As a professional wrestling simulator , the WWE 2 K series is already a complete package . It does n’t just offer amassive roster of wrestlersand arenas , but a long list of match types too . ravel match , TLC , backstage brawls — you name it , and it ’s there . What more is there to add in a game that already has it all ?

WWE 2K25has a few answers this year , including a new kind of battle : clandestine match . During arecent hands - on preview , I gave the choice for a spin in a series of firmly - strike matches . While it certainly is n’t a game - changer , it might just be the best new fashion for insouciant players who want to make a complex engagement system just a minute easier to blame up and play .

The claw of underground matches is simple-minded : The mob has no ropes . Players battle on a vapid canvas that only has its corner turnbuckle in place . A few looker-on suffer directly at ringside , though the catch still happens in a normal arena full of fans . There are no pinfalls or meekness . player only win by knockout after charter down their opponent ’s wellness , similar to the way backstage bash work . It makes WWE 2 K finger more like a received fighting game .

While that ’s just a slight regulation change , it does produce some sport mo that change the flow of battle . conflict feel more physical since they ’re more about abide close to my opponent and slugging it out rather than tend the ropes are climbing turnbuckles for high - flee smudge . In one match , I stone Ethan Page and The Rock against one another in a firmly - hitting — and bloody — slugfest . It ’s not quite a UFC fight , but it ’s the closest the 2 K series has ever come to give that musical note .

The lack of roofy opens the door for some fun spots . In one match , I controlled Jade Cargill through a Liv Morgan beatdown . The coronate moment of that clash came when I suplexed Liv directly off the proscenium and onto the crew , who scattered out of the fashion . second like that make hugger-mugger matches finger both strong-arm and personal like backstage brawl , but without the cartoon whatchamacallit .

This feels like the right mode for those who just want to feel WWE 2 K in a occasional circumstance . No one has to learn how to execute pinfalls , climb turnbuckles , bounce off rope , or anything like that . It just requires players to sympathize how canonical attack and holds workplace . There ’s more nuance to it , but one could concentre on three button and still bear their own jolly well . It ’s the serial ’ own variant of “ Final Destination , no item , ” theSuper Smash Bros. Meleeruleset that the pros rely by .

That ’s not a understanding to buyWWE 2K25on its own , but it ’s part of a wide cortege of update that feel substantial . There are Bloodline Rules matches , intergender clashes , a new open - world mood , on-line caper in MyGM , and so much more coming in this year ’s entry . I imagine that cloak-and-dagger couple will become the most satisfying part of my multiplayer rotation , though . It ’s the ideal agency to beat up your bud .

WWE 2K25launches on March 14 for PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X / S , and PC if you buy one of its particular edition . Those who opt for the standard edition will get entree one week afterward on March 7 .