WWE 2K25 preview: A steady but welcomed improvement

Developer 2K is back with its latest annual release in its WWE 2K series - and while it feels like WWE 2K25 is playing it safe based on my few hours spent with the game, it’s exactly what the franchise needs.

During the preview, 26 Superstars were available out of the 300+ that will feature in the full game. While I didn’t have enough time to play them all, I did use the menacing Jacob Fatu (who’s making his debut in the video game series), as well as Jey Uso, LA Knight, Rhea Ripley, Jade Cargill, The Rock and, of course, the main cover star of WWE 2K25, Roman Reigns.

Check out the WWE 2K25 trailer below!

For the most part, WWE 2K25 plays almost identically like last year's release and that’s exactly what I was hoping for. There seemed to be a tendency with the series’ previous developer, Yukes, to unnecessarily change the controls rather than the gameplay, which just added an unwanted level of confusion. WWE 2K24 played wonderfully, so all 2K25 needs is a few tweaks here and there, and that’s exactly what current developer Visual Concepts has done.

One of the more notable additions to the in-ring action is the returning chain wrestling, last seen in WWE 2K20. Chain wrestling initiates an old-school collar and elbow tie-up, where two wrestlers will traditionally grapple in a standing position with players activating moves with QTEs. The winner of that brief QTE segment will gain an early advantage over their opponent.

It should be stated that chain wrestling is optional and you can play a whole match without initiating it, but it’s a very authentic way to begin a match, especially when using technical wrestlers such as Bret Hart and Kurt Angle (both of which were not available in the preview).

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Outside of the ring, you can now climb on top of the barricade. Once done, you can sprint across the barricade to unleash a flying attack against your opponent. This may not be a game changer but it is another step in the right direction to make the WWE 2K series feel more authentic. If only the legendary Hardy Boyz were in WWE 2K25, tag team masters of high-flying moves, including the use of the barricade.

The backstage brawl matches were fun in WWE 2K24 but they were limited in terms of locations. In WWE 2K25, that has been fixed somewhat with the addition of the WWE Archives and the infamous NXT Parking Lot. The WWE Archives is a real warehouse full of WWE relics of yesteryear. I had a blast jumping off the classic Smackdown fist and was slapped with nostalgia as I spotted tons of Easter eggs, such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s monster truck, HHH’s throne used during a WrestleMania entrance, Undertaker’s casket, and more.

As for the NXT Parking Lot, there wasn't as much to see compared to the WWE Archives, but that’s expected. It is a parking lot, after all. This mini arena has plenty of weapons including steel chairs and tube lights, as well as structures to climb and an interactive ambulance for good measure. However, despite its limitations, it’s great to see the NXT Parking Lot in WWE 2K25 closely resembling its real-life counterpart.

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The biggest addition to the in-ring action is the long-awaited introduction of intergender matches, a first for the WWE 2K series. It did take some getting used to despite these matches being common back in the day, but we all know we’re going to have a blast playing as Rhea Ripley beating up “Dirty” Dominic Mysterio, especially now that you can crack him over the head with a giant bottle of Prime.

As expected in a preview, traditional match types were limited in choice, offering only One on One, Triple Threat, and Fatal 4-Way. So instead of sampling those tried and tested matches, I thought I’d jump into the 10-man/woman Royal Rumble (30 will be unlocked in the full game).

It was great having both male and female wrestlers compete in the Royal Rumble, especially as this would not be a match that would happen in real life as it would restrict the main event title matches for the men and women of WWE at WrestleMania. Impressively, Royal Rumble can now cater to eight wrestlers in the ring at once and during the preview, I never noticed any performance issues when the ring was at full capacity, despite the chaos.

I was able to sample three of ‘The Bloodline Dynasty’ Showcase campaign matches. Those available were: Nia Jax vs. Lyra Valkyria in the final of the King & Queen of the Ring 2024, a dream match between The Wild Samoas and The Dudley Boyz, and finally, Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins (in his Shield gear) at the Royal Rumble in 2022.

Matches in this Showcase play out the same as before. You can approach the match by gaining a quick victory or by completing in-match objectives that reflect real-life moments. You can also unlock extra skins, arenas, and more. Arguably, the best feature of this Showcase is that it's presented by the legendary WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman, one of, if not the, best storytellers in pro wrestling history with Roman Reigns adding some further insight.

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In terms of visuals, WWE 2K25 could be the best-looking wrestling game ever. Don't get me wrong, WWE 2K24 is visually stunning at times, but when I noticed subtle details such as a scar on the back of Bubba Ray Dudley’s head which resulted in a bit of hair not growing, it was obvious that the developers had gone the extra mile with this year's release. What’s more, everything from character animations to moves and even sweat is next-level accurate.

If I had one gripe during my preview, it was how inaccurate it was to Irish Whip an opponent diagonally into the turnbuckle, which became extra frustrating when trying the complete objectives in the Showcase matches. I was even watching the analogue stick on the controller to make sure I was pressing diagonally.

It was also a bit more fiddly than usual when trying to eliminate an opponent from the Royal Rumble with a sprint attack not hitting the target, and this is coming from someone who has spent countless hours playing this series. I was reminded before playing the preview that this is an early build of WWE 2K25, so hopefully these won't be issues in the full release.

That being said, fellow pro wrestling fans, after just a few hours spent with the game, I am now more hyped than I already was for WWE 2K25 and you should be too. I can't wait to see everything come together in March.

WWE 2K25 will be released on 14 March 2025 for the standard edition or 7 March for the Deadman and Bloodline Editions on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.