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While some fans are eager to return to the crowd after COVID 19, many are still connecting to their favorite form of sports entertainment through video games. Fans looking for the best experiences in WWE gaming will find that some games stand out above the rest.
Updated on March 14, 2022, by Jack Pursey:In 2021, 2K Sports took a break from its yearly WWE 2K releases, following the glitchy mess that was WWE 2K20. An arcade spin-off to the simulation games was released instead, titled WWE 2K Battlegrounds, though this also failed to impress fans and critics.
The simulation-style yearly releases have made their long-awaited return, following the release of WWE 2K22 on March 8, 2022. It may be too soon to fairly rank the recent release, though the game clearly marks a return to form for the franchise, so it’s worth giving it a special mention among the best WWE games.
WWE 2K22: The Latest Entry In The Series
The disastrous launch of WWE 2K20 can be seen as both a blessing and a curse for Visual Concepts and 2K Sports. Although it damaged their reputations, it gave them the chance to take a year off from the yearly releases, allowing them to spend plenty of time on the next game in hopes of providing a product that would rebuild the trust and relationship with fans. 2K and Visual Concepts made strides in improving this relationship before the game was even released by announcing that the General Manager mode would be returning, a feature that fans have been requesting ever since it left in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.
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Following the infamous mess that was WWE 2K20’s Career Mode, WWE 2K22 has removed the mode in favor of MyRISE. The reinvented mode features unique storylines for male and female wrestlers and boasts a whopping 50-hour runtime that will see players form rivalries, join alliances, and get involved in a range of subplots that make MyRISE far more comprehensive than 2K20’s Career Mode.
Other new features include MyFACTION, which tasks players with building a faction with cards, similar to 2K’s MyTeam mode and EA’s Ultimate Team. A new gameplay engine has also been implemented, which has made significant strides in eradicating WWE 2K20’s many glitches and improving the overall flow and feel of matches.
WWE 2K22 struggles to reach the heights of some of the series’ best titles, but it’s still an impressive return to form for the series that provides a welcome range of new features. Although some of these features, particularly MyGM, feel fairly bare-bones, they have given Visual Concepts and 2K Sports a foundation to build upon in the future.
WWE 2K22’s peak Metascore is currently a solid 77 on Xbox Series X, which is partnered with an 8.0 user score. These scores are a significant improvement over WWE 2K20, which had a brutal 1.2 user score on Xbox One and 43 Metascore on PlayStation 4.
10 Smackdown Vs. Raw: Battle Of The Brands Begins
The original Smackdown Vs. Raw was met with mostly positive reviews. At this point (2004), WWE’s brand split was gaining real traction, with fans picking a side and deciding what weekly show they’d support. WWE Raw, WWE’s long-running flagship program, or WWE Smackdown the newer on the rise show of talent.
Smackdown Vs. Raw made full use of the marketing that was the WWE brand war, and the rivalry the two shows had. While this game had its flaws, it still made up for it with advanced mechanics and showed what customizable options could look like for future installments down the road.
Smackdown Vs. Raw Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
Smackdown Vs. Raw was released on November 2, 2004, and is available for the PlayStation 2.
This title sold over 300,000 copies in the UK alone, meaning that the sum of the profits made in addition to North American (and global) sales would have been enormous for the time. As such, the popularity of the game with fans helped spawn many following titles of similar nature for the WWE game library.
9 WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth: Creation Of Story Mode
One of the biggest complaints WWE fans have is that modern games are lacking in a good story mode. This is mostly true, but this is not the case for WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth.
This Playstation 2 classic is highly regarded for its advanced story mode, where players select rosters and choose their own designated path through the WWE ladder. Many fans are still begging for this concept to be replicated since it is arguably the most intricate and highly interactive story mode in any WWE game to this day.
WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth was released on October 31, 2002, and is available for the PlayStation 2.
With over 1,000,000 copies sold in North America alone, this title was an even more successful entry into the WWE video game collection than the previously mentioned one. The story mode was very popular with fans, who were also able to enjoy custom-created characters to behold with graphics that were incredible for the time.
8 WWE 2K16: Improvements From Previous Titles Shine
WWE 2k16 is an entry in the series that serves as a grand improvement when compared to its 2K15 predecessor. After the negative reception of WWE 2K15, fans were about ready to give up on the WWE 2K games series. Developer Yuke’s went above and beyond to improve everything they could from their previous installment and succeeded in a majority of different ways.
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The greatest thing about 2K16 isn’t the improvements or added match types though. The overflowing roster containing over 120 characters is what makes this game stand out. Adding some much-needed diversity to a stale cast of playable talent with the introduction of numerous NXT superstars makes this entry stand out especially.
WWE 2K16 Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
WWE 2K16 was released on October 27, 2015, and is available for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Android.
This game was not appalled by fans, however, it wasn’t the best-received either. Many, including some critics, believed WWE 2K16 to be a step in the direction, as it mostly moves away from a lot of the faults plaguing past WWE 2K games.
7 Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007: Wrestling Meets New Consoles
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 was the first WWE game to be released on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, and while there weren’t many new additions such as game modes, match types, commentary, etc. it’s still a great entry in the series nonetheless.
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Keeping much of what made the 2006 edition of the game so successful, but not offering anything new likely due to developer Yuke’s having to create four different versions of the game due to the newly released console’s arrival. One aspect worth mentioning is the game’s ever-growing roster though as newcomers and legends are both present and accounted for.
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 was released on November 10, 2006, and is available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Portable.
