This game is currently in the Humble Choice for November 2023, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before December 5th, 2023, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.

Wrestling and Microtransactions. Of Course.

WWE 2K23 tries to remind players of why wrestling is big. It has all the big bright larger-than-life experiences that fans might want. The loud personalities, the big events, and the amazing spectacle, and in the right moment you’ll get caught up in it and see amazing stunts. While the controls feel almost like suggestions at times, it’s still awe-inspiring to see your chosen wrestlers dominate in the ring.

But the problem is there are so many negatives. There’s a whole microtransaction mode, but because of that mode, every character has a rating and a stat for the card. Very little feels custom, so when Hulk Hogan fights Andre the Giant, his size and weight aren’t accounted for. There’s also a lot of advertising like just the Snickers logo plastered everywhere because they sponsored Wrestlemania.

Pick this up if you love the spectacle of wrestling. You’ll buy this for the spectacle though, the rest of it is fine, but it’s just fine. However, for modern Wrestling fans, you probably already have this. For fans of the Legends of Wrestling, I’m sure there’s a better game out there than this. This just feels so gross with the microtransactions, and everything being a card, and there’s a lot of itemization even if not everything is paid for by cash. And yeah, that’s a modern game, or a modern sports game, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore or praise a game for diving into those practices.

If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/NSoVlkgy0D0

I've been playing this weekly with my cousin in a 1v1 MyGm mode that we're several seasons into. The extra customization options they've added to MyGM have helped keep my favorite mode going strong for a second installment in a row.

Gameplay wise, the mechanics laid out in 2K22 are mostly the same, which is fine. But the series is already pivoting into some overly complicated shenanigans with the combo system. I don't find it very intuitive, and the mandatory usage of it in some narrative modes got real annoying.

Speaking of narrative, the John Cena Showcase sadly manages to be a downgrade from the Mysterio showcase in 22. I love the inventive angle on all the matches, and the finale it builds up to is a hilarious tribute to Cena's place in wrestling fandom. But why were the matches presented so wildly out of chronological order? And why didn't the historical footage during the matches have Cena providing contextual voice over like Rey did? The Showcase mode always felt like playing an interactive documentary. Here, it feels like playing an on-rails tutorial that's frequently interrupted by cutscenes.

Overall I'd say this ends up comparable in quality to 2K22. Everything that works keeps working, and the things that suck are on par with what dragged 22 down. At this point, future purchases are REALLY gonna hinge on some major expansions to the included modes.

No matter what I say, never let me buy another one of these things. Nearly the same exact thing as 2K22 with all of the same problems (and even some new ones). Overall it's marginally better at best. Let's start with the improvements:

- Commentary is the best it's ever been. There's still flaws, but this is probably the first time in series history where I'd say it's reached a level of being acceptable
- The timed kickout minigame is the perfect balance of challenging but fair, versus last year's shitty default button mashing
- MyGM has some more depth to it (but still doesn't appeal to me whatsoever)

Yeah that's about it. And the bad? The worst point has always been an issue, especially last year, but I think the refs are the worst they've ever been. Absolutely abysmal AI, they'll run around the ring in a circle before starting a pin count. If it's a tag match forget it, the pin is getting broken up before the ref even realizes what's happening.

They finally came up with a good idea for Showcase mode, fighting against the same person repeatedly instead of playing as the same person repeatedly, and they absolutely ruin it by including multiple MULTI-MINUTE-long real match cutscenes into most of the matches. I want to fucking play the game not actually watch wrestling.

MyFaction continues to just be a shitty desperate-for-microtransaction who-could-give-a-fuck grind mode. Anyone who cares enough about this thing to spend real life money on it should be shot, I don't care if you're a billionaire.

MyRise goes back to its shitty roots with a linear main story instead of last year's fun but aimless approach. There's still side missions but it all feels pointless in the end. The male story is the same story they've been telling every year for half a decade. The female story is much, much worse, absolutely brutal to get through and the unskippable cutscenes are just rubbing it in.

