I would like to think of myself as a man of my own world.
Following my time working with WWE 2K26, I said something I never expected: I had fun playing through The Island.
Last year’s version of The Island often felt like a microtransactions ship. This year, however, was different from the get-go, and it was the first mode I got into. Not the CM Punk Show, not the fun and relatable MyRISE storyline. The island.
I was rewarded from the start. There is a lot of focus this year on not only bringing more matches to the players, but also putting them in the ring with well-known WWE stars. Despite that good initial impression, its flaws have a tendency to resurface. Think of it as the (then) current state of the WWE show. SmackDown is full of great matches and great matches. RAW, however, often feels like it’s spinning its wheels, prioritizing backstage segments over in-ring action. It’s a shame, because there’s a lot of potential within the RAW program.
In many ways, that’s the perfect way to describe this year’s WWE game. WWE 2K26 has a lot of potential and promise, and there were times when I couldn’t put this game down. However, it doesn’t always follow through on that promise and tends to succumb to a botch or two from time to time.
Here’s How WWE 2K26’s Island Version Looks Like It’s Developing
Visual Concepts said Island has been a long-term plan, and they’ve been listening to player feedback.
Island of Relevance Actually feels relevant
Despite my issues with The Island in WWE 2K25, I’m glad it’s back this year.
It’s not uncommon today for a developer to launch a new program and drop it as a bad habit the following year. Developer Visual Concepts knows this, as well as last year’s criticism, so it’s good to know that they’ve followed through on their goal of front-loading things to show players that things really are different than last year.
No awkward speechless dialogue from Paul Heyman welcoming you to The Island this year. Interviewing the leaders of the three teams (CM Punk, Rhea Ripley, and Cody Rhodes) from the start, he is immediately thrown into the storyline of the Island. Yes, you’ll still find low-card or original WWE Superstars, but their coverage is mixed with more visible faces.
WWE 2K26 has a lot of potential and promise, and there were times when I couldn’t put this game down.
Of course, if you ask me, none of this matters because I’m having a lot of fun playing The Tower, a new roguelike-ish (I use that term loosely, mind you) that has you completing matches against random opponents and conditions. You will be introduced to The Tower at the beginning of this year’s Island story. Don’t be surprised if you quickly spend a few hours playing it while ignoring the main story quest. Such is life in an open world game, constantly interrupted by side quests.
Now, the depth of the real open world game is not really here in the WWE 2K26 version of The Island; I haven’t seen any real reason to pick a team aside from having it match your favorite WWE Superstars, but to be honest, that doesn’t really matter to me. What I wanted this year was something that felt legitimate and added depth to the overall experience of the game, and that’s what happened here.
Full disclosure: Island will still allow you to swipe your credit card to earn Virtual Currency (VC) to purchase all available merchandise and apparel, as well as to upgrade the stats on your WWE Superstar. It’s a little in your face about this year, though, and it honestly didn’t feel necessary. Are there difficulty spikes that act as potential roadblocks? Yes. Do you really need to spend VC to develop a story? No, and that’s a win in my book.
All WWE 2K26 Game Modes Are A Blast To Play
It sounds like there was a call across the board to make sure all of this year’s gameplay is delivered in terms of internal action.
This isn’t too surprising considering WWE 2K26’s Showcase mode is all about CM Punk’s career. As much as I enjoyed last year’s Show with The Bloodline, having one character be the main focus is a nice change of pace. It’s something I didn’t realize I was missing.
Best of all, there’s still a healthy mix between taking a trip down memory lane and reminiscing the same iconic punks, along with a good dose of historical revision. I won’t spoil anything, but some of the surprises in CM Punk’s dream booking are a lot of fun.
Just as exciting is this year’s MyRISE storyline, which throws you into the role of a former WWE Superstar returning after a few years away from the company. Rather than being thrown into the main event, as we see with returning Superstars, you have to regain your place in earnest.
As much as I enjoyed last year’s issue with NXT Mutiny, there is something good, too, about the focus on one central character. In addition, it feels like this year’s MyRISE is more focused on getting you into the action, instead of taking a back seat to news segments and backstage segments.
WWE 2K26 Gameplay Has Seen Small Changes That Lead To Big Changes
According to that internal action, things play out the same way. There are, however, small tweaks that lead to big changes in how matches feel.
