WWE 2K26 Previews and Gameplay Videos for New Match Types and Modes
WWE and 2K Sports continue to improve and evolve their annual release to meet fans expectations and WWE 2K26 is no different. A blockbuster release, it takes fan-favorite modes and improves upon them to make for the best, most real gaming experience possible.
Throw in some exciting new match types, including the returns of some Attitude Era favorites, and you have plenty of fun to be had for all ages in the WWE Universe.
Dive deeper into the modes and matches with this preview of the game, available now for those with special editions and on March 13 for everyone else.
Release Information
1 of 3Release Date: March 6 (early release for premium editions), March 13 (standard edition)
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Nintendo Switch 2
Pricing: $69.99 (Standard), $99.99 (King of Kings Edition), $129.99 (Attitude Era Edition), $149.99 (Monday Night War Edition)
Rating: ESRB T
Pre-Order Bonus: The Joe Hendry Pack (Joe Hendry, Joe Hendry My Faction EVO card, MySuperstar CAS Part: Joe Hendry T-Shirt, MySuperstar Island emote: Joe Hendry spin), early access, and virtual currency
New Match Types
2 of 33 Stages of Hell
Fans of the current WWE product have to go back only to the beginning of January to see the latest 3 Stages of Hell Match, in which Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship.
Older fans may remember Triple H and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's iconic battle at No Way Out 2001.
Regardless, the match type is a Best 2-out-of-3 Falls contest, with different match types for each fall. Gamers will have the opportunity to select those types, putting together a physically grueling match for them and their opponent to engage in.
Dumpster Match
The Dumpster Match was popularized during the Attitude Era, at the height of the feud between the New Age Outlaws, Cactus Jack, and Chainsaw Charlie, and reintroduced to the WWE Universe during the feud between Michin and Chelsea Green.
Now, fans can take out the trash in the contest's first appearance in WWE and 2K gaming. Beat your opponent down, toss them into the dumpster, and slam the lid to win. It's like if Oscar the Grouch booked a casket match.
I Quit Match
Imagine beating your opponent down so badly that he or she had no choice but to utter the words, "I quit." Such is the case in this one, where the object is to pummel your opponent with weaponry, utilize your finishing move repeatedly, or force them to submit to achieve victory.
Pins, count-outs, and disqualifications? They don't matter here.
Inferno Match
The Attitude Era bred several unforgettable match types but one would be hard-pressed to find one with higher stakes than the Inferno Match, where the goal is to set your opponent on fire.
Popularized by Undertaker and Kane during their epic rivalry, the match type makes its WWE and 2K debut this year, giving fans the opportunity to take their matches to the most extreme.
Showcase Headlines New, Updated Modes
3 of 3Showcase has become one of the most prominent modes in any WWE and 2K Sports release, with the journey through an iconic Superstar or era proving to be a favorite of the franchise's fans.
This year, current world heavyweight champion CM Punk gets the honor of being the Superstars at the center of the mode as fans will have the opportunity to journey through his Hall of Fame-worthy career and relive some of the matches that helped define his two runs in WWE.
Playable matches in this year's mode include CM Punk against some of the top stars of the last two decades.
But the fun involving the Best in the World does not end there. Also featured are dream match-ups that the WWE Universe has not yet, and may never, see involving the Straight Edge Superstar.
Showcase is the mode that can best be described as "new" in this year's game, but there are others that have been updated, becoming even bigger fan-favorites than they already are.
