WWE 2K19

Under this luchador mask lies a familiar game with a lot of the same old issues, but somehow there is even more fun to be had, with a new impressive look, a good bit of polish, and some features reminiscent of its younger self. Microtransactions:

74%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, optimization

73% User Score Based on 1,352 reviews

Critic Score 74%Based on 26 reviews

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About

WWE 2K19 is the latest installment in the WWE video game franchise, featuring Superstar AJ Styles and a vast roster of wrestlers. It offers authentic gameplay, extensive creation options, and various match types. Note that multiplayer servers will be shut down after June 30, 2022.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,378 reviews

story42 positive mentions

stability97 negative mentions

The character creation suite is extensive, allowing for a high level of customization and creativity.
The gameplay feels smoother and more fluid compared to previous entries, making matches more enjoyable.
The MyCareer mode features a more engaging storyline with voice acting, providing a better narrative experience.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including crashes and performance issues, particularly in online modes.
Many features and content are locked behind loot boxes and microtransactions, making it frustrating to unlock desired items.
The commentary and AI behavior can be inconsistent and often detracts from the overall experience.

story
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
69%
4%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the engaging narrative, particularly in the Daniel Bryan showcase mode, while others criticize the linearity and lack of player choice in the MyCareer mode. Many users noted that the writing feels simplistic and repetitive, often requiring players to replay matches to progress, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players found the story enjoyable and a significant improvement over previous titles, highlighting the inclusion of voice acting and a more structured narrative.
- “The story of Daniel Bryan was a worthwhile story to play through to experience.”
- “The career mode is actually very interesting and the storyline has me hooked so far!”
- “Introducing a proper story to mycareer gives players an actual reason to play it this year and it's a genuinely engaging experience.”
- “MyCareer's story feels like it was written by a high school creative writing class and it drags on forever because of how utterly long it takes to level up your character.”
- “Overall very boring to play as it is more or less playing through a pre-set career with your custom-made character where your choices mean nothing and you are forced to replay a mission over and over until you do exactly what the game wants you to do.”
- “MyCareer here is absolute garbage, completely linear storyline without any input on the player's part, the storyline here is bland and boring at best, especially considering you don't get to forge your own way through.”
gameplay
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
65%
7%
The gameplay in WWE 2K19 has received mixed reviews, with many praising its faster pace and improved mechanics compared to previous titles, while others criticize it for being slow, choppy, and riddled with bugs. Players appreciate the depth of customization and the introduction of new features like the payback system, but some feel that the core mechanics remain largely unchanged and can be frustrating. Overall, while there are significant improvements, the gameplay experience is inconsistent, with some enjoying it and others finding it lacking.
- “I am enjoying a rich universe mode; the graphics are amazing and gameplay is very satisfying.”
- “The gameplay is overall faster than 15-18, with sliders to tweak the gameplay, allowing the game to be even more fast-paced.”
- “The gameplay is so smooth in this game, and the choice of moves now means you can create all your favorite wrestlers who aren't even in WWE.”
- “The gameplay is choppy and riddled with bugs.”
- “Dull gameplay, boring cutscenes, slow pacing entrances, I was not enjoying any of it.”
- “It astounds me they have literally been making these games for almost two decades and they keep making the gameplay worse.”
graphics
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
7%
The graphics in WWE 2K19 have received mixed reviews, with many praising the improvements over previous titles like 2K18 and 2K17, highlighting realistic character models and animations. However, some players have reported performance issues, particularly on PC, where lag and graphical glitches detract from the experience. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good, there are concerns about optimization and consistency across different platforms.
- “Amazing graphics, good gameplay overall an amazing game.”
- “The graphics are fantastic, but the most astounding thing is the animation.”
- “Great graphics, great creation suite, and a big, beautiful roster.”
- “The graphics are worse than WWE 2K17.”
- “The graphics haven't really improved that much since WWE 2K15.”
- “Sadly, even with higher-end graphics cards, the game is not optimized very well.”
stability
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting numerous bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, including crashes and unresponsive controls. While some players find the game enjoyable despite these issues, others express frustration over the frequency and severity of the glitches, suggesting that the game is a "buggy mess." Overall, while it may be fun, potential buyers are cautioned about the game's instability and the likelihood of encountering technical problems.
- “Great game, great graphics; runs smoothly if you have the recommended specs.”
- “The game runs great and is actually enjoyable.”
- “This game crashes, and it has a lot of glitches.”
- “It's just impossible to play when it crashes with no warning or simply freezes.”
- “As fun as the game is this year, I cannot recommend it to anyone in its current state due to game-breaking bugs and glitches.”
music
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
80%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the limited and often poor-quality licensed soundtrack, while some appreciate the entrance themes. Bugs related to music playback, such as overlapping tracks and muting issues, have also been reported, detracting from the overall experience. Although there are options for modding and custom music on PC, the inability to add personal tracks directly has disappointed fans who enjoyed this feature in previous installments.
- “The custom music, trons, ported moves, entrances, and mods from older games (literally back to SVR 2008) are fantastic, especially with the new SmackDown arena on Fox!”
- “Game really is quite pretty.... I don't know much about wrestling moves but they seem well designed, the character creation is really in-depth, and the music quality is great.”
- “Other than that, it's the best a WWE game has ever looked. The presentation is fantastic, the roster is huge, the soundtrack is great and has something for everyone included.”
- “The worst WWE game you can buy; the story mode is bad, and even the menu songs are bad.”
- “Oh, also have fun making an entrance in the game when 3/4 of the songs don't load, forcing you to restart the game just to hear a few more before having to do it again.”
