On March 14, 2025, WWE 2K25 launched worldwide, riding the high of WWE’s resurgence of mainstream popularity.
This latest entry in 2K’s wrestling game series has received generally positive reviews, citing that it’s one of the best WWE 2K games out there for its refined wrestling combat system, the long-awaited return of intergender matches, a massive variety of game modes, mountains of customization options for player-created characters, and more.
As a kid, I used to play WWE wrestling games, challenging my friends in the WWE Smackdown games on the PlayStation 1 and 2 in the early 2000s.
Ever since I got back into watching wrestling when WWE’s RAW debuted on Netflix, I meant to jump back into WWE games with WWE 2K25, especially after hearing the positive reviews, and I was not disappointed.
Disclaimer
This article will be filled with spoilers for WWE 2K25’s MyRise mode, so read at your own risk.
I’ve been playing WWE 2K25 for the past few days, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this game has to offer because I’ve been obsessed with its single-player story mode called MyRise.
This mode was such a delight to play through that I immediately did a second playthrough, which I have never done before with a fighting game, which is crazy.
How did this happen? Well, to quote LA Knight, “let me talk to ya,” and explain why I think WWE 2K25’s MyRise is one of the best single-player story modes in a fighting game I’ve played yet.
Save the WWE from NXT Mutiny
So, what is MyRise? It’s a single-player story mode where you create your own WWE Superstar that usually goes on a ‘Hero’s Journey’ to go from an obscure nobody to a fan-favorite icon that headlines Wrestlemania, WWE’s biggest Paid-Live-Event of the year.
However, WWE 2K25’s MyRise premise differs slightly from the norm. The set-up is that former and current wrestlers from WWE’s NXT program have formed a villainous group known as NXT Mutiny and declared war on the entire WWE.
This group, led by Bayley and Kevin Owens, explains that they’re sick of seeing NXT Superstars watered down and treated like garbage by the WWE whenever they make the jump to RAW or Smackdown.
So, NXT Mutiny is going to take over the company and abolish RAW and Smackdown, leaving NXT as the only brand left standing.
You play as WWE’s latest No.1 Draft pick who’s been caught in the middle of this mess and is now charged with the task of putting down this mutiny and saving the WWE.
However, you won’t be alone in this battle as you get to create a second main character to join your crusade, and iconic WWE Superstars like CM Punk will assist you.
WWE 2K25's MyRise is jam-packed with story altering decisions that keeps me coming back
The story feels reminiscent of the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline the real-life WWE attempted back in the early 2000s, but better executed.
Granted, the story itself isn’t a thought-provoking, life-changing experience, and some twists can be seen a mile away.
Nonetheless, it’s still a fun, wild ride as befitting a WWE storyline, jam-packed with exciting action, funny moments, good pacing, and fun nods to past WWE games.
One of the things I like most about WWE 2K25’s MyRise is the shear wealth of dialogue choices that change the course of the story as you play, which is frankly unheard in most fighting games story modes as they’re usually either arcade gauntlets with a couple of cutscenes or giant movies with a few fights.
These choices range from choosing which WWE Superstars to side with to deciding what personalities your player-created characters will have, which can lead to some incredible moments.
In one playthrough, my characters had “Bold and Brash” personalities, where they wrecked NXT’s plans through brute force and attitude.
In another playthrough, I had a comedic female character and a cold, calculating character who each had different methods of taking on NXT Mutiny in their own ways.
This character pulled goofy magic tricks on NXT Mutiny while the cold, scheming character conducted complex plans to destroy NXT Mutiny from within.
Your various characters are fully voiced and a sheer delight to listen to. This game has some snappy dialogue and deliciously over-the-top voice acting where characters lay the verbal smackdown on their opponents.
Plus, these multiple-choice routes unlock rewards like cosmetics, entrance animations, playable characters, and even multiple endings that encourage replay value.
That being said, WWE 2K25’s MyRise isn’t entirely perfect. The production values aren’t exactly on the same level as a NetherRealm-era Mortal Kombat game’s story mode, and there are some frankly painful matches that I would like never to experience again (8-Man Tornado Tag matches in particular).
Also, the optional WWE Live battles are a grind, reminiscent of Battlepass content that made me wish they were narrative side-quests instead, like in previous games, even if they have sweet rewards, like Finn Bálor's "Demon" persona.
Imperfect, but manages to 'rise' above flaws in ways that even Mortal Kombat struggles with
However, I’d still take WWE 2K25’s MyRise mode over most fighting game story modes any day. For example, it beats Street Fighter 6’s World Tour mode because it has a better story and writing, main player-created characters that speak and are fun to play as, and its story has an actual ending (multiple, in fact).
WWE 2K25’s MyRise mode even gives Mortal Kombat story modes a run for their money from a gameplay perspective.
This is due to Mortal Kombat story modes seen in titles like Mortal Kombat 1, Mortal Kombat 11, and Mortal Kombat X generally playing out like a movie with hour-long cutscenes between fights. Once you’re done, there’s not much point in playing it again, as you’re better off rewatching them on a platform like YouTube.
On the other hand, WWE 2K25’s MyRise mode has a much better balance ratio of gameplay and narrative, where you get a decent amount of story in a short period before jumping into the next match. Plus, as stated before, it has tons of replay value thanks to its multiple story choice routes and unlockable content.
WWE 2K25 even has hidden content that can only be seen on a second playthrough. I won’t spoil what it is, but needless to say, it was hilarious to witness and well worth persevering through the 8-man tornado tag match again.
I can't wait to play more of WWE 2K25 and the rest of the WWE 2K series
WWE 2K25 has been an enjoyable return to virtual wrestling goodness for this Attitude-Era fan.
In addition to its excellent MyRise story mode, it has a fun combat system rich with mechanics, a stacked roster of over 300 playable characters, a ton of game modes for single and multiplayer crowds, partial cross-play and cross-progression, and a top-notch presentation that makes you feel like you’re in an actual WWE match.
While this game has some controversy surrounding its microtransaction-heavy MyFaction mode and next-gen exclusive "The Island" mode, they can be ignored mostly as this game already has tons of content that will last you for weeks without them.
These include The Showcase mode, where you relive matches involving The Bloodline faction and the extended Anoa’i family of wrestlers; the MyGM mode, where you play as a General Manager competing against the other brands (which now has online multiplayer; the various offline and online versus modes, and more.
I’ll definitely be busy messing around with the character creator for weeks, creating a roster of original wrestlers to take on my friends and family online in the lead-up to Wrestlemania 41.
If other fighting game franchises had single-player story modes with branching paths and unlockable content like WWE 2K25 MyRise does, I’d undoubtedly play them more often beyond playing the versus modes with friends.
I might even go back and play the other WWE 2K games like WWE 2K24 to see if that game's MyRise mode is as good as this one (especially since you can WWE 2K24 for free by purchasing the Deadman or Bloodline Editions of WWE 2K25).
WWE 2K25, one of the best Xbox games and best PC games in the WWE 2K franchise, is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Steam.
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