WWE 2K23 Review

I’ve been a wrestling fanatic for years now. While I wasn’t even able to form coherent words yet during the prime Attitude Era, I’m still able to appreciate superstars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Alliance, and so many more. Even though I fell off these past years, I went into WWE 2K23 with high hopes, especially after the comeback that 2K had with WWE 2K22 on its heels. Sure with every 2K title that comes out, you can make the argument that “It’s the same game every year”, however with WWE 2K23, you can tell that overall improvements in graphics and gameplay mechanics have been made. 

Much like last year’s installment, WWE 2K23 makes an attempt to go above and beyond, or in this case “Even Stronger” and it does just that. With improvements to the combat system and quality of life factors, it feels like a lot of care and detail went into producing a wrestling title that players can enjoy whether or not they’re hardcore or casual fans like myself. That being said, everything can’t be perfect. There are some instances where models don’t do a fair job of resembling their counterparts along with a few bugs/crashes appearing every now and then.

Combat-wise, the game still uses the combo system as its go-to means for fighting opponents. It’s fluid and gives you the opportunity to perform combo breakers, which means you don’t always have to rely on hitting a reversal to get out of one. Stamina plays a bigger role this year as you use it for literally everything. It makes you strategically plan everything out and play things smart if you want to win, especially during online play. 

One of the most significant changes that took place is the way that the 2K Showcase works. Normally you play as the highlighted Superstar and play through some of their most infamous matches and relive them. This time around, you walk through some of John Cena’s matches but you play as his opponent, beating him in order to progress. It teaches a nice lesson about failure and never giving up which is pretty sweet if I’m honest. It doesn’t take the enjoyment out of the showcase since the transition between in-game and real-life matches keeps your eyes glued to the screen. 

Speaking of story, compared to last year’s MYRISE game mode, this year’s doesn’t feel as polished. The story once again is pretty generic and gives you an illusion of choice with a lot of your decisions. Granted there still is a heel vs face option, but you barely notice it. It’s overall a meh experience. Yeah, you get to put your own superstar through the wringer of being a beginner in the WWE, but that’s about it. You either like it or you don’t.

In terms of sandbox play, Universe Mode and MYGM are perfect for you. There haven’t been any big changes since last year but a lot of quality-of-life changes are present that give you a smoother experience. The world is at your fingertips in these modes and you can play however you want to. Most of my time has been spent here and I never feel like stopping, unless my game crashes of course…

The WWE roster is already huge, but if there’s someone that you want and isn’t on the roster, Create A Superstar (CAS) is there for you and has never been better. It not only gives you more freedom and options when customizing your superstar, but it also provides a more personal feeling when uploading them by adding the option to add jpegs to your creation. 

Conclusion

WWE 2K23 is worth the pickup for any hardcore or casual fan of the wrestling franchise. Is it something that you’ll play for weeks on end? Maybe for about a month or two sure. Burnout is definitely there if you don’t let your imagination flow. WWE 2K23 is one giant wrestling sandbox waiting for you to jump in. You won’t be disappointed in what you get yourself into.

This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox Series X/S. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.