WWE 2K23

77%
Game Brain Score Based on 4,797 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
WWE 2K23 Game Cover
WWE 2K23 is without a doubt the best the series has been in years, with solid gameplay and tons of fantastic modes to enjoy.
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"WWE 2K23 Bad Bunny Edition and Bundle offer a unique experience for fans, featuring Bad Bunny as a playable character in his Backlash ‘23 appearance, exclusive EVO MyFACTION cards, themed shirts and customizations, and VC packs. Immerse yourself in the world of wrestling with these special editions."

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,797 reviews
story108 positive mentions
stability135 negative mentions
  • story397 mentions

    The story aspect of WWE 2K23 has received mixed reviews, with some players praising the engaging narratives in the "MyRise" mode, particularly the "Legacy" storyline, while others criticize the overall execution as lacking depth and creativity. Many users noted issues with unskippable cutscenes, repetitive objectives, and game-breaking bugs that hinder the experience. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment and nostalgia, the storytelling often feels constrained and underwhelming compared to previous titles in the franchise.

    • “The storytelling in this mode is immersive, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you invested.”
    • “With a robust roster of 246 superstars and engaging storylines in MyRise, this installment combines nostalgia with innovation, making it a must-play for wrestling fans.”
    • “The improved career mode offers deep customization options and engaging storylines.”
    • “The story is not only short, but also really uninteresting apart from one specific part where you recruit superstars.”
    • “The story is a joke.”
    • “The gameplay is totally legible in a way 19's wasn't for me, and playing the story mode is a genuine joy.”
  • gameplay371 mentions

    The gameplay of "WWE 2K23" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its smoother mechanics and improved graphics compared to its predecessor, "WWE 2K22." While some players appreciate the engaging combat and variety of match types, others criticize the convoluted controls, bugs, and frustrating mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers a more immersive wrestling experience, appealing to both long-time fans and newcomers, though it still has room for improvement in certain areas.

    • “The gameplay in 'WWE 2K23' feels smoother and more responsive than in previous installments, focusing on delivering a more realistic wrestling experience.”
    • “With its refined gameplay mechanics, expansive modes, and impressive graphics, the game offers an authentic wrestling experience that is both fun and faithful to WWE's theatrics.”
    • “WWE 2K23 successfully revitalizes the franchise with its engaging gameplay, stunning visuals, and a wealth of content.”
    • “It'd be hilarious if it wasn't sad how bad the gameplay design is - of the many examples I'll pick split-second countering icons with no warning, button mashing, and W+O to escape hell cage when it could've been situational/positional single key press.”
    • “Terrible gameplay and bugs, same generic moves and locks, but shouldn't expect anything less than 2K games so best to avoid their sports games... also online play soon closing so would avoid it.”
    • “The mechanics are terrible, the player movement speed is sluggish and it feels like your character is drunk after less than a minute into a match, you have to remember a bunch of combos like a street fighter game and it's quite simply a disasterpiece of a game that wishes it was a Smackdown vs Raw title.”
  • graphics289 mentions

    The graphics in WWE 2K23 have received widespread praise for their impressive quality and realism, marking a significant improvement over previous installments. Many players highlight the lifelike character models, vibrant arenas, and enhanced animations that contribute to an immersive wrestling experience. However, some critiques mention occasional graphical glitches and inconsistencies in character likenesses, suggesting that while the visuals are strong, they are not without flaws.

    • “With its refined gameplay mechanics, expansive modes, and impressive graphics, the game offers an authentic wrestling experience that is both fun and faithful to WWE's theatrics.”
    • “WWE 2K23 successfully revitalizes the franchise with its engaging gameplay, stunning visuals, and a wealth of content.”
    • “The graphics are amazing, the control system is easy to grasp, making it a really fun experience.”
    • “Ps3-era graphics with slow gameplay and tons of loading screens.”
    • “The graphics are the worst game ever made, horrible mechanics, horrible graphics for a 2023 game, horrible everything.”
    • “Pathetic graphics and presentation in 2023.”
  • stability147 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in online modes and custom features. While some users noted improvements over previous installments, such as reduced crashes and smoother performance, the overall consensus is that the game remains significantly buggy, leading to frustration for many players. Despite these issues, some still find the game enjoyable, attributing the glitches to its charm rather than a complete detriment to the experience.