The retreat system has changed in WWE 2K26. To prevent the match from turning on non-stop reverse fests, the counters are now tied to the steadiness meter. Once you’re out of power, you won’t be able to backtrack for long. Furthermore, that fitness meter is tied to more than just executing on-screen commands. Avoid the attack? That will take power. Run the ring? That will also take energy.
Some of the surprises in the legendary CM Punk’s booking are great fun.
It leads to the matches being played properly. You can no longer just convert spam; that leaves you in a precarious position. Instead, you have to be very careful and plan your places. This will lead to situations where the momentum shifts back and forth between the Superstars. Of course, that’s a good thing if you want to deliver a 5-star game, but sometimes, you just want to outrun your opponents and move on to the next target.
This is where one of my biggest problems comes into play: It’s harder to complete certain objectives in story matches than I expected, given how the game feels this year compared to last year.. Part of this is undoubtedly a learning curve, and I’ve definitely noticed that I’m doing better and better when I’m getting used to the nuances of WWE 2K26. It’s still worth being careful, though, especially when it feels like my opponent is always able to counter my every move while I’m in a vulnerable position.
Here’s What Being in WWE 2K26 Means to Joe Hendry
We spoke to Joe Hendry at the WWE Creator Fest about how he feels about officially being in WWE 2K26.
WWE 2K Presentation Has Never Felt Better
WWE 2K26 isn’t just a mini game changer. The presentations have also had a change, especially what you can do with the entrance of the Superstar.
Visual Concepts talked a lot about giving fans the power to customize, and it sounds like they delivered. As someone who, more often than not, sticks to the default appearance of character creators and skips Superstar’s entry (dirty, I know), that was definitely not the case this year.
Playing with the camera settings, giving small tweaks to things like pyro and crowd reaction, and taking in the spectacle of Superstar entrances was a lot more fun than I expected from WWE 2K26. Are there other things I would like to see reviewed in the future? Definitely; this isn’t a perfect system, and the login options feel a little lacking.
Maybe one day we’ll get official support for custom songs for our logins, beyond the standard songs that are currently available. Believe it or not, they are worse than the Def Rebel theme we hear on WWE Programming. Yes, there are too many legal barriers where I am not holding my breath. Again, it’s a start in the right direction, but I hope to see more progress here going forward.
This is not my biggest concern with the game’s presentation, however. We have bigger fish to fry here.
Despite Dumping Last-Gen Consoles, WWE 2K26 Suffers from Weird Character Models and Bugs
You’d think this would be the best looking WWE 2K game yet, with the decision to focus only on current generation consoles. Sadly, it isn’t.
While some WWE Superstar models look great, others are a little too familiar for my taste. Ideally, someone like Seth Rollins would look as good as, say, CM Punk or Roman Reigns. Alas, it is not. It’s a story that plagues too many WWE Superstars for my liking, and in a world where we have these fancy entrances where I have more control than ever before, it quickly breaks the immersion.
Equally frustrating are the game’s bugs, many of which rendered my game completely unplayable or completely crashed. At the time of writing, Dom Mysterio is unplayable in Inferno Mode, one of the new game modes of the year, due to a strange bug. I was lucky last year to avoid these kinds of problems, but not this year, and it’s incredibly frustrating. There’s a lot I like about WWE 2K26, more often than not, these issues are just too hard.
WWE 2K26 is not a perfect game. It suffers from a lot of technical issues, and I’m not sold on the tweaks to its core game being a net positive, even if it makes sense. That said, WWE 2K26 does so many great things that it’s still worth it. This year’s version of The Island is much improved, and I can’t stop playing it, especially the Tower run. CM Punk’s Showcase is a great showcase, and MyRISE is another success story. Overall, WWE 2K26 is still another solid entry in the WWE 2K franchise, but I can’t help but wonder where it could have gone. It reminds me of LA Knight’s recent spot in this year’s Mad’s Elimination Chamber match. With the crowd in the palm of his hand, he’s ready for a big move on the ropes…and he slips. You’re still done with the crowd, and I think that’s how things will ultimately go with WWE 2K26, but I have more reservations this year than last year.
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