WWE 2K24 review: Don’t fix what isn’t broken

This year’s WWE video game offering, 2K24, isn’t that terribly different from last year’s entry. That’s good news, as 2K23 was a step in the right direction for a series still recovering from the poorly-received 2K20. While there aren’t any major changes, there are enough refinements and additions that make 2K24 one of the better WWE games that’s been put out in recent years, though there’s always room for further improvement.

Gameplay is largely the same as last year’s title, though there’s a few new additions. A new striking mini-game can appear during matches that allows the player to execute a strong-style battle of strikes against their opponent. These seem to happen out of the blue and I didn’t particularly like them as they took me out of the game. The more welcoming new feature is stacking three finishers together to unleash a new dramatic super finisher.

New match types this year include special referee, gauntlet, ambulance, and casket. Guest referee mode was the most fun to mess around with, though there’s a referee meter that grades based on how well the player does as a referee, and if it gets too low, another referee will come down to do the rest of the match. Thankfully that can be turned off so hijinks can ensue. Backstage Brawl matches have also been enhanced, adding things like elevators and vending machines. It’s easy to throw people off scaffolds and powerbomb opponents into objects during these kinds of matches, which is always a blast.

Like last year, MyRise has two different storylines: Unleashed, which follows a female independent talent trying to make it in WWE, and Unrivaled, which pits a male character in a storyline involving the Undisputed WWE Championship after Roman Reigns shockingly vacates the title to pursue Hollywood dreams. 2K puts a lot of effort into these stories, with branching paths that can be chosen to alter where the story goes. There’s even cameos from previous characters seen in last year’s story modes, which is a nice touch.

Showcase mode continues to have the same problems that have plagued the 2K series for years. The focus this year is on 40 Years of WrestleMania, reliving some of WWE’s biggest WrestleMania moments. The problem is some of the matches, especially more recent fare, simply aren’t that memorable and are more along the lines of what people are available to use. That becomes even more apparent when footage involving fans, referees, and those not under any kind of contract to WWE have their faces blurred during usage of actual match and storyline footage. The tedious nature of having to follow a checklist to unlock every unlockable is still there, too.

Universe and MyGM are pretty much the same modes they have been for the last couple of years. Universe involves either watching the computer sim matches and premium live events or taking control of a wrestler as they go through shows and develop rivalries over time. MyGM allows the player to become General Manager of a brand where they are pitted against other GMs for brand supremacy. There are new GMs to use, and there are a few other new additions like the ability to trade talent following premium live events. These are always fun to play around and experiment with. 

MyFaction is the live service-type mode where the aim is to open cards and assemble teams to play against either CPU or real opponents over the internet. There’s rewards for daily logins, and real money can be used to purchase more powerful cards. This mode isn’t for me, but there’s enough content for people interested in this type of gameplay.

There’s a lot to like in WWE 2K24. The problems with Showcase mode remain, but the story modes are worth investing time in, and the new match types are fun to play with. Though there is still more to fix, this is very much a “don’t fix what isn’t broken” year for the 2K series, and that’s never a bad thing.

WWE 2K24 is out now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Steam. A PlayStation 5 code was provided for this review.