Aussie badass Rhea Ripley is one of your WWE 2K24 cover stars

WWE 2K24 has been officially revealed, the next installment of the yearly WWE series. While “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes will be the cover star of the Standard Edition, more exciting is the Deluxe Edition cover, which is all-women for the first time in the history of the franchise. Not only is the EST of WWE featured in Bianca Belair, but Aussie ass-kicker, “The Eradicator” Rhea Ripley is right by her side.

“I’ve proven myself to be the most dominant competitor to ever hold the WWE Women’s World Championship,” said Rhea Ripley, “Earning the accolade of WWE 2K24 cover Superstar is only fitting, and I’m proud to add it to my list of accomplishments.”

WWE 2K24 will celebrate 40 years of WrestleMania with a new Showcase mode that will have you playing through “the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history as 2K’s distinctive Slingshot Tech seamlessly morphs gameplay to live-action footage and back again for the most immersive WrestleMania video game experience to date” according to the press release. This is different from prior Showcase modes which only focused on the history of one specific WWE superstar.

New match types include Special Guest Referee, Ambulance Match, Casket Match, and Gauntlet Match (sorry NXT fans, still no Iron Survivor I’m afraid). But as an enhancement, the Backstage Brawl now features 4-player support and new interactive environmental elements that are sure to make you wince; a working elevator, breakable control room glass, and a vending machine with throwable sodas are just some of the options for chaos. In other improvements, the Royal Rumble now offers support for eight online players in 30 Superstar online matches.

WWE 2K24 also boasts “incredibly realistic graphics and improved animations”, noting that over 90% of facial expressions have been updated. It will also include improvements to Ramp cameras and Dive cameras, and the ability to move the camera during live gameplay.

The WWE 2K24  roster is stacked, including WWE Legends like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and Andre the Giant, alongside current WWE Superstars including Cody Rhodes, Bianca Belair, John Cena, Rhea Ripley, and Roman Reigns. The prior games roster was gigantic so we have no reason to believe this won’t be the same here.

In terms of game modes, you can expect to see MyGM back and expanded on again, along with the MyFACTION card game and MyRISE career mode, again offering separate men’s and women’s stories. Broader improvements to gameplay include Super Finishers, the Trading Blows mini-game, top rope dive onto a group of opponents outside the ring, double title matches, new Paybacks and much more to be revealed.

We had the chance to have a chat with WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley last year ahead of Wrestlemania, all about women kicking ass, Aussie wrestling, her Royal Rumble victory and her Wrestlemania opponent Charlotte Flair. Almost one year later, her meteoric rise in WWE has been brilliant to watch; Rhea is by far one of the most captivating superstars on the roster, and she’s gearing up to come to Perth next month to headline WWE Elimination Chamber. The sky really does seem to be the limit for her, and we love to see it.

WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition and Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition are scheduled for worldwide release on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, followed by the Standard Edition and Standard Cross-Gen Digital Edition on Friday, March 8, 2024. It will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC via Steam.