WWE 2K26 Review (PS5)
Summary: So no, WWE 2K26 isn't the Best in the World, but it still does a mighty fine job, sorta like when Randy Orton faced Edge in "The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever" at Backlash 2020, it wasn't the greatest wrestling match, but it was very good-and so to is WWE 2K26.
4.3
Punk Rock
BEST IN THE WORLD!!! is something WWE 2K26 strives to be as the latest entry in the WWE 2K series touches down with the self‑proclaimed Best In The World CM Punk on the cover. Punk himself hasn’t graced a WWE videogame cover since WWE 13, but now he’s the straight‑edged poster child for this year’s entry. As with previous installments, 2K has seen fit to throw in a raft of revisions and new features that aim to entice fans to splurge another $69.99/£69.99 for the base offering, as well as ludicrous amounts for the deluxe and other special editions. Does WWE 2K26 satisfy fans’ cravings and live up to CM Punk’s namesake, or will we want to dog‑walk its ass like Jacob Fatu would?
As the intro states, the almighty straight‑edged Punkster is on the cover, so it is no surprise then that he is the subject of the 2K Showcase for this year. Like previous 2K Showcase modes, we’re taken through a series of highlight matches from CM Punk’s WWE tenure, from his SummerSlam 2008 World Heavyweight Championship match against JBL all the way to the extraordinary WrestleMania 41 Night One triple‑threat main event. Not only this though, we’re also treated to several dream‑match scenarios, where you get to face off with Punk’s most‑desired opponents he never had the chance to square off with.
2K Showcase has long been a mode where players are incentivized to perform Simon Says‑like actions where, if you complete the objectives on screen, you unlock bonus rewards, and if you don’t, you don’t unlock bonus rewards. It is annoying, and trying to fill up meters in order to trigger the next objectives or hands‑off cutscenes is still very rudimentary. However, the dream matches and seeing CM Punk in a Bret Hart singlet are definite pluses to this year’s Showcase.
MYRISE returns, offering two brand‑new stories where you fail and fight to reclaim championship status by conquering two of Paul Heyman’s handpicked superstars. One of them is Paul Heyman’s protégé, The Vision Bron Breakker, and the other is Jordynne Grace—who is a powerful force in NXT and isn’t a Paul Heyman client, but for the purposes of a MYRISE story works very well. Much in the same vein as 2K Showcase, MYRISE hasn’t changed all that much structurally because you’re still selecting superstars and personnel to talk to in a room, participating in Rise matches to earn your rep, and following the main story path on your route to glory. This year though, Rise matches are woven into the main story path, as in you’ll need to take on several superstars and accrue a predetermined amount of stars during matches in order to progress through the story. This can necessitate grinding, but at least it’s nowhere near as egregious as MYFACTION, and there are a variety of opponents with a variety of match stipulations to take on, which prevents things from becoming stale.
On the subject of MYFACTION, this year there’s more mixed‑gender support than there was previously, and a chemistry system where cards can align with either positive or negative results, which will be reflected in the matches you participate in. For example, if you’ve got negative chemistry in a tag‑team match‑up, your partner may not want to tag in, which creates potential drama and hassle, but the unpredictability is worthwhile and intriguing. MYFACTION continues to be a divisive mode that emphasizes engagement over entertainment, yet for those who indulge in it, they’ll find this year’s additions pleasing, if nothing truly outstanding.
Universe Mode in WWE 2K26 further expands on the Universe Modes of previous games by including a full WWE Draft element, meaning you can select which superstars you want on both RAW and SmackDown. You can select what PLEs take place, the rosters, and the champions before the calendar gets underway too, courtesy of a new Universe Creation Wizard. In addition, you no longer need to be an active participant in similar matches and shows; you can now sit back and watch everything play out like you’re watching the live shows and PLEs. Furthermore, call‑outs, promos, interruptions, and open challenges have seen changes and additions, making for more engrossing options to shape the WWE Universe the way you want it. The inclusions this year are very pleasing and deserve to be applauded, though we’re not quite at the “Story Designer” stage—y’know, like that awesome mode from those SmackDown vs. Raw games?
SmackDown vs. Raw, you say? Oh yes—MyGM. This year’s MyGM bulks out seasons to 50 weeks, includes the late Bobby Heenan and Stacy Keibler as GM options, and intergender matches are now a possibility. On top of this, you can now book the four brand‑new stipulations in WWE 2K26, which are the Dumpster Match, the I Quit Match, the Inferno Match, and the Three Stages of Hell Match (more on these in the next paragraph). You can send your roster’s superstars to invade other shows too, which is probably why “Worlds Collide” by Powerman 5000 is featured on this year’s soundtrack. So like the other modes in this year’s game, there are more pleasing additions that make WWE 2K26 more ultimate than previous games in the WWE 2K series, and that’s all WWE fans want, so that is exciting.
