If a historian were to go through the history of WWE video games and look at the evolution of how things started to where they are now they’d never believe how the product ended up. A smorgasbord of menus, modes and options will completely blindside newcomers or those that haven’t played a WWE game in many years. However, WWE 2K26 is layer after layer of growth from previous iterations, resulting in an end product that has an enormous wealth of options and refinements that should ultimately pay off. Right, strap in; this is a meaty one!
Upon booting into the main menu there are a raft of options that the player can choose from. For those returning, there should be a lot of familiarity, but newcomers may be overwhelmed as to where to start. MyRise is a branching story mode filled with behaviour-induced decisions that push the story along in a certain direction. Choose the heel option or the face option and get different outcomes as a result. Whilst there is the option to choose either a male or female path, there don’t seem to be any real distinct differences between the two different-gendered paths.
It takes roughly 5-6 hours to get through and serves up a decent enough story mode, but if others want to go through a different type of story mode then the Showcase mode offers the option to relieve the career of CM Punk through various cutscenes and cherry-picked matches from throughout his long wrestling tenure.
Matches involve recreating spots and outcomes that were reminiscent of the actual match during his career; however, unlike previous Showcases, the CM Punk Showcase allows for ‘What if’ scenarios alongside Fantasy matches that give an extra flavour of how some dream situations would have gone for CM Punk. Showcase offers a mixed bag of emotions, as following a set of missions to progress matches to the next point feels a bit one dimensional, or (dare it be said) scripted. Together, both MyRise and Showcase feel that they have a more traditional start and end, and once these modes have been completed there is very little reason to revisit them.
Luckily that is why there are a number of modes that encourage players to continuously play, such as Universe and MyGM. MyGM mode entails putting together customised shows that go head to head with rival brands. This mode hasn’t really changed too much over the years, and eventually it is pretty simple to game the system.
The mode starts with a roster draft pick, of which superstars have five distinct fighting styles that pair well together alongside other attributes including crowd popularity and level of stamina. Players need to put together the perfect roster that can pit heels and baby faces against one another in a variety of match-ups to put on the best shows.
Over the course of a number of game weeks, wrestlers will develop and play through a rivalry with one another, just as feuds work in WWE. These rivalries can be progressed by continuing to pit the same opponents against one another or by putting them into a promo against each other. Rivalries can also extend into tag team matches, so there’s the opportunity to put on a six-man tag match to progress three different rivalries all at once if really desired.
Eventually the cycle becomes fairly predictable to the point that it becomes quite stale. There is a lot of enjoyment to be had out of the learning curve, and putting fantasy booking cards together can be fun, but despite minor tweaks year-over-year it can feel incredibly repetitive to play.
Universe mode is the same as always as it allows for WWE fans to create show after show of fantasy booking, with no stipulations or objectives to keep them beholden to, such as MyGM. Universe mode is often the dream mode to go to with an endless creative freedom to make shows, rivalries, PPVs, and decisions that make any player wonder if they could march into TKO’s office to take the top job off of Triple H. Universe mode can pick up from any month the player chooses, so if the Royal Rumble is the natural starting point, then so be it.
An internet connection and a tonne of time to grind is needed to access other modes to fully enjoy them. The Island is one such example. Roman Reigns has been removed from the helm from his stint in WWE 2K25 and replaced in WWE 2K26 by three different superstars: CM Punk, Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley. This really does take WWE 2K26 out of the simulation and (dare it be said) realism, and places it into a truly wackier world that blends the cartoon and campness from the early 1990s WWE TV with a modern video game experience fit for 2026. Whilst the wrestling action itself doesn’t change, the tonality shifts from simulation to an arcade feeling.