Despite being plagued by numerous bugs, such as ones involving announcer dialogue lines and certain game types being nearly unplayable, some of the collision glitches were hilarious to behold, albeit annoying if detrimental. With that said, Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 had a lot of content and replay value…if one could enjoy the unrefined aspects.
6 Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010: A Safe Bet And Worthy Sequel
While better than the 2007 entry in the series, and a majority of the other titles as well, Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 isn’t the best of the Smackdown Vs. Raw era of WWE games, but it’s a sequel worthy of the namesake in its own right. While the roster is a lot more lacking when compared to the 120 playable characters that 2K16 possesses, it still makes up for that with major enhancements to gameplay and a few standout game modes.
Character creation was exponentially expanded in this title, allowing players to customize every attribute of their wrestler, along with creating their own entrance, highlight reels, and finishing moves. Another welcomed addition was the improvements to the vastly underrated Road to Wrestlemania game mode, which allowed players to create personalized stories for every single wrestler in the game where one’s imagination could run rampant.
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 was released on October 20, 2009, and is available for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, and iOS.
Many consider Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 to be the deepest, most playable WWE game in years. The amount of time that can be lost delving into custom storylines and creating bizarre original characters can easily end up being in the hundreds for fans of the franchise.
5 WWF No Mercy: Nintendo Exclusive Fans Still Praise
Mostly beloved for its absolutely brutal gameplay, this WWE game is by far the most “attitude era” out of any WWE game to date, and that’s likely why fans still can’t get over it. Being that the attitude era was and still arguably is the best time to be a wrestling fan, creating a game with attitude was definitely key, and that’s what developer syn Sophia did.
The sequel to Wrestlemania 2000 runs off the same engine but proves that it can still prosper. The first game in the WWE game mythos to include storylines into gameplay, along with epic and brutal combat as well as finisher animations make WWF No Mercy a game long-time fans still reminisce about.
WWF No Mercy Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
WWF No Mercy was released on November 17, 2000, and is available for the Nintendo 64.
This title’s easy-to-learn controls were a double-edged sword for it: casual gamers were able to essentially button mash and win fights while more hardcore gamers were limited in terms of combat options. This leveling of the playing field created minor splits in the WWE game community, though was not enough to cause gamers to dislike WWF No Mercy.
4 WWE 2K19: Best Wrestling Game Of The Decade
The final game developed by Yukes in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K19 is the wrestling game that longtime fans have wanted for years.
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Older entries in the series are highly regarded for their ridiculous and oftentimes over-the-top atmosphere, and it seems like 2K19 developer Yukes took those games to heart, and created something that both hardcore and casual fans could get behind. Serving as by far the best title in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K19 has nearly everything from wacky match types, a steller roster, and incredibly fun gameplay. It’s a shame the series couldn’t keep the momentum going following it.
WWE 2K19 Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
WWE 2K19 was released on October 5, 2018, and is available for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Both the “My Career” and “Showcase” modes were praised for being fun and well-thought-out. They lacked severe bugs and captured the spirit of WWE games that fans crave: a wacky, over-the-top atmosphere with tight controls and nice graphics.
3 Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006: Introduction To A Fan-Favorite Game Mode
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006 took the concept of brand wars to a whole new level with the introduction of fan-favorite game mode, General Manager mode, (Or GM mode for short).
GM mode is a fairly simple and straightforward game mode: players take control of either Smackdown or Raw and produce their rosters, matches, rivalry, champions, and more. Players could run their own show and decide the fate of their show’s wrestlers. While this game mode hasn’t been around for over 10 years now, WWE 2K titles have introduced players to Universe mode which is similar to GM mode–sadly, however, Universe mode is nowhere near as good.
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006 Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006 was released on November 11, 2005, and is available for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.
Many, including critics, praise the sheer amount of content found in this title. There is a lot to see and do, giving it great replay value to tie fans over until the next year’s inevitable release.
2 WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role
Named after one of the many iconic catchphrases said by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role is a standout in the series. Releasing in 2000 as a PS1 exclusive, Know Your Role seemingly already knew its role when it hit shelves that fateful year.
The addition of some wild match types such as backstage brawl and outrageous weapons make this entry a highly sought, and much-beloved wrestling title to his day.
WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role was released on November 21, 2000, and is available for the PlayStation.
With tons of options and great multiplayer, WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role was fun to play alone or with friends. Any game mode could also hold one’s attention for a long time, due to the addictive nature of the easy controls and charm.
1 WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain: A PS2 Classic
Similarly named after a prominent catchphrase (said by former wrestler and commentator Tazz every time Brock Lesnar came to the ring), Here Comes the Pain still holds up to this day. While Xbox players weren’t graced with this wrestling gem of a game, Playstation 2 users were.
At the time of release, Here Comes the Pain was the best-looking wrestling game ever and had gameplay reminiscent of WWF No Mercy in regards to the ridiculous, brutal, and overall enjoyable combat mechanics. Finishing moves especially felt huge in this game, as the camera angle would change and create the epic environment a fan would see viewing WWE’s actual product from home. While completely unnecessary, Here Comes The Pain seemingly knows this and gives fans an experience that many still rave about to this day.
WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain Release Date, Platform Availability, and Critical Reception
WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain was released on October 27, 2003, and is available for the PlayStation 2.
According to critics and fans alike, massively improved graphics from previous titles, a more detailed career mode, and a fleshed-out character creator feature are but some of what make Here Comes the Pain the best WWE game of all time.
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