Match types this year have seen a bolstering with the addition of Dumpster, I Quit, Inferno, and Three Stages of Hell match types. The Dumpster Match plays very much like a Casket Match, but instead of closing a casket door you’re closing a dumpster lid. It’s disappointing that 2K didn’t do more with the Dumpster Match because it feels too much like a copy/paste of the Casket Match. The I Quit Match is good and features a circular minigame where you have to time button presses inside green zones and where you can insert blockers to make things more complicated for the superstar who is asked to quit. The Inferno Match works in a similar way to how it did the last time it was featured in a WWE game, where the ring is surrounded by fire and your job is to turn up the heat to maximum and then try to light your opponent on fire to win the match. It can be quite tricky, but it is definitely a welcome inclusion and a return fans should be pleased with. As for Three Stages of Hell, it’s fantastic that you can now choose any three single specialty match types and order them as you wish for a compelling trio of unforgiving bouts. All in all, the new match types are cool and add to an expansive array of new additions that have been introduced in the past few WWE 2K titles.
Gameplay in WWE 2K26 has seen an array of subtle but enjoyable features. You can set pyro off at any point during a superstar’s entrance, which is a great way to feel in control instead of plainly sitting there watching the entrances pass by. There’s a circle of options you can choose from to start the match, so you can either start things out respectfully with a handshake, or you can rush your opponent, stare them down, or ramp up the energy of the crowd. These subtle tweaks really energize the matches and make them come alive in a particular way all within your power.
Other praiseworthy new features include the ability to stack tables, a host of new weapons you can grab under the ring and use at your discretion—now featuring thumbtacks, so Mick Foley must be jaggedly smiling somewhere. Crowd and barricade combat is now more exciting too, meaning you can perform moves from on top of barricades now, and there are various ways to cause chaos and destruction around the ring as well as inside of it.
If you’ve played previous WWE 2K games, you should feel right at home in WWE 2K26, though those who haven’t played a WWE 2K game nor any WWE game in their life are in for a humongous learning curve and might feel overwhelmed by the enormity and complexity of it all. There are accessibility options of course, and plenty of sliders to tweak and ways you can craft your own WWE experience catered to your skill level and general preferences, yet it can all still seem like too much—but that’s modern videogames for you; many of them are just too huge and complicated, and you need dedication and an ability to learn and adapt to get the most out of them.
The great thing about WWE 2K26 is that you can feel the level of challenge and awesomeness of a back‑and‑forth match. Of course, 2K has steadily built the authenticity of the TV product in the videogame experience over the years, but in 2K26 it feels like they’ve made significant strides, allowing you to feel great control but also great challenge if you’re looking for it.
A few peculiar oddities will occur occasionally during your time playing WWE 2K26. Referees may disqualify you unfairly at times, sometimes successful pinfalls and submissions won’t register properly, and there are a festival of mainly minor bugs and glitches you’ll encounter such as superstars getting stuck in the environment, and the A.I. can repeat moves over and over again, sometimes locking you into the routine until you’re able to break out of it. The physics can be irritating at times too, sometimes catching you in undesirable predicaments, and the minigames can still be too button‑bashy and it can be tricky to get the win from them. Finishers can result in near falls way too often as well, and there’s a peculiarity where an instant roll‑up after a near fall from a finisher can swiftly win you the match instead of the actual finisher. Some of the “new” features aren’t at all new either because we’ve seen them in previous WWE games, but they’ve of course been brought back by popular demand, and calling it a criticism is negligible, but still noteworthy.
This year’s official soundtrack is pleasing compared to previous installments. Yes, there is more terrible rap and screamy metal, but it’s not as overbearing as last year’s offering. You’ve got absolute bangers like “Party Hard” from Andrew W.K. and “When Worlds Collide” by Powerman 5000—the latter of which is particularly nostalgic because it was featured in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw from 2004. There are 16 songs too, which is quite the bump‑up from previous WWE 2K titles.
In all, WWE 2K26 has made many strides forward over previous entries of the series. There are a host of great gameplay tweaks, fantastic new features and tweaks to existing modes, and great new match types added as well, even if the Dumpster Match feels too similar to the Casket Match. The wrestling videogame experience this year has been amplified in a bevy of pleasing ways that will keep fans engrossed, and in general this year’s game is definitely an improvement—heck, it might be the best WWE 2K on current‑gen hardware. There are still many petty annoyances with how WWE 2K has designed their games and WWE 2K26 is no exception, though you shouldn’t be too harsh on this year’s entry as many of the kinks existed in prior entries as well. So no, WWE 2K26 isn’t the Best in the World, but it still does a mighty fine job—sorta like when Randy Orton faced Edge in “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” at Backlash 2020. It wasn’t the greatest wrestling match, but it was very good—and so too is WWE 2K26.
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