WWE 2K24 review: Building off the past for a refined present

The champ stays the champ.

WWE 2K20 was the best thing to happen to this series.

While that sounds counterproductive in some circles and insane in others, facts are stubborn things. That game and its reception gave developer Virtual Concepts and publisher 2K the chance to do something other annual franchises only dream about: take a break and rebuild. 2K20 stumbled and tripped at the finish line so that the next games in the series could run.

This year’s version, WWE 2K24, doesn’t so much run through the tape; it sprints with speed that might make Usain Bolt jealous. WWE 2K24 finds that ellusive sweet spot between simulation strategy and arcade fun, creating an almost perfect wrestling video game.

And it all starts with one simple word: refinement.

WWE 2K24 polishes what came before. Most of the roster looks and moves like their real-life counterparts. Wrestlers who strike quick on television do the same in the game, which means it takes less time for Seth Rollins or Ricochet to wind up for a punch than Roman Reigns or Braun Strowman.

The presentation, including the commentary and audience, feels like the complete package as opposed to years past where one or two things took away from the whole. Even the referees and ring announcers come with their own looks and personalities.

With all that tweaking around the edges, Visual Concepts thankfully didn’t mess with the control scheme. They stick with the “less is more” approach that make it easy for anyone to pick up the sticks and get into a match. WWE 2K24 is at the point where the basics are a given; the game mechanics work incredibly well for the most part. If there’s one area where things feel a bit out of sync, it’s during any match where weapons are involved.

Wrestlers picking up and dropping paraphernalia feels and looks clunky, which might affect one’s gameplan during a Ladder or TLC Match. It’s a minor quibble but it’s noticeable enough where it slows the game down a bit at a time when speed and efficiency count.

That aside, WWE2K24 nails the basics; the controls feel natural and they even fixed the collision problem with Irish Whips. Far too often in past years, pulling off an Irish Whip rebound move felt like a magic trick. Wrestlers would often stiffen up while waiting for their opponent, which threw off the timing and caused many a mid-ring crash. Well, crash no more. Like I said, it’s a refinement that goes a long way in improving the overall experience.

Part of that whole package is the bells and whistles that go on top of the fundamentals. What’s dinner without a little dessert? WWE2K24 is filled with sweets, starting with the Casket Match and the Ambulance Match modes.

Once again, less is more. The development team made these matches fun and engaging without becoming overly complicated. Players can do a bit more with the ambulance, which makes sense given that it’s, well, an ambulance, but there’s no complex button configuration to win. Like most things in this year’s addition, it comes down to a simple mini-game that’s easier to win after inflicting more Clubber Lang-style pain on the opponent.

And then there’s the annual MyRise, which takes the form of two stories. Without spoiling the fun for anyone, one path sees your created wrestler filling Roman Reigns’ considerable Air Jordans, while the other puts your indie wrestler at a pretty big crossroads in their career. And yes, there are similarities between Cody Rhodes’ true story and the latter avenue, so wordplay very much intended in that last sentence.

Like last year, both stories come with replay value and allow players to experience the full breadth of the game. It’s always the mode I suggest for anyone who wants to taste everything a WWE 2K game brings to the table. Especially if they like smashing through said tables because a nefarious GM has it out for them.

Props to everyone involved for creating stories that I can see echoed in WWE. That whole “Finish the Story” tag line bears fruit here; each decision comes with its own set of consequences. And unlike last year’s ventures, there’s more freedom in those choices. Visual Concepts doubling down on the RPG elements year after year makes this one of the best single player career modes in sports games, if not the best. Like I said, taking a year off really helped.

But let’s talk about why you’re probably really here: 40 Years of WrestleMania. This is WWE 2K24’s Showcase mode and it’s incredibly engrossing.

Corey Graves provides context before, during, and after matches that connect them all into a larger fabric of wrestling history. While some matches in the latter years don’t feel as big as, say, Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III, that’s less the fault of the design team and more about time. Reflecting on why Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 is important is a lot easier than a match from last year or two years ago. That’s the only reason why Graves’ commentary can feel like overstated hype once the mode shifts into recent history. In all fairness, that’s a problem real-life wrestling has too; proclaiming things in the moment as historical or important without letting history determine that.

But I digress. This is a fun history lesson that comes with unique challenges that are actually pretty tough at times. And going back to that refinement and attention to detail, there’s an obvious difference from matches across decades just from a production standpoint. While not everything is exactly is presented exactly how it was in 1987 or ‘97, it’s a close facsimile that tells a story in itself.

WWE 2K24 sets a gold standard for pro wrestling games by sticking to what the team does best, smoothing out some rough edges, and perfecting the craft. There will come a time, maybe sooner rather than later, where they need to take more high risks and possibly jump from the top of a 15-foot steel cage rater than go for the pin or exit through the cage door. But for now, this is another big W on the grandest stage for a game that, only a few years ago seemed, ready for retirement.

To paraphrase a Ghostface Killah song, WWE 2K24 is the champion. As long as they never rest on their laurels, it’s hard imagining anyone taking the title from them any time soon.