WWE 2K Battlegrounds is an arcade-style wrestling game featuring overstuffed characters and exaggerated moves. It offers a variety of match types, arenas, and a character creator. The game features a roster of WWE superstars and legends, but some popular figures are missing. It's a fun and casual alternative to the more simulation-based WWE 2K games.
The game offers a fun and accessible arcade-style wrestling experience, reminiscent of classic titles like WWE All-Stars.
The character roster is extensive, featuring many legends and current superstars, which adds to the excitement of gameplay.
The comic book-style storytelling in the campaign mode is engaging and provides a unique narrative experience.
Gameplay can become repetitive quickly due to limited move sets and similar mechanics across different characters.
Microtransactions are heavily integrated, with many characters and customization options locked behind a paywall, making it feel exploitative.
Technical issues, such as bugs and server connectivity problems, detract from the overall experience and enjoyment of the game.
gameplay
159 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
60%
14%
The gameplay of this title has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying its fun, arcade-style mechanics and character customization options, while others criticize it for being repetitive, simplistic, and bogged down by bugs and microtransactions. Although the game offers a colorful aesthetic and a variety of modes, many feel that the overall experience lacks depth and can become monotonous over time. Despite its appeal to casual players and families, the gameplay is often described as shallow and not as engaging as other wrestling games in the genre.
“Gameplay is fun and animations are great, arenas have interactive parts and the roster is huge, every wrestler has at least 3 variations and there are no microtransactions, everything is unlockable in-game with virtual currency.”
“Fun arcade style gameplay, easy to learn controls, and cartoon graphics.”
“WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a welcome spin-off for the franchise, giving it the extravagant, over-the-top, enjoyable gameplay that captures and magnifies the WWE’s best aspects.”
“The gameplay itself seems rather shallow.”
“Gameplay is monotonous, all characters in a class feel the same aside from finishers, story mode is meh, PC controls are absolutely awful... I'm sorry, I can't say I enjoyed playing this, because I can't lie in an honest review.”
“As far as gameplay is concerned, it's watered down action.”
story
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
61%
14%
The story mode has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its linearity, lack of depth, and reliance on a comic book presentation that feels repetitive and uninspired. While some appreciate the vibrant art style and the fun of unlocking characters, others find the narrative weak and disconnected from the WWE universe, leading to frustration over grindy gameplay and microtransactions. Overall, the story is seen as a significant step back from previous titles, with many players expressing disappointment in its execution.
“At the time of writing this review, I am making my way through the main story, and even that is quite fun.”
“I can't wait to jump back into the expansive story with something like 100+ matches if I'm not mistaken.”
“The comic story line is great, the animations are ridiculous (in a good way!)”
“To add insult to injury, the so-called story mode is a complete joke - it's painfully linear.”
“Terrible story mode, it's a massive step back.”
“The story mode is boring.”
graphics
107 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
67%
4%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the cartoonish art style and character models, describing them as cute and fun. However, some critics find the visuals to be overly simplistic or reminiscent of mobile games, leading to disappointment, especially given the game's 2020 release. Overall, while the graphics may appeal to fans of arcade-style aesthetics, they are often viewed as lacking depth and polish compared to expectations for a modern console game.
“The game features a cartoonish art style with exaggerated character models and environments, giving it a unique visual appeal.”
“If you love arcady/cartoony graphics and enjoy great gameplay, then stop reading reviews and buy this game.”
“The graphics were stunning and the character models were good even though a few looked a little disjointed.”
“The graphics are too cartoony (personal preference) and the movesets for all wrestlers are too similar.”
“Looks like a cheap mobile game, I was expecting this to be a sequel to the WWE All-Stars game but it is so basic, the graphics are something you'd expect from 2012 and cheaply made and rushed.”
“I'm generally pretty forgiving when it comes to graphics and art design but it all looked very generic.”
monetization
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
60%
34%
The monetization model in this game has been widely criticized for being excessively reliant on microtransactions, with many players feeling that a significant portion of content, including characters and customization options, is locked behind paywalls or requires extensive grinding. Reviewers describe the system as predatory and a blatant cash grab, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game despite its fun gameplay mechanics. Many express frustration that the game feels designed primarily to extract money from players rather than provide a fulfilling gaming experience.
“Gameplay is fun and animations are great, arenas have interactive parts and the roster is huge, every wrestler has at least 3 variations and there are no microtransactions; everything is unlockable in-game with virtual currency.”
“Yes, but in its entirety, despite microtransactions, the game is super fun with friends and it's just wacky enough that you don't really notice the basic movesets and other minor flaws regarding AI.”
“Now, there are microtransactions, but I find that King of the Battleground, if done right, can net you about 1500-2000 bucks each session, which 4 of those can get you a lower tier unlock.”