    • “The game runs great on the Steam Deck even though it's showing as unsupported, although I haven't tried the online part of the game so I'm unsure if that works.”
    • “Great game with no obvious flaws, no glitches or crashes, works perfectly.”
    • “No glitches so far and gameplay and menu speeds are much better in this latest installment.”
    • “But ultimately this is a buggy, slow, and frustrating game that only the hardcore wrestling fans would enjoy.”
    • “The engine is so buggy that arms and legs get stuck in any part of the ring in almost every match.”
    • “Game is trash, glitches all over the place and unbalanced 3v1 matches; save your money.”
  • music118 mentions

    The music in the game is a mixed bag, with some praising the authentic entrance music and crowd chants that enhance the match experience, while others criticize the limited customization options and the repetitive, generic background tracks during gameplay. The licensed soundtrack features popular artists, adding energy to menus, but many players express disappointment over the inability to use custom music for entrances and the lack of iconic themes, particularly for certain wrestlers. Overall, while the audio design is generally well-received, the restrictions on music customization detract from the overall experience for many players.

    • “Entrance music and crowd chants are faithfully represented, adding to the authenticity of each match.”
    • “In addition, the game’s soundtrack features licensed tracks that add energy to the menus and create a vibe that resonates with WWE's larger-than-life personality.”
    • “Really fun game, the best part is the immersion of the superstars being really accurate to their real-life counterparts, especially their theme songs playing; it's super fun.”
    • “Only thing keeping it from a 9 is the god-awful soundtrack.”
    • “The showcase mode is the biggest disappointment of 2k23; it has no commentary and instead plays background music that I guarantee you will get tired of within the first 30 seconds.”
    • “They completely ruin the immersion, not to mention that the music used is awful and sounds very generic.”
  • humor45 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it genuinely funny, especially in multiplayer settings and through community creations that allow for absurd character combinations and scenarios. While some critiques focus on the game's poor design, they often highlight the comedic potential in its glitches and over-the-top elements, making it a source of laughter rather than frustration for many. Overall, the game is seen as entertainingly silly, with moments of humor stemming from both gameplay and character customization.

    • “The customization is hilarious.”
    • “When it does work, the game is fun and the MyRise mode has some hilarious moments.”
    • “I'm playing with my non-wrestling-fan boyfriend, and seeing someone so casually giving the NXT belt to John Cena before booking a Shinsuke Nakamura/Brock Lesnar vs Doink the Clown/Gunter rivalry is just hilarious - but still better booking than a ton of current WWE stuff.”
  • optimization44 mentions

    The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising significant improvements in graphics and performance compared to previous titles, while others report persistent issues such as bugs, crashes, and poor performance on PC. Many users noted that the game requires manual adjustments for optimal performance, particularly on PC, and some criticized the character customization menus as poorly designed and unoptimized. Overall, while there are positive remarks about smoother gameplay and better visuals, the game still suffers from notable optimization problems, especially in online modes.

    • “It's a lot better optimized, but not a lot has changed.”
    • “Amazingly optimized, so thank you for not screwing us PC players like some other major publishers.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any lags, and they clearly optimized the game as they learned from their past mistakes.”
    • “Poor character customization with poorly optimized menus and customization such as removing all hair on your face/head for sculpting your face options, making you have to stutter through the menus and back out, only to go back in if what you did looks horrible with your hair with no option to keep them while doing so, constant glowing on parts chosen which makes it hard to see the changes you do on the face, pretty much butchered faces (I honestly doubt you can make a traditionally beautiful woman on it), lackluster move customization (you can somewhat make a combo...but if you're looking at past games it can be quite limiting compared to some older wrestling games where you can choose every move in your combo to make yourself into a boxing focus, kicking focus, etc), poor entrance customization (or at least poorly explained), poorly written dialog/story (par for the course, but far less fun. so much so I miss Smackdown vs Raw on the PS2), pretty boring fights (if you are a Smackdown 2 veteran you miss running someone over with the forklift, throwing someone through a wall in the bathrooms, etc), no in-depth character customization (some older games let you be friends with wrestlers as a character creation bit and you had a chance to have them come to assist you in matches or be easier to team up with, if I recall. A far cry from how little effort they have these days), and not a wide variety of fight modes.”
    • “If your game is that poorly optimized that my saves have corrupted twice, then you need to hire new programmers.”
    • “Overall decent game, terribly optimized.”
  • grinding28 mentions

    Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring significant effort with little reward. Many reviews highlight the soul-crushing nature of grinding in gacha modes and the repetitive nature of objectives, leading to frustration and a lack of engagement. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a major drawback, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.

