What parents need to know
WWE presents its annual game with WWE 2K26, this time featuring CM Punk on the cover.
As usual, the game offers a host of game modes, enough to satisfy all types of players.
In the showcase mode, we are offered to relive some of the most important matches in CM Punk’s career, to change the course of some matches in which victory eluded him, and finally, we play dream matches proposed by CM Punk himself.
MyRise mode also returns. This time, we are offered to live the saga of the Archetype, a legendary wrestler who returns after an absence of several years, only to realize that he is no longer at the level of competition. It is then up to you to follow his journey as he tries to rebuild himself and regain his place at the top.
Another mode that is making a comeback is The Island, an online hub that also offers a story mode: following the defeat of Roman Reigns last year, three factions led by CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley are fighting (hehe) to take control of the supernatural island and its powers. So you have to walk around the island with your wrestler created by you, complete quests and spend the money earned to buy upgrades for your pugilist.
Universe and MyGM modes return, allowing you to manage your own wrestling federation. MyFaction mode also returns, allowing you to collect cards to create teams of unbeatable wrestlers and rise through the ranks online.
Obviously, WWE 2K26 doesn’t just bring back old modes; The title also comes with its share of new features.
First of all, new matches have been added: the Dumpster match, in which you have to throw your opponent into a trash bin, is offered for the first time in a WWE game. The I Quit, Inferno and Three Stages of Hell matches also make a return after several years of absence.
The game systems have also been revised compared to the 2k25 edition. The physics system has been polished, and wrestlers react more naturally to collisions with objects. The stamina system has also been revised, making counters more difficult to accomplish depending on the state of our fighter. We are also freer to explore the arenas and use the environment. An action choice mechanic at the beginning of the fight (handshake, sneak attack, race towards the opponent) also makes this wrestling simulation more realistic.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
It’s a rather violent fighting game, like the sport itself. Blood is activated by default, and wrestlers can bleed easily (and heavily). Intergender matches allow you to play a woman against a man.
Some characters are scantily clad and seductive, but there is no nudity to speak of. Some wrestlers may make sexual innuendos or make obscene gestures in provocation.
Reading is rather optional. Some instructions for specific moves are available in text only, but otherwise, even a player who reads little will be able to easily navigate WWE 2K26.
In MyRise mode, you can choose to play as a good guy or a bad guy. Otherwise, well… It’s a wrestling game, with all that it implies in terms of violence and occasional vulgarity, but also heroic characters.
WWE 2K26 remains an action game that requires fairly quick reflexes, even if the difficulty is modular. The game system allows you to reproduce quite faithfully the whole range of actions that are available to wrestlers in real life, but on the other hand, the controls take some time before they are completely acquired and memorized.
The amount of monetization is shameful. Even if you pay for downloadable content, you are still encouraged to pay for access to the content you have ALREADY purchased through the Ringside pass. Abominable.
Local game modes
There are many of them: exhibition matches, single player or multiplayer, MyGm, Universe, MyRise, Showcase and MyFaction modes and creation suites.
Online Game Modes
You can play online against other players, or venture into the Island mode. We can also share our creations or download those of other players.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
There are many. We are promised 6 seasons of Ringside Pass (the second season starts on April 15). There’s also the Joe Hendry Bundle that adds the popular TNA wrestler, XP boots, and virtual currency.
Our opinion
WWE 2k26 is an extremely difficult game to evaluate, because the highs are just as dizzying as the lows.
Let’s start with the positive; in many ways, WWE 2K26 is the culmination of the efforts that have been put in place since Visual Concepts has been at the helm of the franchise. The game system is refined like never before, allowing you to reproduce the matches seen on TV with amazing accuracy. In addition to being impressive, the experience is exciting; We get caught up in these games where turnovers are always possible and we don’t always control the outcome.
The content is extensive; The list of match types on offer is extensive, and with over 400 wrestlers, the roster is titanic. And if your favorite wrestler isn’t on the list (let’s say you’re a fan of rival promotion, AEW), the creation suite allows you to create virtually anyone… or to do as we did, and download characters created by other players.
The game modes are many and varied, and once again, it is possible to spend many hours with this title. We spent the majority of our time in the Showcase and MyRise modes, and we spent a few dozen hours on them.
We must also highlight the visual presentation of WWE 2K26. We tested this game on Switch 2, a portable console that is less powerful than its counterparts (PS5, Xbox Series X and PC). However, the graphics are successful (except for the hair, but this is a recurring problem in these games). The frame rate drops slightly when several fighters are in the ring, for example in a battle royale, but the whole thing is still quite playable.
So, why do we talk about dizzying stockings?
The first shadow on the picture; Showcase mode. The author of these lines is very familiar with CM Punk’s career, but this mode, which should look back on his career, leaves us on our end. For one, several of his notable opponents were not with WWE at the time of developing the game. We miss his rivalry with John Morrison who gave him his first title, his striking rivalry with Jeff Hardy, the whole history of the Straight Edge Society, the New Nexus. His rivalry with John Cena was also zapped too quickly.
The focus is mostly on rewriting history and imagining matches that could have taken place during his absence from WWE. This Showcase mode gives us more of an apology from CM Punk for daring to turn his back on WWE than a celebration of his illustrious career.
But that’s not the heart of our review. WWE games are always greedy for micro-transactions and other monetization efforts, and this time, we reach the paroxysm. We are offered no less than four different editions, ranging from the standard version ($89.99) to the Monday Night War version ($199.99!!).
Even if you pay $200 for your game, you’re not out of the woods. The game offers a battle pass (the Ringside pass here) to unlock content, as well as a premium version offering additional rewards. The more expensive versions include these premium Ringside passes , but you still have to earn the experience to progress there. You can play, a lot, to gain the necessary experience… or pay to move faster.
Same thing in Island mode; You can buy cosmetics to improve your wrestler’s appearance, but it’s much faster to pay with real money to buy clothes. A few minutes after starting this game mode, we came across a shoe store that offered sneakers at 18,000 VC, the game’s virtual currency. Considering that it costs $7 to buy 15,000 VC, we’ll let you do the math. Expensive for virtual shoes.
Following complaints from players, the developers have made some adjustments: they have offered 20 levels in the Ringside pass for free, in addition to decreasing the experience required to unlock the rewards.
This remains unacceptable. Players already pay for the Ringside premium pass (and it’s quite expensive: each of the 6 premium passes costs $13.49), but in addition, they are encouraged to pay again to acquire the experience that unlocks the content they paid for.
Yes, we found a way to make players pay twice for the same purchase. The cost (or rather, the cost) is hard to take when you know that the basic version retails for $89.99.
Right now, WWE is facing public wrath for the decadent prizes it charges for its tickets, even more so for its flagship event, Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, video games are no exception. Worse still, it looks like they were the canary in the mine; Franchise’s abusive monetization strategies have long been denounced, and this year, we’re reaching unprecedented heights.
It’s a shame, because paradoxically, both from a gameplay point of view and from a content point of view, WWE 2K26 is at its best. But the completely exaggerated monetization leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouths, like a main event starring Pat McAfee.
Note: A code (King of Kings edition) has been provided to us by the publisher for review purposes. This does not affect our review.
