WWE 2K24 Review – Finish the Story

WWE games have, for the last couple of years, mimicked the company itself in seeing something of a renaissance. Where the actual programming at WWE has seen an uptick in quality thanks to its long-running storylines and elevation of new talents, its yearly video games have similarly seen a rise in quality, thanks to a strong foundation laid with WWE 2K22, and the additions made in WWE 2K23. We now have WWE 2K24 which, among other things, hopes to add more on top of the strong foundations of its predecessors, while also bringing with it entirely new stories for the career mode, as well as other features.

When it comes to its core gameplay, WWE 2K24 doesn’t really change anything. Just like WWE 2K22 and 2K23, 2K24 also gives you the options of light attacks, heavy attacks, and grapples, all of which can combo in and out of each other. While the lack of any major changes to the system might disappoint some, it’s worth noting that the core gameplay in WWE 2K24 is some of the best we’ve ever seen from the franchise. Just about everything else from WWE games of the past, including positional damage on bodies, is back in full force as well.

"While the lack of any major changes to the system might disappoint some, it’s worth noting that the core gameplay in WWE 2K24 is some of the best we’ve ever seen from the franchise."

The focus on fast-paced gameplay continues with the defensive options players are given, ranging from countering moves at the press of a button with the right timing, being able to counter a combo string by successfully guessing what attack the enemy is using, or just plain old blocking and attacking. All of these offensive and defensive options feed into a signature bar that can be used for a couple of things: a signature move, or a utility move. While signature moves are often the core offensive option, since you immediately get to use a finisher right afterwards, the utility moves help the general flow of a match quite well.

Utility moves can be quite versatile, with their uses ranging from something as simple as immediately getting off the ground after getting hit by a big attack, to more interesting and fun options, like playing possum to then sneak in a quick pin in an attempt to steal a victory from your opponent. While these moves may not contribute much to damaging your opponent, they certainly help in maintaining a quick pace throughout a match.

Going by the marketing behind WWE 2K24, it would be easy to make the mistake of assuming that the new Showcase of the Immortals mode, which focuses on celebrating 40 years of WrestleMania, is the flagship single-player mode this time around. When it actually comes to playing the game, however, this couldn’t be further away from the truth. Much like last year, MyRise remains where the best single-player aspects of WWE 2K24 lie, followed closely by other modes like MyGM and Universe modes.

"Much like last year, MyRise remains where the best single-player aspects of WWE 2K24 lie"

The Showcase of the Immortals mode this time around feels like a definite step down. While the subject matter is inherently interesting, (the yearly WrestleMania shows are something of a major event for professional wrestling fans, after all) the execution of the mode is where the game falters. For instance, the Showcase mode is insistent on trying to be something of a tutorial, which adversely affects the attempts at cinematic storytelling in some of the earlier matches in the mode. For a good example of just where Showcase mode falls short this time around, I think it’s useful to look at the last time a WWE game celebrated WrestleMania, all the way back in WWE 2K14.

For context, WWE 2K14 had a 30 Years of WrestleMania mode where you got to wrestle through some of the most iconic matches of the pay-per-view event throughout the years. These matches featured optional objectives that players could try, and these objectives were often there to simulate the events of the actual match, and could range from smaller moments like a punch thrown at a certain corner of the ring, to bigger set piece moments, like Edge spearing Mick Foley through a burning table.

WWE 2K24 tries its hand at a similar tribute to WrestleMania, and while it does succeed sometimes, more often than not, it has the tendency of grinding things to an absolute stop in order to impart a poorly-paced and poorly-scripted history lesson. Back when WWE 2K22 was seamlessly transitioning between real-world footage of a classic Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. match, it was really cool. Sadly, despite the high quality of the match, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat versus “Macho Man” Randy Savage doesn’t lend itself too well to these transitions. And considering just how slow-paced older wrestling matches tend to be, rather than cool, the transitions start feeling annoying since you’re just losing control over a match you were otherwise playing at a much quicker pace.

