WWE and 2K Sports; WWE 2K23 is available for everyone on March 17, but fans who ordered the Icon or Deluxe editions got three days early access to form their WWE 2K23 first impressions ahead of the scheduled launch date. After about 10 hours of gameplay, WWE 2K23 is safely in the must-have category for wrestling fans and longtime players of WWE video games.
If last year’s edition “hit different” in its attempt to get back into fighting shape after the abysmal launch of WWE 2K20, this year’s game is the culmination of 2K redeeming itself. In the single best example of long-term storytelling, 2K sports turned facK and finally delivered for the players. Fans of the old-school arcade games, the Smackdown vs. Raw series, and even the more modern simulation-style titles will all have something to enjoy in this year’s release because every game mode has been cranked up to eleven.
It provides all of the fun and insane wrestling moments longtime players have missed in recent adaptations. Additionally, it includes the polished look and creation suite that 2k implemented after taking over. Here is a quick rundown of what you should look for after downloading the game with minimal spoilers.
WWE 2K23 First Impressions
First Reaction: WWE 2k23 MyFaction and Universe Mode
If you played a ton of WWE 2K22’s Universe and My Faction Mode, then you will be happy to know that both return in this year’s edition and remain almost unchanged. You can still customize rosters, arenas, rivalries teams, and more in the Universe Mode. You can also view your superstar’s stats if you’re playing through multiple years. Also, the superstar universe mode returns, where you can play through the career of your favorite wrestler in a simulated weekly format. This could become a prevalent mode for players who prefer a more straightforward simulation career like last year’s MyRise, as compared to the tremendous changes made to that mode in 2023.
MyFaction is updated as well but functions exactly the same. You create and organize your teams to challenge players online or AI in towers to win new cards to improve your team. 2K enjoys their cards, and the WWE format is conducive to that play style, perhaps more so than any of their other titles. The only real changes to the mode are the new arenas and superstars available. While not faction specific, the 2K23 roster not only looks fantastic, but it is current. The looks aren’t outdated, and the roster reflects the current WWE landscape better. Last year about 30 members of the roster did not work for WWE when the game launched, which broke immersion and acted as a sad reminder of the “budget cuts” that fan favorites disappear.
Showcase Mode: Enemies of the Cenation
WWE always includes a featured superstar for fans to control in a career retrospective that pays homage to a legend (or legends) in WWE history. So when WWE announced that John Cena would get the honor this year (to coincide with his return to WrestleMania 39), fans could recite at least half of the moments they would be playing. The “Ruthless Aggression” debut with Kurt Angle, His feud with Edge, Triple H. Randy Orton, and JBL all come to mind. However, despite most of John Cena’s iconic moments being seared into fans’ brains, 2K flipped the script and made a mode that could have easily gotten stale interesting.
Instead of focusing on Cena’s wins against talents like JBL, Shawn Micheals, and Triple H, they talk about the rare instances where Cena came up short. You play as Cena’s rivals at various points in his career and are tasked with recreating Cena’s biggest failures. Starting with RVD at ECW One Night Stand, the mode plays the same as in past years, with objectives leading to archive footage and, ultimately, the victory. In a callback to 2Kk14’s successful Undertaker Showcase, instead of playing as the same wrestler for hours, you switch between several legends keeping things fresh as you take on an overpowered Cena most of the time. In addition, the creators added some funny and entertaining game elements into the mode, including an excellent bonus level featuring the internet’s loathed “Super Cena” and a legendary ending for players who finish the showcase mode.
MyRise: The Lock and The Legacy
WWE 2K20 took a big swing and missed creating a male and female-voiced protagonist and narrative story for their MyRise mode. As a result, 2K22 featured a mode that was more like a traditional career mode. Your wrestler takes matches from management or other superstars and tries to win titles and accolades across three brands to “become a legend.”
One of the best first reactions to WWE 2K23 are its separate and fully fleshed-out male and female MyRise superstar origins. Your female star is a second-generation talent continuing a family legacy, while our male star is a particularly hyped indie wrestler who fans and even WWE themselves believe is “a lock” to be a future main event star. This is why the two stories are called The Legacy and The Lock, respectively.
You have all the same abilities to customize your character, along with several moments of choice throughout your career, even in the early hours of gameplay. These choices change how the game goes, so even within the Lock and Legacy stories, there is room for replayability. It is ambitious, like 2K20, but executed far better. The most recent comparison would be the 2K19 “Buzz” storyline, but in the early moments of each, it harkens back to the Smackdown vs. Raw career modes that many fans grew up on.
GM Mode: A Return to Form
WWE and 2K leaned heavily into its GM Mode to promote this year’s game. The mode returned in 2K22 after a decade-plus hiatus. WWE and 2K made this decision in no small part due to the success of Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze’s Battle of the Brands series on UpUpDownDown. On a side note, Woods is the host of the game, and UpUpDownDown appears to be critical to marketing the game, cementing a connection between his show and WWE. While the mode was simple and a little boring after the first playthrough, many fans were just happy to have it back. The thrill of drafting a roster and fantasy booking to earn the most fans was enough of a selling point for 2022.
This year’s edition adds to the base created last year. The power cards are more fleshed out, and there are several cool GM and show options, including WCW and Eric Bischoff. You also can book other match types beyond a tag team or singles match, and each stipulation added has different effect on your show. The most significant difference, though, is the seasonal aspect. You no longer finish your game after just one calendar year, so you must stay financially solvent and maintain superstar morale to get into the Hall of Fame. Also, playing against 4 GMs is an addition that makes drafting and competing for free agents much harder than the traditional Raw vs. Smackdown format. With all of the technical changes made, this year feels like an upgrade of the original and beloved 2006 GM mode, so the early hype is well warranted.
Early Access: WWE 2K23 First Impressions
The first reactions to WWE 2K23 have been positive, but bugs may still come out. The game crashed once in just a short amount of time, but that is to be expected with modern games. Overall, WWE 2K23 marks the first genuine attempt in a decade to bring WWE video games back to their roots. Sure, there are moments in the last few installments, but they all felt like outliers in what is otherwise a basic sports simulation game. The updated gamer elements of MyRise and Showcase don’t detract from the game, so fans looking for a more true-to-life simulation with improved graphics and an updated roster will get that. If you’re looking to compete against friends or become the booker, you can absolutely get your fix. Particularly in the returning Universe Mode or the fully refreshed GM Mode.
A solid title with the best 2K Sports features and minimal bugs, this game works because it has an identity. Professional wrestling is a whacky world of heroes and villains. You are meant to laugh as often as you cheer, and investing could include hating a total stranger’s guts. WWE and wrestling broadly are different from the NFL or NBA, so the games shouldn’t be identical. However, with the new creative leadership at WWE, 2K must have felt inspired.
Intentionally or otherwise, 2K reinvented the franchise and created a genuine wrestling game, not a generic 2K Sports title. The result is a game that is accessible to sports fans and gamers waiting to buy. It also provides something special to loyalists who adore the older titles. It gives the longtime preorder fans playing now a faint but familiar feeling we’ve been missing for over a decade. Perhaps our favorite franchise is finally back.
