Review: ‘WWE 2K23’ gets the hot tag and cleans house on its competition

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Well, wrestling-loving gamers, here we are again. WWE 2K23 is finally here — two games since its hard pivot from the WWE 2K20 dark ages — trying to assert its dominance in a landscape where the series is slowly losing its monopolistic chokehold as the only major source of quality wrestling games. The wrestling offerings made with smaller budgets may lack the presentation and visual flair of the big dog that is the WWE 2K phenom, but said titles focus on different aspects, styles, and promotions of the wrestling industry at large, whereas 2K has been slipping in its efforts to cater to its massive fanbase and their expectations.

That’s to say nothing of the general advancements of the current console generation, as the novelty of a visual spectacle overall is reaching a state of homogeny where players expect much more when it comes to graphical fidelity. As a result, the WWE 2K series no longer has the benefit and allowance of “Well, where else are you going to play a good wrestling game?” Visual Concepts certainly had an uphill battle to contend with, having been involved with WWE 2K20 — a true disaster that almost put the very future of the series into doubt. Then came the soft reboot that was WWE 2K22 after a year was skipped to make as polished a final product as possible. It had a solid foundation but was a little scant on features and modes.

Let’s not bury the lede any longer: WWE 2K23 is a significant upgrade to its predecessor in almost every way imaginable. First and foremost, this year’s 2K Showcase is centered around one of wrestling’s most polarizing figures: John Cena. Rather than stick to the script of simply playing as Cena through some of his most grueling, unforgettable victories, however, Visual Concepts