"It would be easy to make the mistake of assuming that the new Showcase of the Immortals mode is the flagship single-player mode this time around."

Thankfully, the new MyRise mode storylines are rather fantastic, and more than make up for the dull Showcase mode. This time around, the women’s storyline revolves around a wrestler and co-founder of indie wrestling federation TBD, known as The Captain, gets involved with WWE and its machinations. The men’s story revolves around Cody Rhodes’ never-ending attempts at “finishing the story” by beating Roman Reigns to get his hands on WWE’s ultimate prize: the WWE Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Both storylines also feature plenty of side-stories that range from fun distractions to downright hilarious. For example, an early story in the women’s storyline had me prevent a cult masquerading as a breathing and meditation app from taking over the WWE roster.

Of course, the other most important thing about a wrestling game is its roster, and WWE 2K24 does not disappoint in this department. There are plenty of WWE Superstars for players to choose from, ranging from modern stars like LA Knight and Roman Reigns, to Legends like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. There are also a few fun incarnations of some Superstars, such as “Elite” Cody Rhodes, basically a Cody Rhodes action figure that comes to the ring and wrestles like a regular person. There are also several alternate options for wrestlers like the Undertaker, Kane, and even The Rock, ranging from their early incarnations to more modern ones.

Unfortunately, the MyFaction mode still feels as worthless and superfluous as ever. Much like the last few times we’ve seen the mode, MyFaction still feels like an attempt by 2K to further monetize WWE 2K24 in the same vein as other sports titles by the publisher. Thankfully, there isn’t really anything in the mode that would force you to play it, and if dream matches are really something you want to do, the Universe mode is much better suited to long-term play than MyFaction will ever be.

"Of course, the other most important thing about a wrestling game is its roster, and WWE 2K24 does not disappoint in this department."

When it comes to just having some fun on a couch with some friends, the number of match types in WWE 2K24 does not disappoint. Alongside match types we’ve come to expect from a wrestling game, like singles, tag matches, triple threat, fatal four way, and even some gimmick matches like cage matches or the Hell in a Cell match, there are a fair number of new additions to the list. Two of the new types, Casket and Ambulance matches, both revolve around trying to shove your opponents into containers, which can either be a casket, or an ambulance, as the match’s name might imply.

These gimmick matches add a fair bit of variety to what would otherwise end up being just a series of regular matches. Owing to their gimmicky nature, you won’t really find yourself going to these match types that often, which in a way mimics the general flow of WWE programming. Casket matches, Ambulance matches, and even backstage brawls tend to be few and far between, giving them an air of being a truly special event when a storyline demands such a match type.

The addition of these new match types also ties in quite neatly with the single-player game modes on offer in WWE 2K24. MyRise, for example, will throw in one of these matches every now and then in order to spice up a particular rivalry. Where these new matches get truly useful is in Universe mode, which essentially puts you in charge of booking shows and making your own storylines. Depending on how intense things can get, a Casket match often makes for an excellent way to end a long and bloody feud.

"Thankfully, the new MyRise mode storylines are rather fantastic, and more than make up for the dull Showcase mode."

The other new match type, Gauntlet, while being a welcome addition, doesn’t really add much to the game that couldn’t already be achieved by just planning out a Universe mode event well enough. You’re essentially pit against a series of wrestlers to beat one after another, being forced to carry any injuries and damage you might accrue over to your bout with the next opponent. Gauntlet matches can be quite fun, but they also have a tendency to get quite tedious.

Overall, WWE 2K24 is the best that the franchise has been, especially in its more modern incarnations. Just about everything about the game is bigger and better than its predecessors, ranging from the absurd size of the roster, and even some of the new match types like casket matches and ambulance matches. WWE 2K24 is quite easily the most feature-complete a WWE game has felt in quite some time. While it’s still not all the way there yet, some of the story creation modes from WWE 2K14 for example would be an absolute blast to play around with in the game’s current iteration, but the stink of games like WWE 2K20 seems to have been definitively left behind.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.