WWE 2K22 Review: Gameplay Videos, Impressions for Top Modes and Features

Returns are a staple of pro wrestling, and the WWE 2K video game series is attempting one of its own with WWE 2K22 from developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K Sports. 

The lone wrestling simulation series on the market took a year off in response to the litany of issues found in WWE 2K20, which launched all the way back in October 2019. It returns to a dramatically changed landscape, both in the form of next-generation consoles and the pro wrestling landscape, including an overhauled roster and serious competition in the form of All Elite Wrestling.

WWE 2K22, though, aims to offer up just as much change compared to what players might remember. On paper, it has made good use of the hiatus, overhauling the gameplay, making its presentation more realistic and diving deep on returning and new game modes.

Whether 2K22 can match the hype created by the absence and buzz of big changes will dictate whether the return is a flop or the start of a must-see arc for the series.

Gameplay

The promised revamped gameplay takes center stage in 2K22.

It is, in a word, great. Gone are the endlessly confusing joystick tweaks and button modifiers to make moves work, both against opponents and within the clunky world itself.

In is a combo system chaining light and heavy attacks and a trio of defensive and/or counter options that take inspiration directly from fighting games. It can turn proceedings into a button-masher quickly, but that's not such a bad thing for new players, and the combo system is just deep enough that skilled players can stand out.

If there are a couple of big question marks, it simply comes down to button mapping on a controller. For example, on a PlayStation, a reversal is oddly on the triangle button, but dodge is on R1, so it gets awkward to commit defensive moves to different spots.

There also appears to be no more running Irish whips because a grapple is required first, which makes things clunkier than past iterations, at least in this specific context.

But maybe the best changeup? Pins are button-mashing contests again, a throwback to the old-school games, adding some serious intensity.

We would be remiss not to single out Breakers too. Correctly guessing what attack an opponent throws and hitting that button at the same time will create a counter opportunity. It's a nice way, especially against human opponents, for even novice players to avoid falling victim to strike spam.

So as a whole, the new controls are a mixed bag of big positives with a few notable negatives. The move toward a more fighting-game approach makes it easier for new players to pick up and veteran players to show off skill ceilings—those are tried-and-true control inputs elsewhere for good reason.

But the clunkiness of it all, including odd mapping, holds back the system. That's not to say it's unplayable by any means or that hiccups in the first year of a revamp weren't unexpected. But consider this a caution flag thrown out to warn players who might be expecting perfection from the new set of controls.

Boosting gameplay as a whole is the way 2K22 leans into the simulation aspect of things from a size and speed standpoint. Playing as a giant character against a faster, smaller one shows off the dynamic. Physical attributes matter in a way that makes sense, just as they do with the storytelling Superstars on real-life shows.

Unfortunately for 2K22, what didn't appear to get an upgrade alongside the controls was the problematic A.I., which can put a damper on the whole experience. One-on-one matches can be a blast, but throwing things into a tag-team format with more than two people in the ring quickly becomes a mess.

Targeting issues, odd behavior and the same tag team match problems players have encountered for what feels like a decade (opposition partners break up pins fast) plague the experience. It gets messier outside the ring and in other areas where players can interact with environments and weaponry.

While the controls are a big improvement and nice foundation for the future, the surrounding issues make it hard to enjoy 2K22 at all times. Like watching WWE itself, it can be an exercise in frustration just as much as it's a downright blast to enjoy.

Graphics and Presentation

WWE 2K22 is the best-looking wrestling game to date.

The series has certainly leveled up in the presentation department, featuring innovative camera angles and lighting effects that match Superstars' entrances during WWE broadcasts.

Throughout, most Superstars are eerily lifelike—to the point that it's hard to imagine how they can get much better. Hair, for the most part, flows realistically. Sweat, lighting work and facial expressions, as well as little mannerisms exclusive to certain Superstars, round out a stunning presentation package.

Biggest note in this area? The camera angle is fresh and does some creative things. On big moves it zooms in to sell the impact (sans the endless, unnecessary cuts of real WWE television broadcasts). It also follows the player outside, making it easier to keep track of the action and immersion high.

Along those same lines, something like the presentation work in the 2K Showcase game mode flexes its creative muscles to a fun degree by taking real-time gameplay and melding it interestingly into a cutscene or vice versa while it tells its story.

There's less of the stuff that sunk 2K20 out of the gates like, say, Superstars T-posing in the middle of the ring or shapeshifting through the mat or ropes. There are visual glitches worth noting and random teleportation, but it's notably more polished than the previous effort in the series.

The announcing trio of Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton will feel stale, but that's standard stuff for players who happen to catch the five-plus hours of weekly WWE programming, and it's hard to figure out how the game can rectify this issue.