These games exist to make goofy characters to fight your friends with, and it's great for that. If you have a friend to play with, great, go for it. If not, don't even think about it.

MyRise Legacy: Surprisingly engaging and soulful. Had a lot to say about women in the WWE past and present and the conditions they exist in and the conversation around their legacy. Very happy with how it was written and paced.

General Gameplay: I tried with this series. I always felt like 2016/17 were a step in the right direction. 2019 was a step down but still decent. But I cant do it. The Creation suite is broken and stunted in a lot of ways but still lets you create pretty much anything you want. I got started making my shows and roster and decided to take a break and actually play. Then it happened. I was playing War Games and literally fell asleep in my chair. Everything about this series is mind meltingly boring. Animations are still subpar, the visuals have no sauce, and the controls are sluggish. Under no circumstances should I be bored into a coma while playing War Games. It brought up decades old feelings on the WWE series. Starting at SVR 2008 these games have never been fun to play. And if there is some fun to be had, some system that really grabs you, it's gone the next game. We have not been able to completely form our CAWS body shape since WWE 2K14. For 10 years. Slobber Knocker hasn't been in since SVR 2006. The whole point of Showcase is seeing historical moments recreated in game. 2K22/23 don't do that. 2K22 let you use the soundtrack as entrance themes. 2k23 does not. Kingdom, Codey Rhodes' theme, is exclusive to him and is lost when you change anything about him, meaning unless you want complete silence when he comes out all the custom stuff for him is locked. Some of the gear in CAW have locked colors. New hair styles look fantastic with good textures. Old hair still looks plastic. There is a lot of good wrestling games out there, old and new. Play those. Stop giving 2K money.

"Are you ready?"

+ Controls allow for matches to be fresh
+ Insanely large arsenal of moves to choose from
+ Customization is an insane amount of fun in itself
+ MyFaction is better expanded upon with Live Events

- Graphics can be inconsistent between models, especially MyRise
- The balance between budget and Stamina consumption in MyGM can be frustrating
- Quick Match in MyFaction is rarely populated

As per usual in yearly release sports games, WWE 2K23 takes what was presented in WWE 2K22, and adds on to it. After a major revamp to how the game plays in 2K22, 2K23 brings a lot to start making the game feel complete again. MyRise has stepped up the quality of their storylines, now with two unique stories, one for each gender, that are decently written and include all sorts of wrestlers from the WWE Universe. Showcase Mode, showing off the career of legend John Cena, remains the series' weakest game mode, giving you a choppy, tedious series of matches that I only care to go through simply to unlock the wrestlers and arenas locked behind it. MyGM got some improvements, including the addition of up to 4 players within the multiplayer portion of the mode, and it remains a whole lot of fun to play with your friends. MyUniverse continues to suffer, even with the addition of the Rivalry system. A few features were actually removed from the 2K22 version of the mode, and it's still completely riddled with bugs, which is unfortunate because MyUniverse has the ability to be the greatest mode in the game. Online versus matches are still hit or miss, and can be filled with people exploiting glitches or abusing certain moves, so wrestler beware.

If you're a fan of the WWE, or wrestling in general, this game boasts one of the greatest customization systems in gaming for creating wrestlers, so you will never run out of new blood for your feuds. It's a lot of fun, and it looks great, however if you're an old school fan of WWE 2K19, you may find that it still does not live up to the more sim-like nature of that game.

And that's the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so.

Storylines are garbage. The amount of time you spend Europe, Mexico, Japan, etc and are still called "The Lock" is horrendous and a time waster. The Woman's story line was surprisingly done way better considering WWE really doesn't care much about their women's division. The game play has changed into almost an arcade fighter type set up. It felt like I had to memorize button combos to pull off moves. Some may like it, some may dislike it. Personally I am in the middle when it comes to such controls. Its alright, but the career mode needs an overhaul.