WWE 2K23 Is Looking Like An Exciting New Entry In The Long Running Franchise

Despite an abundance of delays and pushbacks left, right, and center, the year 2022 ultimately managed to turn out great for the games industry as a whole. We got to experience smash hits with the likes of Horizon Forbidden West, and Stray among others. Of course, last year also proved to be a crucial one for dark horses that completely took us by surprise, and we have plenty of reasons for thinking that this trend is sure to continue with this year as well.

One of the strongest candidates in this category is definitely WWE 2K23. Those familiar with the game’s long history would know that the franchise’s reputation had been down in the slumps with underwhelming buggy releases in the last couple of years, but all that has changed with the recent release of WWE 2K22. Following the cancellation of WWE 2K21, it was absolutely essential for WWE 2K22 to deliver a great wrestling game next year. And suffice to say, 2K Games managed to hit its mark with great gameplay and a buffet of content options for fans to dive into.

The game was a grand return to form for the franchise, and this year – WWE 2K23 seems to be building upon the foundations of last year’s entry which has us excited to see what’s in store. It’s set to release on March 17 this year for all major console platforms and PC, and we have plenty of reasons to believe that WWE 2K23 will end up being one of the biggest games of the year. With this feature, we will be diving deep into the curious case of WWE 2K23 and discussing those points in detail.

The biggest attraction in the case of a WWE 2k game is undoubtedly the Showcase mode, which takes players through the many highlights of a particular superstar. Last year, we got to experience Rey Mysterio’s rise to fame, and this year the Showcase mode will cover iconic moments from a 20 plus year long career of John Cena. Apart from being one of the most recognizable superstars of the entertainment sport, John Cena has had no shortage of iconic run-ins and rivalries with the biggest wrestlers of the entertainment sport which should make for an exciting Showcase mode in itself.

But what makes WWE 2K23 different is the way the Showcase mode will be functioning this time around. Instead of controlling John Cena in history matches, you will be assuming the role of his opponents and you must complete a set of challenges to try and take down your opponent. It’s an interesting spin on how Showcase mode usually works, and we are hoping that the change will make for a markedly better experience this time around.

Another new addition in WWE 2K23 is the WARGAMES, which is a new game mode that involves joining two wrestling rings and caging them together like a large cell. Two teams will keep on adding more wrestlers to the ring in an alternating fashion at regular intervals, and the first team member to fall either by pinfall or submission loses. You can also bring in weapons like chairs and tables to help your teammates, which will undoubtedly spice up things as well. It looks really interesting complete with all the chaos that you’d expect from such a match type, and suffice to say – we are really excited to see some of the biggest superstars fighting with each other in this new game mode.

Apart from these changes, WWE 2K23 seems to be sticking closely to the rulebook defined by WWE 2k22 and that’s not a bad thing. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. WWE 2k22 featured plenty of content types for wrestling fans to dive deep into, including but not limited to MyGM which puts you in the shoes of a WWE General Manager as you fix matches and form rivalries on the best spots to attract the most audience every week.

There’s also the MyRise mode, which is basically a career mode that takes you on a journey from a nobody to a household name in wrestling. While the writing here probably wouldn’t win any awards, this mode does contain some entertaining stories and scenarios that should keep you engaged for a good time. And all of that is on top of the various kinds of exhibition matches and Championship Tournaments that you can partake in, which includes everything from a simple one on one fight to a Hell In A Cell to the prestigious Royal Rumble and many more. WWE 2K23 is looking to be a pretty dense game when it comes to content variety, so it could definitely quench the thirst of countless wrestling fans across the globe.

A big concern for WWE 2K23 has been direct competition from a new rival in the form of AEW Fight Forever, but from what we have seen in early gameplay trailers for the same – 2k Games’ offerings are looking to be better in almost every regard. The visuals are better than the competition, and so is the gameplay loop, content variety, and the roster of licensed superstars of the entertainment sport. While we would love to see AEW ending up great as well since competition is what ultimately drives better products for the end customer, all signs point to WWE 2K23 being the uncontested champion. Further backing this sentiment is the fact that AEW Fight Forever doesn’t even have a release date at the moment, while WWE 2K23 is just a few days away from release. As such, 2K Games is also getting the first mover advantage by hitting an early release date.

Further looking at business factors, WWE 2K23 also gets to target a large audience pool with its choice of release platforms. The game is set to release for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S – so fans who are looking to dive into the game don’t necessarily need to get their hands on a current gen console to experience what WWE 2K23 has to offer. As such, if things go right, 2k Games could manage to do a ton of sales this time around. For context, WWE 2k22 sold more than double of what WWE 2k20 did, and when you combine all the goodwill that the franchise has earned with its prior release – things are looking great for WWE 2K23 in terms of potential sales and target demographic.

All of this comes together to paint a really positive picture for WWE 2K23. The stars seem to have aligned perfectly, and the stage has been set and all that remains is for the game to deliver on its promise of being the ultimate wrestling experience for fans of the entertainment sport. We are really hopeful for WWE 2K23, and we would love to see it succeed in what it’s trying to do and become a smash hit in the process. Of course, we will be covering the game in detail when it launches with a detailed review and other fun content so stay tuned for the same.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.