2K Games have official confirmed WWE 2K23 for release before next years Wrestlemania. Following this years record-breaking release with the release date moved from it’s usual Fall release to March 2022, fans were enthralled with the release after an 18 month wait since WWE 2K20’s last release.
WWE 2K23 looks to improve on the foundation built by WWE 2K22, which was one of the best regarded games in the series for years. Fans have already begun to list the things they want to see in next years edition and the number of changes they need to see to make this the best game ever have been thrown about regularly since release.
The 2023 edition of 2K’s latest game will feature a host of current WWE superstars, legends of wrestling and even a few celebrity guests. Rumours currently state that Cody Rhodes is the WWE 2K23 cover star, and will be joined on the game by huge stars like Roman Reigns, John Cena, The Rock and Becky Lynch. 2K Games will endeavour to once again make it the most star studded roster of all time, even with the competition of the new AEW Video Game – AEW Fight Forever.
Here we have taken a close look at WWE 2K22 and given to the top 5 improvements we need to see in WWE 2K23 when the new release drops around March 2023.
WWE 2K23 Top 5 Changes
Road To Wrestlemania Mode
One of the best game modes WWE games ever made was the incredible Road to Wrestlemania mode. The mode lets you pick one or more WWE stars as you follow their journey along the “Road to Wrestlemania”, which is usually considered to be the time spanning from the build up to the Royal Rumble to the Wrestlemania event itself.
With the game releasing just a month prior to Wrestlemania, adding WWE 2K23’s Road to Wrestlemania mode fits in perfectly with the general aesthetic of the game. Previous editions have featured incredibly fun and entertaining storylines, featuring fully voice acted performances from the likes of John Cena, The Undertaker, Kenny Omega and Mr Kennedy, just to name a few.
The mode would be a welcome return to the game and would be a fan favourite for gamers who grew up on the Smackdown vs Raw games. It features crazy feuds, sometimes wacky storylines and dream matches you never would get to see in WWE. The most fun one was The Undertaker in his feud with The Boogeyman, who turned Finlay and Santino Marella into zombies en route to a Wrestlemania match.
Adding Road to Wrestlemania Mode to WWE 2K22 is our most wanted addition to the game this year.
Improve MyGM Mode
MyGM Mode was the successor to the incredible popular GM Mode from previously editions. The mode long named as the most requested feature fans wanted to return to the game and 2K Games listened to that with it’s addition in WWE 2K22.
The mode was a huge hit and a really fun addition to the game. However, the mode needs to be fleshed out more in WWE 2K23 and give players more things to do and more reason to play. The current game is a great base to build upon but lacked a lot of the features that make the game mode a hit with fans in previous years.
The original General Manager mode gained recent popularity in recent years with the series on UpUpDownDown, where WWE stars Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze faced off in an incredible series. Adding just some of these features into the new game would do a lot to give the game much more replay ability going into the next iteration.
Dynamic Rosters
WWE 2K22 had one of the biggest rosters in wrestling video game history. 100s of current and former wrestlers filled up an incredible roster that gave fans countless combinations of matches to put on. They were spoiled for choice and were provided with one of, if not the, greatest list of characters in a WWE game ever.
However, there were some notable exceptions. Many stars were left out, usually due to how late they debuted in the company. NXT Champion Bron Breakker was not included in the game, and neither was surprise Wrestlemania debutant Cody Rhodes, just to name a couple of examples.
This was not ideal for fans. Cody Rhodes was immediately positioned as one of the top stars in the company yet fans only chance of playing as him was to download a fan-made creation from the Creation Centre online.
If WWE could introduce a dynamic roster to WWE 2K23, they could update the WWE superstars in the game and add them into the roster once they have made their debuts in the company. Even adding these late bloomers into the game via DLC would be acceptable, as many people would be happy to pay $5 to play as their new favourite superstars six months after the game’s release.
War Games and Other New Match Types
Once match type not included in WWE 2K22 was War Games. The classic WCW bout made it’s debut in NXT a few years back and features two teams of five battling it out inside a steel cage that covered two wrestling rings.
It is the ultimate battle. AEW have their own version of the match, named Blood and Guts, but WWE own the idea for the original WCW bout. However, they have yet to inclde the brutal match type in their games.
The match has yet to be used on the main roster and is currently a trademark match type in NXT. However, if Triple H ever wants to bring the match to Raw or Smackdown, an inclusion in the game will quickly get fans accustomed to the “match beyond”
Better Showcase Modes
Rey Mysterio was the featuring of the latest Showcase mode in WWE 2K22 but some key matches were missing for the Mexican superstar. His World Heavyweight Title win at Wrestlemania 20 was missing from the showcase, due to 2K Games neglecting to add Kurt Angle into the mix of the roster.
This is frankly unacceptable. A superstars career should be honoured in it’s entirety if they are included as the star of Showcase Mode in WWE 2K23. There were only 12 matches in the Rey Mysterio story on the game, with a real career retrospective should require at least 30 showcase matches in our opinion.
A showcase mode featuring a star like The Undertaker and his matches over the past 30 years would be ideal, adding it his opponents from his debut in 1990 to his last in 2020.
What WWE 2K22 New Features would you like to see included? Let us know in the comments or click below to read more