    • “A bit grindy... sometimes.”
    • “One long, tedious grind.”
    • “The achievements are all really easy except the grindy ones from the gacha mode, which are soul-crushing; hence why the difficulty is so high.”
    • “So there is no payoff, no reward, just grinding dumb fights over and over to get more packs to try to get the 'good' cards that are all duplicates of the same 10 wrestlers.”
    • “What should be a fun little nostalgia trip turns into a tedious pain in the ass that I would refuse to deal with if there was any other way to unlock the content behind it.”
  • replayability18 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some modes like MyRise and dynamic storytelling offering enjoyable experiences, while others, such as MyFaction and career mode, suffer from repetitive objectives and limited depth. The modding community has potential to enhance replay value, but restrictions on mod use dampen this aspect. While certain features and modes provide a fun experience, many players feel that the game lacks sufficient replayability compared to other wrestling titles.

    • “The dynamic storytelling and the ability to shape the WWE universe according to player preferences contribute to an enjoyable and replayable experience.”
    • “Very addicting and endless replayability.”
    • “MyRise has two incredible storylines to partake in, and they are quite replayable.”
    • “The game's career mode also lacks depth and replay value, with repetitive objectives and limited storytelling options that fail to engage players in meaningful ways.”
    • “Replay value for this game (and 2k22 before it) is pretty low by wrestling game standards.”
    • “Showcase mode was a fun trip down memory lane through John Cena's career, although it is probably the weakest mode due to little to no replay value and some very tedious objectives.”
  • monetization15 mentions

    The monetization in the game has been widely criticized for its intrusive microtransactions, which many players feel detract from the overall experience and resemble a cash grab, particularly in modes like MyFaction. Users express frustration over the high costs of in-game purchases and DLC, alongside excessive advertising, leading to a perception that the game prioritizes profit over quality and player enjoyment. Overall, the monetization strategy is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing potential improvements in gameplay and content.

    • “The MyFaction mode is also hell with microtransactions for card packs which are all frankly overpriced.”
    • “The roster is expansive, though microtransactions may feel somewhat intrusive in a manner familiar to yearly sports titles.”
    • “Overpriced game, overpriced DLC, incredibly overpriced in-game purchases.”
    • “This just feels so gross with the microtransactions, and everything being a card, and there’s a lot of itemization even if not everything is paid for by cash.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is largely negative, with players expressing frustration over data loss, repetitive and uninspired storylines, and technical issues like crashes and corrupted save files. While some appreciate the creative elements and community contributions, the overall sentiment reflects disappointment in the game's ability to engage players emotionally, particularly in modes like "My Rise."

    • “The creative storylines, the subpar voice acting, but at least this one made me feel involved again.”
    • “Every year the same thing happens: you put hours and hours into making custom stuff and forcing yourself through the boring story to unlock everything, only for one single file to get corrupted because you deleted it normally like you would any other file, and you lose everything.”
    • “I think they could have made the game better; I played it for some time, but it's the same old boring storyline in My Rise. I expected more.”
    • “Congratulations, you get another bland and boring story.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    WWE 2K23 successfully captures the vibrant atmosphere of a live WWE event, featuring lively crowd reactions and dynamic commentary that enhance the overall experience. While some elements may falter, such as delayed crowd responses during key moments, the game's fluid movement and engaging gameplay contribute to an enjoyable atmosphere. Overall, it is praised as a well-crafted masterpiece in terms of atmosphere and other aspects.

    • “WWE 2K23 nails the atmosphere of a WWE event, from the raucous crowd reactions to the dynamic commentary that adds to the excitement.”
    • “This game is a true masterpiece, with every aspect, from the gameplay to the atmosphere, graphics, and story, expertly crafted.”
    • “The movement is extremely fluid, the fighting is crisp, and the atmosphere is a lot of fun to play in.”
    • “Yeah no, ok, the original wrestler entrances have more atmosphere with the crowd compared to 2k19.”
    • “Most attempts to recreate atmosphere fall completely flat - your final finishing move, for example, ends in silence until a few seconds when the crowd and commentator realize you've won.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is enhanced through social media interactions that contribute to storytelling and match setups. The career mode offers players a dynamic experience as they navigate the journey of a rising superstar, featuring branching storylines that deepen character growth.

    • “The career mode allows players to embark on a journey as a rising superstar, complete with branching storylines and character development.”
    • “You can check your social media feeds, too, which can tell stories, enhance character development, and even set up matches.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “I expected more from the character arcs; they seem predictable and uninspired.”
    • “The choices you make don't seem to impact the character development in any meaningful way.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

Buy WWE 2K23

Play time

45hMedian play time
79hAverage play time
21-110hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 23 analyzed playthroughs

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