or more. For me, the latter sounded a bit intimidating, so I opted to try out Superstar Mode with my superstar, Dastardly Danny Bacon.
Even in Superstar Mode, you have the ability to change a number of things, such as your active rivalries, allies. You can even offer open challenges, choose to attack your opponent before matches, challenge for titles and a whole lot more. It’s super immersive and can offer hours and hours of gameplay. For me, this is probably the best mode on offer in 2K25. With the sandbox Classic Mode, things could get even crazier with the amount of customization available at your fingertips.
Creation Suite
Whether it’s creating superstars or venues, there are tons of options for customization. Even if you’re just setting up a created superstar, you can easily sink half a dozen hours into the game adjusting entrances, moves, attire and much more. It might be a little bit intimidating to some, but if you’re a wrestling fan, you will appreciate the intricacy.
Although there are quite a few customization options on offer, several elements that can be found on other platforms are missing or are cut back. Switch 2 owners will not have access to download any of the creations from other platforms, and to top that off, the ability to add custom images via the uploader is not supported. Sure, it’s still possible to create a ton of different wrestlers and venues with what’s available in the game as is, however, some of the ridiculously detailed venues and shows that are available that the super creative community have crafted nearly impossible to do. It’s an absolute shame. If there are no updates to address this, you won’t be able to do cool things like create/download the custom AEW or other promotion super impressive venues and brawlers that are on offer elsewhere. As of right now, there has been no explanation as to why - is this some kind of request from Nintendo in an effort to protect children? Is this 2K just dropping the ball? It’s hard to say at this point. Regardless, if you were heading into 2K25 looking to create dream matches with custom stars and shows, you are going to be very disappointed.
Visuals, Audio & Performance
Having played a number of sports titles over the years on the Switch 1, it has been nice to see the step up in visual fidelity with WWE 2K25. Character models are extremely detailed with great animations and facial expressions. My only minor complaint with the visuals is that longer hair can bounce around a bit awkwardly at times, but this does not impact the gameplay whatsoever. Lighting, different clothing materials and venues also look fantastic. Sound is also on point and does a great job of replicating the action in and around the squared circle. Performance on the Switch 2 is phenomenal. Pretty much no matter what the game has thrown at it, 2K25 on the platform doesn’t flinch. Sure, it might not look quite as good as what you’ll find on PS5 or Xbox Series X, but what has been accomplished on Nintendo’s hardware is nothing to scoff at.
Although the game runs very well, I did run into a few instances where the game would crash, or bizarrely, make me go through the terms of service multiple times. These kind of things happened in my first few sessions with the game and have been pretty much non-existent since. Still, it’s worth nothing that these are some minor issues that you might encounter. Even when or if they do happen, you can usually get back to the action in no time.
Conclusion
I’m still quite early in my time with 2K25 (about 20 hours), but I’m really enjoying it so far. The Showcase mode is cool (with a few minor annoyances), MyRISE is fun, Universe is awesome and the roster is absolutely stacked with wrestlers from both past and present. To top this off, the game runs flawlessly on the Switch 2. This isn’t a perfect game, and there is a bit of a learning curve, but if you’re looking for some action in the ring on your Switch 2, WWE 2K25 is worth checking out.
But let’s turn things over to you. Did you pick up WWE 2K25 on the Switch 2? Are you considering it? What was the last WWE game that you bought? To be honest, I haven’t picked up a WWE game since No Mercy back on the N64, so this was quite the return for me. For wrestling, I got back into it in large part thanks to the development of AEW Fight Forever. That game is flawed in multiple ways, but I have a soft spot for it because of this. Anyway, be sure to sound off with any and all comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
by Danny Bivens
Final Score: 8.0
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