WWE as an overall product right now is arguably stronger than ever. As the “Road to Wrestlemania” continues to come into focus, viewership is high, with a global Netflix partnership kicking things up a notch, and even another tour Down Under is coming to Perth later this year. Hollywood star John Cena is back and has turned to the dark side for the first time in 20 years, alongside The Rock looming large and white-bread babyface star Cody Rhodes generating more “Whoa-ohs” in his entrance than ever before. That is to say, wrestling is hot right now. It feels hot, so WWE 2K25, the newest entry in the annualised wrestling series, must maintain its place on the Island of Relevancy. And, with the best video game graps available and more features than ever, it’s inching even closer to a true Championship run that would rival Roman Reigns himself.

Before we get cracking with the (honestly wild) list of features and modes, we must begin with the gameplay engine itself, which has been refined even further after last year’s excellent WWE 2K24. It’s incremental changes a this point; the foundation they’ve built is so strong that it only needed some minor tweaks and balancing at best. Animations look incredible, reflecting the real-life wrestling we see on TV every week. That goes for presentation, as well. Visually impressive as always, with the majority of the main roster looking like their human counterparts (easily the biggest roster ever in a wrestling video game, across the main roster, NXT, Legends and more), and matches feel exciting and thrilling just like they do on RAW or Smackdown.

Additionally, wrestling nerds will love the fact that you can change camera angles during entrances, including a third-person mode. It makes you feel like you’re directing your own TV segment. Other little details include the physical blemishes that appear throughout a match, including bruising, blood and sweat. There are a tonne of little details, including new moves (like the iconic Sol Snatcher from Sol Ruca), taunts, entrances, you name it. Once again Visual Concepts has done a brilliant job of replicating the WWE experience in a video game, and WWE 2K25 is quite simply the best between the ropes that it’s ever been.

Much like WWE programming over the last couple of years, WWE 2K25 is all about The Bloodline. The Anoa’i family that are essentially wrestling royalty, spanning back to The Rock’s grandfather Peter Maivia and Roman Reigns’ grandfather Amituana Anoa’i. The Showcase mode in this year’s edition is focused squarely on this Bloodline and its history within WWE, which makes for some fairly compelling documentary-style content, filled with classic footage and insights from the best narrator in the biz, Paul Heyman. Heyman adds so much value when he’s presenting each match in the Showcase, bringing emotional depth and expertly toeing the line between character and real person, as he ruminates over the historic Anoa’i family, many of which he was side-by-side with during their tenure. He elevates the whole thing to a new level; can he do it every year from now on, please?

The Showcase itself kicks off with the chaos of Wrestlemania 40’s main event, setting the scene as a strong introduction, before diving into the family history, including Reigns, the Usos, Rikishi, The Rock, Yokuzuna, Nia Jax, Tamina and more. Alongside Heyman’s fantastic narration, it’s really lovely to hear people like Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa out of character, talking about their family’s legacy and what it means to them. Even as a longtime WWE fan, there were some pieces of the family puzzle I wasn’t aware of. Getting to play out iconic moments is a lot of fun, and in a neat twist, in some cases, you get to “rewrite history” by leading the Bloodline members to success where they previously had failed, or even play out dream matches that never happened.

Wisely, they’ve done away with “Slingshot technology” this time around, which was where real footage would interrupt gameplay and play out in front of you. Now, these key moments happen in-engine, which doesn’t break up the flow as egregiously. Showcase mode can’t fully get rid of the trappings that hold it back, however. Objectives, while less obnoxious for the most part, have added a new ripple of “timed objectives” that have to be completed within 15 or 30 seconds of them appearing. All it takes is one long move animation, and you won’t be achieving those objectives, meaning you miss out on bonus rewards and effectively have to play the whole match again. It’s super irritating and whoever thought of it (and approved it) deserves a curb stomp, so while the mode is far more interesting in WWE 2K25 than in previous years, it still needs some refinement.

The other big new notable mode is The Island, which will be familiar to NBA 2K players who have checked out MyPARK before. In this mode, you’ll walk around a map that’s littered with cute shops and cheeky references to WWE Superstars (like a computer repair shop called “Damage CTRL”, or Deadman Isle), looking for a fight against either AI or online opponents, in order to impress Roman Reigns and earn a WWE contract. It’s fun enough, roaming around and getting into fights, but it’s lacking some of the polish seen in other modes like MyRISE, which is fully voiced. Here on The Island, it’s all just text boxes without much personality. Also, walking around the area is too slow for my tastes, and with no mini-map or waypoints, it’s easy to get turned around or confused when trying to find a quest marker.

While it’s charming enough to mess around in, what’s less charming is the stores that require you to spend VC, a currency that is earned in-game here and there but mostly is bought with real money. You can avoid this completely, sure, but it’s hard not to feel a bit put off by all the stores offering things like Nike sneakers for your created character at the real-world cost of $10. In that sense, The Island was fun enough to poke my head in for a bit, but not to spend a meaningful amount of time. Given the hype and the build-up of this new mode, it’s a bit disappointing.

WWE 2K25 also brings back MyRISE, the campaign mode, which this year combines both the male and female storylines into one, allowing you to bounce between them and make branching decisions. The multi-gender story really capitalises on intergender matches in a neat way. This year you’re thrown straight into the action; I chose to enter as a superstar “from another promotion”, and you’ll swiftly find yourself in anarchy as NXT superstars new and old band together to form an uprising, similar to that of the NEXUS way back in 2010. It’s campy and silly, checking social media posts and working your way through the story, but it’s still enjoyable, with a lot of voice acting from WWE talent and plenty of twists and turns to ensure it’s a fun ride.

To complete the grab-bag of modes, Universe is back for the ultra-fans who want to control every element like cutting promos, booking feuds and everything in between, plus there’s the insane Create features where you can make superstars, ring gear, belts, entrances and the works. It’s all a bit much for me who just wants to wrestle, but I know the community creations and the way people spend time here are crucial to the ongoing lifeblood of WWE 2K, and there’s plenty to keep you busy if you’re that way inclined.

At the end of the day, WWE 2K25 feels like the current TV product. It’s impossible to watch everything as a fan unless you don’t have any other hobbies at all. There’s a near-endless amount of content, with weekly programming alone taking up 7 hours per week, before adding in PLEs and specials. We’ve gotten to a point, in our household, where we skip matches and characters that aren’t as interesting to us. It’s the only way to cram in so much content and keep up to date. It’s the same as any sport; only die-hards watch every single AFL match on the fixture, but most of us just make sure to follow our team of choice, and maybe catch highlights on the news. WWE, with its sports-like presentation, demands almost the same.

WWE 2K25 has so much stuff. If you want to spend your time (and micro-transactions) on The Island or MyFACTION, absolutely you should enjoy doing that. If you’d rather work through the storylines in MyRISE, or delve deep into The Bloodline in the Showcase mode, that’s awesome too. Maybe you’ll take hours and hours creating superstars, entrances, move-sets, storylines and more in Universe mode. Maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll just wrestle with your mates, and that’s fine too. But with so many modes, match types, superstars and features across the board, it’s hard to imagine any wrestling fan that won’t find something to love here, and that’s admirable in and of itself.