WWE 2K23: Release Date, Roster, New Features and Known Superstar Ratings

WWE 2K23 launches on March 17 with a bevy of new features and at least one historic landmark in the Superstar ratings department.

Notably, the second release in the series after a hiatus makes itself available to fans with a three-day early-access window on March 14 for those who pre-order at least the Deluxe Edition of the game.

That Deluxe Edition includes the following:

• Season Pass

• MyRISE bonuses

• Supercharger Pack

• MyFaction cards

The Icon Edition includes all of that, plus the Icon Edition content pack and Ruthless Aggression content pack. Included in the Season Pass are the five post-launch content packs that will flesh out the massive roster further with legends and NXT up-and-comers.

As usual, that roster is once again downright massive in scope, looping in names from each generation of the sport. Classical takes on Hulk Hogan come to life with next-generation graphics and gameplay, as do the modern stars of today.

Also, as usual, the actual Superstar ratings are a massive talking point among fans.

Austin Creed, Big E and a host of other Superstars recently unveiled many of the ratings within the upcoming game:

Notables in there include Becky Lynch landing on a 96 rating, with Bianca Belair a hair behind at a 95. On the men's side, Brock Lesnar is a 97, with The Rock at 96.

By far the biggest talking point is this year's game finally dishing a 99 overall rating. That honor goes to Roman Reigns, of course:

The current unified champion and owner of one of the greatest championship runs and storylines in modern pro wrestling is more than deserving of the honor, even if it helps feed into the televised storylines (so does Ezekiel getting an 83 while Elias gets a 78).

Players will get to uncover plenty of new features while using these updated Superstars with appropriate ratings.

One big notable is the return of the Showcase mode, which centers on the career of cover star John Cena this time out. The documentary-style experience will let players hop into the boots of Cena and some of his opponents throughout his historic run's most critical moments.

Fittingly given the buzz around Reigns and the Bloodline right now, one of this year's most upgraded game modes is MyFACTION.

The card-collecting mode, obviously influenced by similar modes in games such as Madden, returns with a ton of new items. Players collect Superstar cards and form them into wrestling factions and then tackle daily and weekly challenges, plus encounter other factions in online battles.

That last point is a huge step forward for the series—WWE 2K23 represents the first time MyFACTION won't be an offline mode. Included this year is a head-to-head quick-play playlist where players can take their crafted factions online to test them against others.

Rest assured the mode doesn't ignore solo players, though. As the game's official website revealed, the game will continually roll out events inspired by WWE's pay-per-view cycle:

"This year, we've added scheduled Live Events for players to participate in, with regular post-launch content to play through. Live Events is a single-player experience that offers a variety of match types and challenges where you can earn new rewards. You'll have the opportunity to play unique matchups curated by WWE 2K designers to unlock more content and diversify your experience."

Other classic modes such as Universe mode and MyGM return as well, with the latter boasting more general manager choices, including expanded match cards and show options.

But when chatting about new features, one can't pass on the awaited inclusion of the WarGames match.

Seasoned fans know the drill. The match, a staple of NXT WarGames, is a showdown featuring two teams of three or four Superstars in two rings surrounded by steel cages.

It gets a little more technical than that, but it's one of those see-to-believe things. By all accounts, WWE 2K23 will offer the exact thing fans see on television and even give them plenty of customization options, such as control over entrance intervals.

On paper, 2K23 has all the makings of an annual sports release done right, which would mean quite a bit of positive momentum for the series that needed to go on hiatus not too long ago.

Fans can get started on the experience and all the new features it provides next week.

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