Visual Concepts and 2K Studios are back again with this year’s addition to the WWE 2K series,. It’s the most action-packed title to date, and with an incredible amount of WWE history, WWE fans won’t be disappointed.

There are always new additions to the WWE 2K games, and this year’s title is no exception. It sees the addition of a Special Guest Referee Match, Ambulance Match, Gauntlet Match, and my personal favourite, the Casket Match, featuring the dead man himself, “The Undertaker.” Backstage Brawls have been overworked, with some cool changes adding to the immersion of punching on behind closed doors, and from what I could see, they haven’t removed any matches from previous games, so you’ll still be able to take part in your favourite events.

They’ve also brought in some cool mini-games, like trading blows, which will have you and your opponent holding “X” to fill a bar to the green section, before what can only be described as a slapping match begins, and this was a good laugh the first couple of times. There are three sections in the finishers once you have unlocked all three you unlock a Super Finisher which once used seems to be a match stopper you can pin 99.9% of the time after doing it and you win from three taps.

Visual Concepts has used the 2K Showcase to bring 40 years of Wrestlemania’s history to WWE 2K24 with “Of the Immortals,” and being able to strap on the boots of some of the most well-known wrestlers to recreate the magic of 21 matches is an incredible experience for WWE fans. You can take to the ring as almost anyone, including Andre the Giant, Razor Ramone, and Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. I sunk hours into this year’s game, and knowing I could take part in some of the most memorable matches, with even more just around the corner, had me loving every second of it.

Just like last year’s title, the transitions between the real-life clips melding back to the game were amazing and seamless, though I was a little disappointed by the lack of a commentary team during the showcase matches. With how iconic these matches were, I would have loved to have heard some, but on the positive side of things, you can unlock a cool match at the end of the showcase, and while it’s a lot of fun, I’ll leave that for you to uncover.

A popular game has made its comeback for another year, and MyGM takes you behind the scenes as you manage the brands, with more options than ever before for GMs, Matches, and Championships. They’ve also added a new feature, dubbed Superstar Journey, allowing your superstars to earn XP during their matches. In turn, you can level them up to gain benefits, eventually becoming the best General Manager the WWE has ever seen.

The best card-collecting game mode, MyFACTION, is back in WWE 2K24, so the players can collect, manage, and upgrade current WWE Superstars, as well as the legends over the years, and Ranked Online Quickplay lets you compare your superstars with players online, possibly winning some unique rewards along the way. For those with a more competitive side, there are also seasonal leaderboards, where you can earn MyFaction Points, MyFaction Tokens, and a special virtual currency only found in the MyFaction game. This can be spent on additional card packs, unlocking the best WWE Superstars and legends of the ring. Of course, if you don’t want to earn these, or you’re seeking a faster route, you can spend real money to get the tokens, and while we’re not fans of microtransactions, it’s great that you can earn these in-game.

MyRISE is back again with two new unique storylines; Undisputed, the men, and Unleashed, the women. As with previous titles, you’ll create your own superstar in the “Creation Suite” before starting fresh, looking to make a name for yourself and becoming the best in the business.

Undisputed follows the events that made Roman Reigns relinquish his Universal Championship, and now, both the GMs of Raw and Smackdown are sending their best fighters to find out who will take the Universal Championship.

It felt great being able to use my created fighter to take on big-named superstars like Kevin Owens. The Unleashed story mode has you starting within a smaller production, but you want to fight your way up to the WWE. I could not get into this one as much as Undisputed, but both storylines were great, offering a huge improvement over last year, and you get to meet some great superstars like Mick Foley, Cody Rhodes and obviously, the likes of Roman Reigns, complete with voice overs.

The Creation Suite feels like it’s been updated since last year, making it a little more user-friendly with the addition of Create-A-Referee and Create-A-Sign. I’ve never been one to dive too far into the creation suite as it’s not something that interests me much as I’m not the most creative person in the world, but with the additional parts and animations included this year, I look forward to seeing what those more creative types can build as they make use of those magical entrances and kick-ass movesets.

If MyGM isn’t enough to tickle that itch, there is a game mode called Universe. This has been in previous titles, but it lets you take charge of everything in the WWE, seeing how far you can push the WWE Universe. Or maybe you do the opposite and let it crumble. You get full creative control of anything and everything, making for a fun time if you want to cause some chaos from behind the desk.

It does not feel like there was much of a change to the controls from last year. If anything, they felt a little more fluid, but as the old saying goes, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” and that is something I firmly believe in.

The controls felt great last year, so there didn’t need to be anything changed this time around. They’re quick and easy to pick up for anyone joining the 2K franchise for the first time, and you can always learn the more technical controls along the way, but these aren’t required to play. They just make the matches look more badass.

Each year, character models have more and more detail added to them, which I love, but I’ve been hanging out for changes to the crowd and how the stadiums look, and this year, they feel more realistic than they’ve ever been. The audience felt like they were more involved in the fights and wanted to be there, as opposed to being some stagnant background elements. Entrance cutscenes looked much the same as last year, but there’s only so much games can do in the present day without making them into a real-life movie you try and play.

Post Malone joins the team as the Executive Soundtrack Producer, compiling music from genres including rock, country, rap, electronic, and pop, but also as a playable character in a post-launch DLC pack, which should be interesting. He did an awesome job of creating the soundtrack, and you don’t feel too bad sitting idle in the main menu to listen to a cool song that comes on. While I briefly mentioned that there are no commentary teams in the Showcase Mode, there were voiceovers that kind of filled the void left, but if you jump into normal matches, the commentary team comes to life, adding to the immersion of the fight, and when you jump into game modes like MyRise, you get some cool interactions with superstars. They are voiced by themselves, so it really feels like you are talking to a WWE Superstar.

WWE 2K24 is a great addition to the 2K series, and it will fill that void for any WWE lovers out there who want to sit down and kick some ass. The showcase brings back some awesome memories and the MyRise lets you run your own story. I’m keen to see future DLC, and who knows, I might see you in the ring.

Written by: Hayden Nelson