WWE 2K23: Expert Review Roundup and Analysis

The reviews are in, and it would appear developer Visual Concepts has another hit on its hands with WWE 2K23.

This year's edition of the massive pro wrestling series was the second effort after a big hiatus because of a litany of issues. WWE 2K22 was a resounding comeback effort, though it unfortunately put 2K23 in jeopardy of suffering a "sophomore slump" if it wasn't an upgrade.

But, fittingly, with a GOAT like John Cena gracing its cover, 2K23 has delivered by upgrading in smooth ways and keeping some of its predecessor's strengths untouched.

One of the major upgrade points this year was the attention given to MyGM. While assigning the game four out of five stars, Andrew Highton of Dexerto noted where the mode gets things right:

"You can book many more match types, there is now a multitude of championships for your roster to compete for, you can now battle with up to three other GMs, and PPV cards can sustain more matches to finish off all your intense rivalries."

Those sound like basic features, so it speaks to how barebones 2K22's MyGM felt. The game also lets players advance multiple seasons as opposed to just ending after one. That's a superb development—players get to simulate a year, then experience a WWE re-draft and do it all again.

One area the game doesn't mess with much? Overall gameplay. The biggest talking point of 2K22 was overhauling the complicated control schemes to emulate something similar to 2D fighting games.

In 2K23, the usual stringing of combos and counter possibilities with the Breakers feature returns. It feels just as good as last year's game, so why ruin it by complicating things again?

The biggest tweak to the gameplay itself comes in the form of a new optional pin-break minigame, highlighted by Ben Wilson of GamesRadar+ in his four out of five stars review:

"The new pin-break mechanic, where you flick the right stick up to mimic a kick-out, with the timing more challenging as you lose energy. Smartly lifelike, but with button tapping also an option if you're not keen. Stamina matters now, with grapplers slower to charge around late in matches, and a host of 'knackered wrestler' animations to match."

Keep in mind on the gameplay front that some of 2K22's brilliant behind-the-scenes things return. Weight divisions mean cruiserweights play wildly differently than giants, for example. Players now have the ability to tweak how each individual wrestler behaves in the ring, too.

Given the Cena theme set by the cover, it is only fitting to turn a spotlight on the new Showcase mode, too.

There, this year's game gets bold, going the opposite direction of past iterations. Instead of controlling the same Superstar throughout the gameplay-documentary hybrid experience, players lace up the boots of Cena's opponents.

While also giving the game a four out of five, Game Rant's Dalton Cooper touched on this aspect: "By letting players take on the role of Cena's opponents instead of Cena himself, there's a lot more variety than in past years, with players getting to take control of everyone from ECW legend Rob Van Dam to today's biggest star, Roman Reigns."

That's a creative way to get out of repetitive criticism for a game that heard it quite often about the otherwise-great Showcase mode.

Besides what's touched on above, 2K23 obviously looks great from a presentation standpoint. It also offers the litany of modes that keep the game going strong for a year or more, including MyFaction, Universe mode and a creation suite that lets players hop online and download and share things dreamed up in one of the deepest systems found in video games today.

For now, the 2K WWE series has cleared the hurdle of a potential pitfall by smartly upgrading on a now-solid foundation. The Cena-centric effort firmly lands as one of the best in the series, which is great for players and also offers hope that the next release can be even better.

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