“Almost all characters and customization options are locked behind microtransactions, even if you buy the deluxe version.”
“This is a $40 game and it is riddled with microtransactions.”
“WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a game that seems like it exists purely to house its storefront, offering predatory microtransactions which would be overly pricy in a free-to-play game.”
grinding
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
6%
92%
The grinding aspect of the game has received largely negative feedback, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating due to the extensive time required to unlock characters, costumes, and other content, often necessitating either heavy grinding or microtransactions. While some players noted that grinding can provide a sense of achievement, the overall sentiment is that it detracts from the enjoyment of the game, leading to boredom and a lack of engagement with the story and gameplay. Many feel that the business model prioritizes monetization over player experience, making it difficult for those who prefer not to spend additional money to fully enjoy the game.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Earning in-game currency is only achievable by grinding through endless challenges and an increasingly frustrating leveling system.”
“So many of the wrestlers are locked behind either heavy grinding or microtransactions.”
“Other than that, it seems like there's a lot of grinding to unlock all the characters if you're not willing to spend real currency on a game you've already paid 40-50 bucks for.”
humor
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its creative move-sets, amusing animations, and entertaining character interactions, making it particularly enjoyable when played with friends. While many players find the comedic elements, such as funny weapon usage and character entrances, to enhance the experience, some critiques point to a lack of variety and depth in the humor. Overall, the game is described as a lighthearted and fun take on the wrestling genre, though opinions on its comedic effectiveness vary.
“The combination of punchy sound design (pun intended), super creative move-sets, mesmerizing animations, and ever-hilarious stun-locks transitioning into suplex city is exactly what I need to truly have fun in a wrestling video game.”
“Kinda a funny version of an iconic genre.”
“Just pure simple fun and funny as heck.”
“Not funny at all.”
“Not funny at all.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the main menu track repetitive and bland, leading to frustration. While the soundtrack features some popular WWE theme songs, it is often described as obnoxious and lacking variation, primarily consisting of a style associated with WWE that some players find cringe-worthy. However, players appreciate the option to turn off the music in settings and enjoy the personal moveset and intro music for individual wrestlers.
“Sound is phenomenal and the inclusion of many of our favorite WWE theme songs are in the game even though the game does a terrible job with entrances.”
“Satisfying personal moveset and intro music for every wrestler separate.”
“Soundtrack is alright though.”
“The music is obnoxious.”
“Repetitive main menu music, omg it's driving me crazy!”
“Music is cringe-inducing, as it's mostly radio butt rock that is normally associated with the brand, which came as no surprise.”
stability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
91%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting a significant number of bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these issues, others describe it as frustratingly unstable, particularly during online matches and special moves. Overall, the game is seen as an improvement over its predecessor, WWE 2K20, but still suffers from notable stability problems.
“As a WWE fan, I enjoy this game. It's very fun, has no glitches, and the multiplayer works amazingly. It's an improvement over 2K20 and a game that is worth $40.”
“This game was very annoying because of the controls, the graphics, and the horribly buggy gameplay.”
“The royal rumble and battleground glitches are horrible, feels like WWE 2K20 all over again.”
“This game is really insane and fun, but there are some bugs in the game like whenever I play as Jeff Hardy, it always glitches me out of any online matches when I do any of his special moves like 'Whisper in the Wind', and sometimes when I played normal matches the game crashes when I make Jeff do 'Whisper in the Wind'.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
30%
40%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the potential for returning due to its grindy nature, others criticize the lack of meaningful content and a worthwhile story mode, leading to a perception of limited replay value.
“The game provides plenty of replay value, so players will always have reasons to come back, even though it might be too grindy for some.”
“The game offers a variety of choices and outcomes, making each playthrough feel unique and encouraging players to explore different strategies.”
“With multiple difficulty levels and unlockable content, the replayability factor is high, ensuring that players can enjoy the game long after their first playthrough.”
“The story mode is less than worthwhile and there is little replay value.”
“The game is responsive, more playable than 2K20, but it definitely lacks a lot of content and elements that make it a WWE game.”
“Replayability - 5/10”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional response to the game is overwhelmingly negative, with users expressing strong disappointment and a desire to avoid it in the future.
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a positive experience with optimization, indicating that they did not encounter any performance issues while playing the game.
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development in the game is criticized for its lack of depth, with braindead AI opponents and repetitive campaign missions contributing to a sense of stagnation. Additionally, the character designs are deemed chaotic, and the excessive monetization detracts from the overall experience, limiting the game's longevity and variety.
“The character designs are a mess, making it hard to connect with any of the characters.”
“The lack of variety in character development limits the longevity of the game.”
“The campaign feels repetitive and silly, which detracts from any meaningful character growth.”