- “The soundtrack is garbage in my opinion, so I just turned off the music, though I think there are mods which allow you to change the game's soundtrack.”
optimization
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
44%
38%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including crashes, low frame rates, and bugs, particularly on higher-end systems. While some users note improvements over previous iterations, such as WWE 2K18, others express frustration with the lack of graphical settings and persistent optimization problems. Overall, the game's performance appears to be a major concern for a substantial portion of the player base, detracting from the otherwise enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “One of the best looking and the most optimized WWE games of all time.”
- “It's fun and better optimized than 2K18 was, in my opinion.”
- “There is a huge improvement in optimization from 2K18; the story finally has some sense, and they already released an update fixing some stuff.”
- “This game is so poorly optimized that it cannot support the new series of GPUs.”
- “I'm running a decent computer and no matter what I try, I cannot get this game to run higher than 5 FPS. This is beyond a joke. The time I have in this game is me trying to get it to actually work. I wish I could recommend this game, but I honestly can't. If anyone has a legitimate fix for the pathetic performance, then please let me know, because I've tried everything I can, including dropping everything to its lowest settings to see if that helps, and it didn't. Until I have a way to fix the performance problem, I can't recommend this game.”
- “Sadly, even with higher-end graphics cards, the game is not optimized very well.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely derived from its quirky glitches and amusing character customizations, which evoke nostalgia and laughter, especially during multiplayer sessions. Players appreciate the comedic elements of the story and the absurdity of certain matches, although some bugs can be frustrating. Overall, the game successfully blends fun and humor, making it an enjoyable experience despite its imperfections.
- “This being said, there are a few minor graphics bugs in the moveset editor that are hilarious to behold.”
- “Goofy hilarious fun if you have a buddy to play it with.”
- “Big head mode is the only fun thing in the game and actually made me laugh out loud.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and overly reliant on microtransactions, with players feeling pressured to spend money rather than earn rewards through gameplay. While some improvements have been noted compared to previous titles, such as a more enjoyable career mode, many still find the process of unlocking moves and cosmetics to be a frustrating chore. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant detractor from the game's enjoyment.
- “And it's glaringly apparent this was a hack idea designed to pressure people into spending more money right away instead of grinding to earn the parts or moves they wanted for my career.”
- “Career mode is the usual 2k way; microtransactions and constant grinding make it not fun and tiring to play, almost like a regular job.”
- “Everything there costs real money (or requires credits that you buy with real money or tediously have to earn)... move packs, entrances (music, motions), cosmetics; everything is a grind to get and almost makes you beg for more points.”
monetization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
36%
36%
The monetization in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the presence of overpriced microtransactions and a significant paywall that hampers progression. While some appreciate the absence of microtransactions in certain modes, others find the constant grinding and cash grab tactics frustrating, making the experience feel more like a chore than enjoyable gameplay. Overall, the monetization strategy appears to detract from the game's enjoyment for many users.
- “Does have some overpriced microtransactions, but it is certainly worth a buy when this game goes on sale!”
- “Best of all: no microtransactions, which is shocking considering how greedy Take-Two is nowadays.”
- “There are lots of things you can do, so it's not boring, and microtransactions are a bit complicated, but you have to play more to earn these things.”
- “Grindfeast and thousands of microtransactions.”
- “However, move sets and entrances are all locked by points in WWE 2K19. The big difference is you need lots of points, over 100k easy, I would say. My character has been through SmackDown and is Intercontinental Champion on Raw and has 12,600 points. I'm guessing you can buy these points from the in-game store; that is a huge paywall and cash grab, and it sucks.”
- “Career mode is the usual 2K way: microtransactions and constant grinding make it not fun and tiring to play, almost like a regular job.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered decent, with some users highlighting the potential for creativity through video editing and storytelling. Modes like MyCareer offer significant replay value due to ongoing challenges and updates, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate a continuous challenge. However, the experience may vary depending on individual engagement and creativity.
- “Very fun and lots of replayability.”
- “MyCareer has more than enough replayability for me; if not in the linear story, then the towers that come in the mode challenge you as you progress, and new towers often come out every day, week, and PPV event.”
- “While it’s only a small addition, it adds a lot of replayability for those who enjoy a challenge.”
- “The replay value comes from a YouTube creator perspective that lets one look into forming their storylines in the game that aren't present there, but that one can create with the use of video editing programs and audio editing software. When you go this route, the game becomes 1000x more fun, but only if you have the drive to do so.”
- “MyCareer has more than enough replayability for me. If not in the linear story, then the towers that come in the mode challenge you as you progress, and new towers often come out every day, week, and PPV event.”
- “Not great as the servers, but decent for replay value.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game, particularly in the MyCareer mode, to be significantly improved this year, enhancing the overall experience and connection to the storyline.
- “The emotional depth of the story really resonated with me, making every decision feel impactful.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the character arcs; they felt so real and relatable.”
- “The game beautifully captures the highs and lows of life, leaving me with a lasting emotional impression.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Players appreciate the extensive and detailed character design and creation options, allowing for a personalized and immersive experience in character development.
- “The character designer is extensive and allows for a high level of customization, making each character feel unique.”
- “I love how detailed the character creation process is; it really lets you express your creativity.”
- “The character development system is well-defined, providing a rich experience that enhances the overall gameplay.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression.”
- “I was disappointed by how little the characters evolved throughout the game.”
- “The choices I made didn't seem to impact the character's growth or story.”