2K’s WWE franchise returns in its usual bombastic style with WWE 2K25. But beneath the showmanship of the “sports entertainment” branding, beats the heart of a very real and very polished fighting game.

I am about as far away from the usual demographic that WWE caters for. The set-ups, the cheeky taps the smashed tables and chairs all make my eyes roll back into my head. But WWE was reality TV before there was reality TV, offering fans excitement, drama and massive personalities in its superstar rivalries.

It’s been a couple of years since I last played a WWE 2K game. Even then I noticed the graphic advances being able to better showcase the look and feel of WWE, beyond the TV clips and videos. WWE 2K25 brings the contests to life.

The game has a ridiculous number of modes. Pretty much everything you see in real-world WWE has been shoehorned into the game. Be it Smackdown or Raw, or the up-and-coming superstars of NXT, you’ll find all the competitions in the game.

The game casts aside any notion that the WWE is choreographed theatre. Via a seemingly unending series of events and fight types, players enter the wrestling ring to engage in combat that doesn’t appear to have any rules whatsoever. The third-person bouts seem simplistic at first, but under the hood, WWE 2K25 is a full-on fighting game.

The game is easy to pick up, but surprisingly hard to master. With many of the moves requiring chained combos, there are loads of button combinations to remember. The four main moves are light and heavy attacks, grab and counter. Once an opponent connects, the only way to escape a potential barrage of attacks is to initiate a perfectly timed counter.

Light attacks will stun an opponent, whilst heavy attacks will deal damage. Each attack has four combinations matching the left stick direction, whilst running attacks can be used to clothesline your opponent.  Grabs can be chained for an Irish whip sending victims into the ropes or start lifts that you can use to throw your opponent to the ground.

There are hundreds of combinations that enable players to duplicate some brutal moves on their opponents. Thankfully there is a tutorial section (the performance centre) that explains how to get the most out of your superstars. Whilst the tutorials are a lot of fun (and enable you to beat the crap out of your opponents) some of the more complex moves are not that well explained.

In playing the fights straight and with ever increasingly realistic graphics, WWE 2K25 is starting to stray into a bit of a grey area. Whereas family-friending WWE shows are as much about storylines, drama and showmanship, the game comes across as pretty bloody brutal at times. Superstars pummel each other without any hint that it is choreographed. It looks real.

This is exacerbated by the inclusion of intergender fights. Whilst female WWE superstars can hold their own against their male counterparts, watching The Rock pound Rhea Ripley’s face with a chair, doesn’t quite sit well with me.

As well as being a bona fide fighting game in its own right, WWE 2K25 is a full WWE show simulator. Players can set up their own shows, with their own fight lineups, rules and venues. The level of customisation is incredible you can make new superstars, and customise their fight attire, entrance attire, their branding, stats, animations and attitude.

The shows themselves, from the lighting, the screens, the arena, the crowd, and even the signs can be fine-tuned. The game comes with a comprehensive toolkit for creators to make a unique experience. And all of this duplicates the polish and glamour of the real live WWE. It really is something special.

The whole presentation is absolutely stunning. The graphics are the best ever in a WWE game, but these are now complemented by such fluid animations that make the game come alive. The action looks like a real WWE fight with moves and combo flowing seamlessly into one another.

Aside from the individual fights, the MyRise story campaign, 2K Showcase: The Bloodline Dynasty, MyGM, the EA ultimate team-styled MyFaction, WWE Universe and The Island all offer different ways to play. And, of course, there are local and online multiplayer modes as well.

If you are into the drama of WWE, MyRise puts players at the heart of the story as you work your way up through the WWE ranks. The Bloodline Dynasty follows the dominance of the extended Anoa’i family through WWE as told by “The Wiseman” Paul Heyman. You can complete challenges that follow the legendary real-life battles featuring the likes of Hulk Hogan and The Rock (as Rocky Maivia) or create your version of events.

MyFaction is the game’s microtransaction pay-to-play mode. It IS fun, but that’s the intent- to get you to buy booster card packs to power up your factions to progress the game. Building your team and playing shows places players right in the drama, in a customisable experience were anything goes (as long as you have the booster cards).

WWE Universe replicates the WWE show experience in the game. Players can play through a whole calendar of shows from Monday night RAW to special weekend tournaments.

The Island is an online social space where players can meet and fight or matchmake with others. There are opportunities and challenges as well as merch shops to buy accessories for your superstar.

For a franchise that is perhaps aided at a more younger audience than other fighting games (it is an M in Australia, compared to UFC 5’s MA 15+), WWE 2K25, is pushing it a bit. The violence, the microtransactions and the high cost of the top-end versions of the game mean it walks a fine line. On the other hand, it gives the game an appeal that is wider than its main fan base.

Whilst I’ve enjoyed playing WWE games in the past, this is the first one that really hooked me. The realistic animations, the gritty brawling and the outlandish moves absolutely captivated me. The opportunities to customise and make my own superstars only engrossed me more. It was such a hard game to put down.

WWE 2K25 is a breakout entry in the long-running franchise that sees an almost pixel-perfect representation of the sport in a game. Masses of content, a stunning attention to detail that draws on the history and legacy of WWE should appeal to old fans, new fans and anyone who enjoys a great fighting game.

Rating: Very Good