Annual franchises have the troublesome process of staying recent and thrilling inside a improvement cycle that doesn’t enable for gargantuan adjustments every year. It’s a actuality followers ought to take into account when measuring their expectations for the following launch, however it’s additionally comprehensible to want main shakeups. After enjoying a couple of hours of WWE 2K26 at 2K’s Creator’s Fest at WWE Headquarters final week, I felt conflicted by its overwhelming familiarity whereas nonetheless acknowledging some neat additions and refined enhancements.
Throughout my session, I toured many of the normal modes. I glanced on the CM Punk-focused Showcase, started a brand new marketing campaign within the story-driven MyRise, drafted a pool of superstars in MyGM, and took a return journey to The Island. I additionally sampled the 4 new match stipulations: I Give up, Inferno, Dumpster, and three Levels of Hell. And eventually, I briefly checked out the brand new Ringside Cross, 2K26’s battle cross equal.
Positives that stood out to me instantly are the celebrity fashions. These video games have at all times seemed nice, although that high quality assorted by celebrity. I actually didn’t see everybody on the 400+ character roster, however the energetic stars I did see seemed spectacular. Cowl star CM Punk appears incredible, as do a number of others, together with Randy Orton, Penta, Rey Fénix, Guilia, and Blake Monroe. Listening to the motion referred to as by the brand new commentary group of Michael Cole, Wade Barrett, and Booker T is a refreshing and long-overdue change. One other cool addition is AAA, the Lucha Libre promotion WWE acquired in 2025. Getting to manage wrestlers like Mr. Iguana and El Hijo Del Vikingo is sudden and superior.
Developer Visible Ideas touts enhancements to stamina and reversal programs, however I couldn’t let you know if I seen a marketed distinction. Executing reversals nonetheless looks like they require the identical timings and inputs as earlier entries, and my WWE 2K muscle reminiscence didn’t want any changes. I really feel equally about managing stamina. That mentioned, I’m tickled by little additions equivalent to the brand new pre-match interactions like selecting to hurry the opponent earlier than the bell, providing/rejecting handshakes, or hyping the gang. Messing round with the extra interactive entrance mechanics can be a small, goofy deal with. Incessantly urgent the d-pad instructions to set off stage and ring pyro like I’m 2009 Randy Orton attempting to explode John Cena made me chuckle.
The brand new match stipulations are high-quality additions, in that it’s at all times nice to have extra gameplay choices. Nonetheless, I didn’t discover any of them to be as thrilling as, say, including WarGames a couple of years in the past. In 2K’s protection, a few of the stipulations are weak in actual life, too, so that they labored with what that they had.
The Inferno match, which unfolds in a hoop surrounded by hearth, entails hitting sufficient large strikes to fill a meter that causes the flames to rise. As soon as this meter is full, you’ll be able to then try to set the opposite participant ablaze, which performs out equally to nailing a Royal Rumble elimination by tossing them over the ropes utilizing grapples or onerous Irish whips. Some enjoyable back-and-forth may be had in these moments. It’s odd, nonetheless, that earlier than submitting the meter, you’ll be able to exit the ring and even deliver weapons inside. Cool on one hand, however the level of Inferno bouts is to maintain the contributors inside, and solely a spectacular transfer, like diving excessive rope a la the Undertaker, can see a celebrity escaping the flames unhurt.
Dumpster and I Give up matches fall squarely into the “good to have, however I’ll not often play it” class. Dumpster is basically a Casket match, with gamers combating to toss one another into the bin positioned at ringside and attempting to out-button-press one another to shut the lid. I Give up entails beating your opponent down and hitting a button to set off a stop-the-needle mini-game, with the sufferer attempting to nail a number of protected zones in succession to refuse to stop; lacking too many results in quitting. 3 Levels of Hell, the 2-out-of-3 falls match with every fall going down below a unique stipulation, is my favourite match addition. There’s nothing mechanically distinctive because you’re merely enjoying three match varieties back-to-back, however the endurance issue makes it a enjoyable problem since physique injury carries throughout the matches.
It’s robust to get a real sense of how the opposite modes form out when below a time restrict. Since I must hop round, I may solely pattern the early parts of Showcase, MyRise, MyGM, and The Island. From what I did see, don’t count on dramatic adjustments from each. The Island’s addition of voice-acting is a giant enchancment, and the premise of gamers aligning with one in all three themed factions led by CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, and Cody Rhodes might have some foolish promise. One among my foremost criticisms of the mode final yr was how a lot it pushes gamers to purchase Digital Foreign money (VC) to buy costly cosmetics and character stat factors utilizing actual cash. Though I didn’t get a take a look at how or if these costs are adjusted, getting management of my character on the Island and instantly seeing nothing however name-brand shops like Nike nonetheless feels icky.
Showcase is often one in all my favourite locations, and chronicling CM Punk’s profession is a superb selection. You’ll be able to proceed via Showcase both via a timeline or in a gauntlet format; I selected the previous, extra conventional route, so I couldn’t let you know what the latter entails. Proper off the bat, the mode begins with Punk’s early days on Uncooked, seemingly skipping his ECW run. There’s at all times an opportunity Showcase unfolds in non-chronological order, however as a Punk fan, I used to be disillusioned to see his first two years in WWE referenced solely in a video package deal. Exterior of that, Showcase seems to be Showcase: play historic matches (with Punk including contextual narration), full optionally available targets to set off in-game cutscenes that unlock further rewards afterwards.
MyRise and MyGM supply expansions to the acquainted template. MyGM now permits gamers to ebook matches involving as much as eight contributors and consists of intergender bouts. That is at all times one in all my favourite locations, and I’m certain I’ll nonetheless get pleasure from enjoying the booker on this yr’s iteration. MyRise has a brand new, doubtless goofy storyline starring a celebrity coming back from a years-long absence (not less than on the male facet). That is additionally very acquainted, as you’re nonetheless roaming backstage between matches to scroll a social media feed and chat with superstars in choice-driven conversations that affect a face or heel alignment. The bones look like the identical, however the narrative meat will in the end dictate how entertaining MyRise is that this yr, and the jury is out on that for now.
Ringside Cross might be 2K26’s most important new addition, including battle cross development that replaces the sequence’ normal DLC packs. Like each battle cross you’ve ever engaged with, it options free and premium (paid) tiers providing two units of unlockable superstars, cosmetics, and different rewards. I admire you can earn XP by enjoying any sport mode, and I rapidly unlocked the primary batch of rewards of each tiers, netting me the playable Vikingo proper off the bat. Relying on the sport, I don’t thoughts battle passes as an idea; there’s an simple satisfaction in continually gaining rewards just by enjoying. However like every thing else within the sport, I’ll must spend rather more time with 2K26 to see how for much longer it takes to unlock the later tiers, how a lot VC is required to purchase tier skips, and the general high quality of the rewards themselves.
I made a decision to skip Universe Mode and the Creation Suite on account of time constraints; these locations require rather more than a cursory look to understand what Visible Ideas cooked up this yr. As I scanned the remainder of the package deal, the phrase that stored popping into my head was “Yep, it’s one other WWE 2K sport.” That’s neither horrible nor overtly thrilling. I’ve largely loved the previous few entries, and 2K26 feels on observe to not less than preserve a established order of high quality. However very similar to the present TV product, the established order is rising more and more stale. Until 2K26 hides extra surprises or mechanical nuance than I may glean, followers are doubtless in for a wonderfully pleasurable however extraordinarily acquainted package deal.