MyFaction is a customisable and collectible card game mode where, utilising a mixture of earned in-game currency alongside paid opportunities, players can progress against a number of challenges. Within MyFaction are three different options to tackle including Weekly Towers, Faction Wars and World Tour. Irrespective of which option is picked, essentially the premise is the same: pick a wrestler and win. If only it were that simple instead of using the wide variety of superstars. MyFaction relies on the user pulling packs of wrestlers by using in-game currency or via very costly microtransactions on Nintendo eShop to purchase currency to buy packs.
Nonetheless this mode can be grinded out by using what is available and being a bit lucky. Whilst both modes could be played without additional funds and the traditional grind is still available, it is evident all across WWE 2K26 that paying to play can expedite the experience of the heavy grind to unlock wrestlers and other bits and bobs.
The ‘Ringside pass’ shows what is available from both a paid and non-paid tier, but those who do own the DLC still need to grind away to get their rewards. This is where ‘Inception’ levels of digital purchases are needed as there are the opportunities to pay for Tier Skips, as well, to unlock rewards faster. That is paid Tier Skips to unlock the items under the paid DLC under the paid full price title.
The level of gouging from WWE 2K26 is somewhat unreal, as on one hand there is a mammoth amount of content that can be played for free or by simply playing the game and naturally progressing, but it certainly can make users feel like they are missing out by not owning this content unless a significant amount of grinding takes place.
This is where community creations can help fill in the gap for those that do not want to shell out extortionate amounts of cash to see everything WWE 2K26 has to offer. Community creations allows people to share custom wrestlers, arenas and championships with players from all across the world and on other ecosystems such as PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The Nintendo Switch 2 version allows for mouse controls to allow for accurate editing of all creations, which is great given how extensive the Community Creator editor is and gives the Nintendo Switch 2 a more native and distinct advantage versus other consoles.
The downside is that community creations add to the overall storage of WWE 2K26. At 86GB this is certainly going to be a difficult one to keep on a whim to play every now and again. Whilst not really the fault of 2K, titles such as this one highlight that Nintendo Switch 2 and expensive microSD Express cards really limit the potential to be able to build digital libraries. Downloading community creations will also add to the issue, although they are really a fantastic method to get arenas, wrestlers, and other bits and bobs into the experience.
2K advertises that there are over 400 wrestlers to choose from in WWE 2K26, but this is somewhat not true as there are large numbers of reskinned alts of wrestlers that inflate these numbers, such as various versions of The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, and many more. Nonetheless, the roster is hugely impressive, and such a selection of wrestlers allows various modes to flourish even more.
The Nintendo Switch 2 version is not only feature complete against PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC, but has a couple of unique features of its own, including the aforementioned mouse controls, but also motion controls tacked on. Motion controls would naturally be normally overlooked; however, exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2 is Motion Mayhem, a match played entirely with motion controls.
The match throws in motion-based minigames and power-ups that give wrestlers temporary buffs if collected. It is a great exclusive mode that can only be played offline, but really should be playable online as it invokes a party-style element that Nintendo gamers are often accustomed to.
Speaking of online, GameShare can be used with up to three other players via GameChat, or locally via wireless play. Unfortunately, whilst performance remains relatively rocksteady, the compromise can be seen on graphics, with ropes that shimmer with ugly jaggies, hair that looks like it belongs in the 2000s, and somewhat long loading times in certain modes. Nonetheless, the fact that WWE 2K26 can be so feature rich and perform so well is outstanding for Nintendo Switch 2 owners.
WWE 2K26 is the third mainline WWE game on a Nintendo platform in nine years. 2K has been building on a foundation of the core game for many years, now, and the year-by-year refinements are paying off. Handheld gamers will be eating well knowing that they can continue their Universe progress on the go. For those who haven’t played a WWE game for a while, this will feel amazing given the plethora of modes, which can feel intimidating and overwhelming at times, but having that many content options is not a weakness but a strength to the longevity of WWE 2K26. Those who buy WWE annually may not feel enough of a big leap from year to year, but given Nintendo Switch owners have been largely starved of the franchise, then this shouldn’t be the case at all.