Overall, 2K22 captures the feel of WWE and its broadcasts in a way that makes this the standout area of this year's game.

MyGM, MyRise and More

The long-anticipated return of MyGM is more of a mixed bag than the anticipated controls revamp.

On paper, MyGM gets it right, letting players enter WWE as a general manager in control of a weekly show. They get to draft a roster, manage it with a salary cap, juggle free agents, matches, storylines and more while attempting to generate better bout and show ratings than an opponent.

But there's a big but attached to the mode. Players are limited to just 15, 25 or 50 weeks of playtime. They also only control three matches per week and only two world champions: one male, one female. There are no secondary titles like the Intercontinental Championship and no tag titles.

Granted, a player could put a ton of time and thought into those matches while diagnosing how to get the best possible ratings. But the restraints compared to modes in prior games and the artificial time limit hanging over the entire mode is pretty disappointing.

Make no mistake: managing everything is in-depth and a fun timesink. Match ratings are based on things like Superstar-class matchups, rivalries, the type of contest and quite a bit more. Shows get based on what one might expect, such as pacing, overall quality and special effects.

Most players probably won't find this to be enough, though. There's so much to a WWE show on a given night and so many characters, titles and angles that restricting it to just a handful of those aspects is a downer.

MyRise, on the other hand, doesn't disappoint at all. It's the renamed career mode where players can dig into a Superstar's world and get immersed in storylines. The booking, unlike real WWE, is never all that predictable. Whether it's joining factions, doing sneak attacks that the A.I. repays in kind at a later date or something else, the mode is a trip through the WWE experience worth taking multiple times.

In the past games, players would clunkily roam around backstage areas and chat with other Superstars, often reading text and ambling about while progressing storylines. There's some of that, especially the goofy dialogue, but it's more charming than experience-dampening.

Another new, although expected, mode is MyFaction. It felt like only a matter of time before the WWE 2K series attempted to ride the wave of momentum that Madden and FIFA enjoy from Ultimate Team or that NBA 2K gets from MyTeam.

In this mode, players assemble a faction of four male and female Superstars and earn MF, the currency needed to buy things like boosters that come in the form of championship side plates and managers. The mode, as anyone could have predicted, is pretty grindy. Even Evolution cards, which can level up and become more powerful, need various specific things (X amount of damaged limbs for example) to make that happen.

One of the baked-in problems with MyFaction, though, is getting some enjoyment out of the four-on-four matches given the gameplay's problematic A.I. that can make tag contests a chore.

But MyFaction feels like its own video game, one that could launch separately from everything else at this point. The number of modes, challenges and diversity of showdowns against A.I. or real opponents all build this nigh-overwhelming mode.

Then again, here's where MyFaction is most perplexing: the replayability will be very limited for some, and perhaps a big chunk of the mode's intended audience. That is not the case for similar modes found in other games. The difference? MyFaction doesn't have competitive multiplayer. For some players, grinding out factions just to never get them online against other players' counterparts won't cut it.

There's also 2K Showcase, which chronicles the storied career of the game's cover star, Rey Mysterio. As mentioned, the game pulls off some creative presentation blends to tell a documentary-style story narrated by Mysterio himself. But for those who know all about the high-flyer's storied career, some of the omissions will be baffling.

Also worth noting is Universe Mode, though it feels exactly the same as the iteration found in the last installment of the series.

As expected for a game based on a company that said goodbye to 80-plus talents over the past year or so, the roster is a hodgepodge of oddities. There are droves of Superstars on the roster who are no longer with the company, and some might even pop up down the line in an AEW video game.

This is no fault of the developer, but it's worth noting that the game doesn't accurately reflect the television product as much as it usually does given the frankly jaw-dropping time it has been in relation to pro wrestling roster moves.

Finally, 2K22 returns the robust creation suite that can quickly become a timesink. The wealth of options in the player's hand remains staggering, as do the possibilities once the community gets to go wild and share creations.

Conclusion

A seasons-type approach to WWE programming, or even an offseason, has been an interesting discussion among fans in the past. And WWE 2K22 at least somewhat proves that a bit of a break can be a good thing.

The revamped controls are, for the most part, strong and make this the most enjoyable in-ring WWE game in a long time. Presentation is a high mark. And a paper-thin MyGM mode is better than no MyGM mode. Plus MyRise is a stellar experience.

That said, we have seen sports games hit this phase before. WWE 2K22 is good fun and a welcome return for the series but also just a collection of solid foundational building blocks for the future. Whether the series builds upon those foundations or goes the way of the original NXT, to use a WWE metaphor, remains to be seen.

For now, WWE 2K is back with a strong effort that will both whet the appetites of hardcore fans and embrace new players thanks to its strong control system.