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Rahul Majumdar is a contributing entertainment reporter based in Mumbai, India. His focus is reporting on video games, film, and TV. He has extensive knowledge of India's games and film industries and keeps up with global pop culture. Rahul joined Newsweek in 2024 and previously worked at IGN India, Men's Journal, Parade, and more. He is a graduate of Whistling Woods International. You can get in touch with Rahul by emailing r.majumdar@newsweek.com. You can find him on X and Bluesky @darthrahul. Languages: English, Hindi, Bengali.
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WWE 2K25 is making some fundamental changes to its tried-and-tested formula, updating many gameplay modes and mechanics by listening to fan feedback. A short while ago 2K Games revealed the new modes coming to WWE 2K 25, and we've tried them early.
The first major addition in this year's installment is intergender matches. These are completely unrestricted, so men and women can compete against each other across all modes. Sure, things can start to look funny when you've got a weird combination of wrestlers, but the fun factor eclipses any buggy animations.
WWE 2K25 is also adding new brawl arenas to the mix. Veteran fans of the sport will enjoy competing in iconic locations like the NXT parking lot and the WWE archive. The latter lets you fight above the WrestleMania sign, which is a sight to behold.
The Showcase mode also sees major improvements. Fans can recreate fights from the infamous Bloodlines saga, along with trying out fun "what if?" scenarios from the same. Imagine how cool it would be to see The Wild Samoans vs The Dudley Boyz. Yes, you can do that. Everything in the Showcase mode is fully rendered in real-time, eliminating the need for splicing in real-world footage.
Paul "The Wise Man" Heyman narrates the Showcase mode's matches, and he does a great job of engaging the players and drawing them deep into the storyline. Veteran fans will get an extra kick out of hearing him dictate and comment on the flow of the matches.
The franchise has been known for its fixed camera placement which focuses on both fighters on the ring at once. This is great for all participating players without the need for splitting the screen. However, this year's installment has a new third-person camera view that offers a new perspective on the fights.
Unfortunately, we couldn't try out the Island mode, which as previously reported, will let players create custom wrestlers and explore an island with many quests.
WWE 2K25 releases on March 14, 2025, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
English (US) ·