WWE 2K26 review: "Outstanding action in the ring grapples with overly-monetized rewards, which feels like a work – please, I'm not the Million Dollar Man"

It's not often that you associate wrestling games with time travel, but that's exactly what's required in order to review WWE 2K26. This time last year, predecessor WWE 2K25 scored a highly merited four stars. In the ring, it was up there with all-time classic Fire Pro, offering match after match of immersive back-and-forth action, complemented by myriad smart-yet-tiny details. The one reservation was a continuous, egregious drive to part fans from their cash, via the microtransaction temptations of MyFaction and The Island.

The widespread hope was that the nickel-and-diming would be adjusted, post release. Instead, 2K doubled down. MyFaction pack prices were increased from 9,900 'MFP' to 15,100, encouraging fans to spend real-life money. Monthly 'Smash and Stash' rewards went from bountiful packs to miserly MFP and tokens, encouraging fans to spend real-life money. The popular 'Rabblerouser' badge, which sped up matches (and therefore free MFP) by granting certain wrestlers a fast finisher, was nerfed in a patch, encouraging fans to spend real-life money. Retro versions of Triple H, Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles required numerous high-value cards to unlock, encouraging… uh, you get the picture.

The sum total is that, six months after release, the community had almost completely soured on WWE 2K25. And collectively, they were right to do so. Which is remarkable. Remember, inside the ring this was the series' finest hour. Yet, had we re-reviewed it in September, it would have been deducted at least half a star.

Giant unlockables

DeLorean engaged, history lesson complete, WWE 2K26 enters the fray with an even more combustible element: its new Ringside Pass. It follows battle pass convention set by other games by offering 40 tiers of extra content – half free, half 'premium' (i.e. paid for). Despite pre-release misgivings, it's actually very fun to progress through. Rewards such as Island VC and MyFaction cards tempt you into those modes even if you're never previously been interested, while unlocking legends is more engaging than the old supercharger method. Amid a bursting roster, this is the first time in years we've dusted off Mr Perfect and Andre The Giant.

Those legends are free, but Season 1's paid-for characters delight too: AAA newcomers Vikingo, Flammer, Psycho Clown and Mr Iguana all handle delightfully. Alas, with a bizarre caveat. You progress up the tiers by learning RXP, but its implementation often makes little sense. Wins grant 110 RXP, regardless of whether a match finishes in a roll-up after 45 seconds, or after nine minutes of near falls and finisher reversals. It's utterly baffling that a game that features a star system for every match doesn't have it play into your RXP gains.

Worse, the RXP system penalizes you for stepping outside of solo bouts. I invited a mate around for an evening's old school sofa play, and had a brilliant time teaming up using the new 'mystery superstar' mechanic, where you don't know your wrestler until the ring entrances unfold – but earned precisely zero RXP across the night. Turns out, you can only earn RXP in tags by having your partner be AI controlled. Eh?

The bigger question is whether this series needed a battle pass at all. That will be answered in Seasons 2 and 3, where we see whether the initial generosity shown here continues or – as with those complaints about 2K25 – things get stingier, and therefore money grabbier. Much will rest on how 2K implements retro characters, after most fans missed out on McIntyre and Styles last year. In a worrying precedent, a selection of MyFaction's launch Live Events can only be attempted with cards found in packs. Rabblerouser, meanwhile, is gone completely.

There's an argument that Visual Concepts is only keeping step with other sports games, but it misses a clear distinction. EA Sports FC 26 might gate retro Ronaldo or Messi behind stratospheric card prices, but their character models are identical, and you can already play as them across all modes outside of Ultimate Team. In contrast, retro cards in WWE 2K26 feature different likenesses, entrances, trons (videos), and theme music. Effectively encouraging your audience to buy them using real money when the deluxe edition already costs $149.99 feels really underhanded.

The real shame is that this is such a great game when you set aside all the clandestine cash grabs. Quality of life improvements permeate every area, including those two controversial modes. MyFaction gets a new bespoke camera angle and ring setup, with your active cards displayed on the entrance screen in the background. Smash and Stash rewards are returned to full generosity for now, and the expansion of World Tour to cover five continents is promising. Similarly, faction allegiances (with unique rewards) and properly voiced cutscenes significantly improve The Island.

Ring of honor

Between the ropes, it's outstanding. No exaggeration. A tweak to the stamina system adds a purple 'cooldown' bar to the hud, which denotes your character is fatigued – and until it returns to yellow, you can't run or reverse. This slows matches down a step, and adds a cerebral element, where endlessly spamming moves has a tangible negative effect. New Payback abilities involving the ref are also welcome. Bully enables you to intimidate the official into counting faster, while Ref Bump initiates a trope so key to wrestling for decades, that's never been in the game before: the referee being 'accidentally' downed at a critical moment. Sweet.

Commentary is also wonderfully on-point – and amusing, with the additions of Wade Barrett and Booker T, in place of Byron Saxton. Here's the former, narrating his entrance at the biggest show on the calendar: "Wade Barrett is competing at WrestleMania, with Wade Barrett on commentary. How can things get any better?"

Little treasures like that bring regular smiles, and there are plenty of others. Both MyRise storylines, waging war with Jordynne Grace (woman's division) and Bron Breakker (men's) move at a decent lick, packing in welcome fan-servicing unlockables – pretty much every character from the mode since WWE 2K22 returns. Wrestler entrances seamlessly add user-defined taunts, fireworks and ring pyro. Alternate attires no longer take up a create-a-wrestler slot, and these 'CAW's are doubled to 200, tempting endless customization. AI opponents can be pre-programmed with your own move sequences. Detailed win-loss records accompany each wrestler on the character select screen. Without those monetization frustrations, this review could easily have been a list of 100 things we love.

Alas, those frustrations loom, and lessons from last year have to be heeded. There can be no four-star review until WWE 2K26 proves its priorities are gameplay quality, rather than siphoning its audience for every last penny. That means attractive MyFaction rewards for one year rather than one month, and a commitment to making new characters and old gimmicks available for every player, rather than merely those with ambitions to be the next Ted DiBiase. The WWF's Million Dollar Man was merely a gimmick, after all.

Keep an eye on our updated new games list for what to play next!