WWE has been on a resurgence over the last year, selling out venues all over the world, debuting on Netflix, and tightening its grip on the video game industry with the WWE 2K series.
The latest entry in the series, WWE 2K25, refines the long-running wrestling game franchise with new playable Superstars, wild single-player MyRise mode, virtually limitless customizable options for player-created wrestlers to fight online with, and more.
WWE 2K25 is usually sold for $69.99 at most retailers, but this MSRP has been hit with a 43% discount RKO out of nowhere by Amazon Prime Day, taking it down to a more affordable price tag of $39.99 on Amazon.
Why should you buy WWE 2K25?
Ever since 2K took over producing WWE games from THQ in 2013, it has kept the flagship wrestling game franchise alive, adding in new and classic playable wrestlers, wacky and over-the-top feuds and storylines, and new inventive ways to lay the smackdown on your opponents both offline and online.
The latest entry in the series, WWE 2K25, doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel but continues to refine all the improvements made from the previous game, WWE 2K24, while implementing welcome new gameplay additions.
WWE 2K25 even managed to garner a generally positive reception at launch, with critics praising its single-player modes and large roster but condemning its new ‘Island’ mode, which we will discuss more in-depth later.
For now, let’s focus on what WWE 2K25 gets right. For starters, its roster is beyond stacked, as WWE 2K25 features over 300 playable WWE Superstars such as Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Kane, Mankind, and many more.
The game also features an insanely robust Create-A-Wrestler feature where you get to create your own WWE Superstar so you can live out your dream of wrestling in a WWE ring.
The level of customization Create-A-Wrestler offers is beyond insane as it features hundreds upon hundreds of clothing items and wrestling moves to equip your custom character. You can even customize their entrance with pyrotechnics, lights and music to elevate your custom character’s star power to get over with the crowd.
WWE 2K25 also features a smorgasbord of game modes to wrestle with. It has your standard competitive match modes where you can wrestle AI or real people in offline or online matches (which supports partial cross-play and cross-progression).
It also a single-player ‘The Showcase’ mode where you get to relive classic matches related to the Bloodline faction and the Anoa’i family, a MyGM mode where you get to play the role as a general manager running RAW, Smackdown, or NXT, MyFaction mode where you complete special challenges to unlock certain characters and skins, and more.
By far the best aspects of WWE 2K25 are the long-awaited addition of intergender matches (so we can Rhea Ripley beat Dirty ‘Dom’ more) and the MyRise story mode.
WWE 2K25’s MyRise is by far my favorite part of this game as it features one of the best story modes I’ve ever seen in a fighting game. Without spoiling it, it’s crazy, over-the-top, packed with funny and badass moments, and it’s got a ton of replay value as the MyRise mode features multiple story routes leading to unique matches from playthrough to playthrough depending on your dialogue choices.
Of course, these modes mean nothing without solid wrestling gameplay to back it up. Thankfully, WWE 2K25 delivers on that aspect as it features an in-depth combat system where you get to pull wild wrestling moves that are so satisfying to pull off when landed correctly.
Also, WWE 2K25 keeps things combat fresh with a variety of match types and arenas to fight in, weapons to use in battle (so long as the referee doesn’t catch you using them), and various difficulty options to make battles against easier or harder depending on your preferences.
However, there are a couple of controversial aspects of this game that may turn off potential buyers. For one, the aforementioned MyFaction mode is heavily reliant on microtransactions, as players will need to spend real money on power-ups and wrestlers to complete the challenges.
And then there’s the new ‘The Island’ mode. This game mode is where you get to take your custom wrestler and compete in a series of quests and matches for a chance to win a WWE contract and earn the favor of Roman Reigns.
However, this game mode is also heavily reliant on microtransactions to unlock and progress fast, and it’s only available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions.
While the developers have stated their reasons why ‘The Island’ is built this way, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s locking out PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 owners from participating in it, and potentially missing out on an upcoming story update featuring the late Bray Wyatt.
Thankfully, you can safely ignore ‘The Island’ and MyFaction as they only represent about 10% of the game at best. Once you do, then you will be in for a rowdy ride as WWE 2K25 is a fun game that will keep wrestling and WWE fans entertained for weeks on end.
For a limited time, you can get your hands on WWE 2K25 for 43% off its original MSRP of $69.99 with this monsterous Stone Cold Stunner of an Amazon Prime Day discount for $39.99 on Amazon.
However, you will need to sign up for the Amazon Prime Membership program to access this discount deal. Signing up will also net you some sweet benefits when shopping at Amazon like same-day shipping, access to Amazon’s multimedia streaming apps, early access to discounts, and more.
