WWE 2K23 Review

With only a couple of weeks until the 39th annual WrestleMania kicks off at Los Angeles’ SoFi stadium, there couldn’t be a better time for 2K Games to release this year’s iteration of the franchise. The fear with any title that brings out a yearly instalment is whether enough improvement has been made to help it further the franchise. Those fears are quickly allayed with the addition of two genuinely interesting and intriguing storylines in MyRise, a more in-depth, customisable Universe mode, a multitude of creative options, huge roster (129 superstars available at launch, growing to 246), and quality of life updates that make the game a genuine treat for wrestling fans. Whilst the base mechanics haven’t changed, the fine-tuning around animations and presentation, as well as the tightening of core gameplay, makes for a more complete, quicker, and snappier experience than ever before.

This year also sees the introduction of War Games, one of many of WWE Hall-of-Famer Dusty Rhodes’ ingenious ideas, that sees a double ring surrounded by a double steel cage. Excellent for settling rivalries and gaining dominance, the match sees two superstars from opposing teams start the match, whilst additional members are outside, separated in their own cages. At regular intervals the cages are opened and another member of one of the teams joins the match, giving one team a numerical advantage. When one of your team has been released you can choose to bring with you a few handy items to try to help sway things in your favour, steel chairs, tables, kendo sticks and other objects you find under the ring are as legal as a headlock as you look to turn the match back in your team’s favour. My first experience was when I put The Bloodline in one of these chaotic cages against one of my favourite factions of all-time that I’d downloaded from the Community Creations, Evolution. The pacing and presentation of these matches are loval to their real-life counterparts, and when combined with the ability to implement stables of the past, mean that War Games inclusion into WWE 2K23 feels more than just a gimmick, it’s a real opportunity to create some of the intense rivalries and dream matches you’d always wished to see.

The creative options available to you are as expected, fantastic. Your own WWE Superstar, entrances, pyro, Championship belts, Money in the Bank briefcases, move-sets, shows, images and arenas are available to be designed or downloaded from the Community Creations page. At the time of writing there are currently over 3,000 pages of created Superstars alone, these include older models of superstars already in the game, as well as more fun downloads to add to your roster including Batman, Spider-Man, Ghostface from Scream, Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat franchise & Breaking Bad’s Walter White. Character models look excellent, with a real stand out being Randy Orton’s ’09 model, unlocked via Showcase mode. This is the golden era for create-a-wrestler enthusiasts and one that sees very few other games as dedicated to providing you with such a well hand crafted experience when it comes to having things exactly how you want them.

This year’s 2K Showcase mode also receives a welcome shake up, and instead of traveling along the familiar timeline of success, focuses on losses in pivotal moments in cover star John Cena’s two-decade spanning career. Whether it’s the hostile Hammerstein Ballroom which saw Rob Van Dam capture the WWE Championship at One Night Stand or the latest chapter in a years-long rivalry inside Hell in a Cell against Randy Orton, each match has been faithfully recreated, and the cuts from gameplay to archived footage are pieced together seamlessly, never taking away from the flow of a match. Although this year’s showcase is one of many highlights that 2K23 has to offer, it isn’t without its flaws. Matches not being in chronological order is a strange choice that somewhat disrupts the journey, and there are some glaring omissions along the way, such as The Miz at WrestleMania 27. There are a couple of surprise chapters to finish out this year’s showcase which are highly enjoyable and must be seen to be believed, without being spoiled.

MyRise meanwhile has also seen considerable improvement. Written by former WWE television script writers you have the choice between ‘The Legacy’ and ‘The Lock’ storylines. The Legacy sees you attempting to use your families ties to the WWE to rise to the top, whilst The Lock sees you arrive in the company with the promise, potential and expectation of becoming the next big thing in the company and a future WWE Champion. Both stories feature numerous swerves, surprises, twists, and turns you would expect, as well as player-made decisions which change the direction of your playthrough, which also adds replayability should you decide to go back and access different features and decisions than you did the first time around. The voice acting during these stories does let them down somewhat, with stiff delivery of lines and facial animations not matching the intensity of the on-screen action.

This year the addition of rivalry actions and cutscenes into Classic mode of Universe mode means that you’re able to make your shows the way you want them to be. A common complaint about 2K22’s Universe mode was that it felt very bare bones, so this will be a huge boost to players who run their own e-federations, as these options now enable you to bring a more authentic, in-depth, and enjoyable product to life. Taking control of weekly Raw, SmackDown and NXT programming, as well as the monthly Premium Live Events, you can customise your rosters, which belts are on each show, power rankings, being able to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcases and even create new weekly shows. However, the greatest addition comes in the form of rivalry actions, a new way to take storylines in your universe to the next level and allowing you to customise every aspect of a rivalry. Whether it’s deciding whether you want a certain rivalry to reach boiling point by selecting to show disrespect and attack your opponent before a match, using disrespectful tactics to elevate the intensity between two competitors or even breaking up a beloved tag team and having them engage in a programme together, you’re never short of ways to enhance your time in this mode. In my playthrough a fierce rivalry between Kevin Owens and Cactus Jack, who I’d brought out of retirement, built up over several weeks and was finally settled in a bloody and barbaric Hell in a Cell match, which saw the finish involving a table that had been set alight. It’s this amount of freedom that ensures endless opportunities for your creativity to flow and breathes new life and longevity in to an ever-popular game mode.

A more streamlined experience of Universe mode comes in the form of MyGM, where you take control of one of the weekly shows and do battle to be the number one rated show on WWE weekly episodic television. GMs on offer include Adam Pearce, Sonya Deville, Stephanie McMahon, Xavier Woods, Tyler Breeze, Kurt Angle, Eric Bischoff, Mick Foley, and your own created Superstar. Each GM comes with their own unique perk which can help change the dynamic in the race to become the best rated show. These range from earning double money for one of your shows, to superstars on your brand recovering from stamina effects quicker than normal. It’s a fun enough experience, but the option to have full control in Universe mode may see more people opt to spend their time there instead.

MyFaction, WWE’s card collecting game returns, this too has been given a tweak as you’re not able to take your faction online to compete against other players. Sadly, this is the only real change to the mode as the rest is almost identical to WWE 2K22. Towers, Proving Grounds and Faction Wars all return offering packs of cards, specific superstars and MFP, WWE’s in-game earnable currency which you can spend on packs to strengthen your roster. VC is also available to purchase via microtransaction, however as with WWE 2K22, in-game currency isn’t difficult to earn if you play through the mode organically, and there’s a lot less reliance to purchase it compared to other sports titles. As always WWE and 2K Games make specific event themed cards available throughout the year in the form of Locker Codes, and that’s no exception here. You can expect to see these Locker Codes appear online on a monthly basis, as well as dotted around on WWE’s social media pages.

WWE 2K22 went a long way in restoring fans’ confidence in the series after shattering it back in 2020, and there’s been anticipation for this year’s release for several months, thankfully WWE 2K23 builds on the foundations of its predecessor, and although it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, the changes introduced have ensured that WWE 2K23 is one of the best wrestling games to date.