Led by Roman Reigns, the Bloodline’s evolution has been one of the most consistently entertaining storylines in recent WWE memory. Whether it’s Reigns, Solo Sikoa, or now Jey Uso carrying the story forward, fans have come to expect greatness as the roots of the Bloodline spread across WWE programming.
This year, Reigns graces the cover of WWE 2K25 and the extended Anoa’i family has its collective fingerprints across the primary updates to the game. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the first impressions of gameplay are solidly consistent.
WrestleZone had the opportunity to try out the game at a hands-on preview event in Indianapolis just hours before the Royal Rumble event. This early iteration didn’t feature two of the biggest updates to this year’s game, The Island or the Bloodline Rules match. However, despite the absence of those match types (and a look at updates to MyRise, MyGM, Universe, or the 2K Showcase), it is impressive how much was packed “under the hood” in this soft rollout.
WWE 2K25 features some impressive updates and additions
WWE 2K’s steady enhancements have come with incremental updates in recent years. This includes detailed character models, slight tweaks to gameplay, and the bells and whistles that come with new game modes. That model has worked and continues with this year’s iteration, which builds off the success of recent years and continues to reflect what you experience on WWE television.
What I loved about last year’s trading blows functionality comes to life with the return of chain wrestling. Set up a grapple maneuver in the opening moments of the bout, and you’ll be set in a mini-game to get the upper hand. It’s another slight tweak that takes elements of WWE programming and drops it into the game in a way that doesn’t feel overly manufactured.
Third-person camera angles are a huge addition to the game. This allows users to change the camera shot at any moment in a match. This enhancement truly comes to life in venues like the famed NXT Parking Lot and WWE Archives, where large pieces of equipment or vehicles would typically block the action depending on where you’re at in the area. Instead, while you’re mid-move, you’re able to swing the camera around. This allows you to stay in the center of the action without missing a moment.
Underground matches are a welcome addition
The Archives and NXT Parking Lot are expansive. These areas feature hilarious interactions, and unique weapons — from prime bottles at ringside to parking cones in the parking lot. The Archives area does its job with the nostalgia diehard fans are looking for in these games. It’s clear the team at 2K is aware of social conversations. This includes the decision to not just include the giant Smackdown fist, but make it something characters can interact with, throw opponents from, and jump from. The way characters interact on ledges and barricades also offers a unique expansion to both ringside and backstage areas. Performing dive moves by walking across the barricade is the exact (albeit slight) update that can do wonders for future versions of the game.
The only real negatives came in attempting to Irish whip an opponent into the turnbuckle. This just resulted in consistently sending them into the ropes. That said, I’m confident that’ll be fixed before we see the final product. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the submission system, which sets a mini-game that requires you to rotate a colored bar around a circle. I much preferred the button mashing and ideally, there’s an option to turn this off.
As far as the new game modes and updates to existing ones, Underground is an absolute blast. Audience interaction and the ease of migrating to and from the ring offer plenty of variation from other game modes. What developers were able to do is nothing short of impressive in the way the audience interacts throughout the match, including their movement around the action and occasionally getting knocked over. I’m interested to see how the Underground match opens the door for other potential modes down the road.
Intergender wrestling comes to WWE 2K25
The big update to match types comes in the form of intergender wrestling. The rollout of this option is a handbrake-off situation. There are almost no restrictions around the inclusion of men and women across all matches. When you open up a Royal Rumble, while you can turn the settings to men or women only, the match defaults to everyone being included. It’s a bit jarring how restrictive past games were to get to this point, and feels like it’s missing a step or some awareness that the entire roster is available.
That said, I’m a big fan of leveling the playing field and appreciate the thought that essentially if it’s available in a men’s match, it’s available in a women’s match as well. That includes adding blood to women’s matches, but not intergender matches.
2K Showcase
The final mode I test-drove was Showcase. This year’s version focuses on the Anoa’i family in the form of both new and never-before-seen matches. Three matches were available, which shows the range of opportunities available this year. Fans can reshape history in the Reigns-Seth Rollins match from the 2022 Rumble, recreate Nia Jax’s Queen of the Ring victory, or create a never-before-seen match against The Dudley Boyz with the Wild Samoans.
The big update to this year’s Showcase mode is the removal of the slingshot technology. This took fans from the video game action to clips from actual matches and back again. To me, this was the biggest disappointment in this year’s game. I understand I’m in the minority here, but I absolutely loved that tech in the past. It felt interconnected in the real-life product. At times last year, I’d play a Showcase match, see some of the slingshot tech, and later go back and re-watch a match or event. As a long-time fan, it’s difficult to see something that brought a lot of that nostalgia go by the wayside.
Final thoughts on WWE 2K25
With that said, my first time playing 2K25 passed with flying colors. From what I tested, these aren’t groundbreaking updates that will holistically change the direction of the gaming franchise, and that’s not what 2K needs at this time. Like Reigns says, it’s about continuing to raise the bar year after year. And that’s exactly what’s expected this year.
Fans who pre-order WWE 2K25 will receive the Wyatt Sicks Pack as a bonus. The Deadman Edition, which will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Undertaker, and The Bloodline Edition, which features members of Reigns and Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline factions, are scheduled for worldwide release on Friday, March 7, seven days prior to the Standard Edition, which will be available Friday, March 14.
Raj Prashad is a writer for Uproxx; his credits include pro wrestling, MMA and basketball coverage. You can check out more of his work here.
