WWE 2K22 is confirmed to land later this year after the trailer was revealed during WrestleMania 37.
With a chance to provide a true series reset, here's everything we want to see when WWE 2K22 is finally released later this year.
Latest - WWE 2K22 development promises
2K is already showing a commitment to remedying the issues that came up during the release and aftermath of WWE 2K20.
The pitfalls of the last installment, combined with the impact of the global pandemic, led to the cancellation of WWE 2K21.
According to Fightful Select, 2K has now committed to providing development videos showing their work behind the scenes in the build to WWE 2K22 being released.
GM Mode Returns
There may be no more requested feature for the WWE 2K series than GM Mode, and it remains one we want to see back in WWE 2K22.
There's no question that 2K Games and WWE have the ability to put it back in the game, but they've prioritized other things in recent years and pushed heavily on Universe Mode instead.
WWE 2K20 added lots of unique fantasy content, which was nice, but felt unnecessary considering what fans were really clamoring for.
Expanded Legends Roster
This isn't always an easy thing to manage, but the WWE 2K22 Legends Roster needs to be more expansive than ever as the title prepares to land on next gen.
There could also be some pieces of the Legends Roster that are exclusive to next gen, and WWE has plenty of historic characters to work with from WWE, WCW, and ECW.
The real hurdle here tends to be licensing agreements, especially if they're adding wrestlers who haven't bee a part of WWE for some time, but this remains a major missed opportunity.
More Classic Arenas
Speaking of missed opportunities, WWE 2K22 needs to have more classic wrestling arenas than the series has ever seen before.
With WWE 2K20, even in all of its broken glory, showcasing chaotic fantasy arenas galore, it's now clear that WWE Games and 2K can drop in basically any arena design they choose.
WWE has access to a massive library of traditional WWE, ECW, and WCW arenas, and could even make agreements for indie arenas ala Evolve or wXw that could make the game feel more interactive than ever.
No Gamebreaking Bugs & Glitches
It almost feels unfair to request zero bugs or glitches when making a game of this size is such an undertaking for developers, but WWE 2K22 can't have any of the absurd gamebreaking ones that WWE 2K20 launched with.
All of the game's major modes need to work as intended, and the graphics need to feel like a step up while keeping consistency across the game.
Some hiccups are understandable, but we can't see a WWE 2K22 release look anything like the glitched mayhem of WWE 2K20.
Create-A-Finisher
While GM Mode is a much-requested past feature, another fans often want to see back is Create-A-Finisher.
It's been several years since the custom move engine existed in the game, and it brought us hilarious combinations like aerial moves with dozens of flips or moves that takes 30+ seconds to execute.
Even if custom moves are restricted in online play, Create-A-Finisher is an enjoyable feature that WWE 2K22 needs to bring back for the fans, and it could even allow them to create classic moves from earlier in the career of wrestlers like potential WWE 2K22 Cover Star Sasha Banks.
Online Group Universe Mode
With WWE 2K20 continuing a commitment to Universe Mode, 2K Games needs to take that cue and create an online equivalent not unlike Online Franchise in other sports games.
Imagine being able to invite a handful of your friends into a custom-crafted WWE 2K22 Universe Mode, allowing you each to participate in created cards and play different matches on a show.
It's a big undertaking, but one that would make a huge impact as a new feature in WWE 2K22.
Online RPG-Style MyCAREER
Perhaps the most exciting possibility, and one that's more realistic than you might think, is WWE 2K22 introducing an online RPG-styled MyCAREER mode.
Something even similar to an open-world experience where players can navigate an area and start spontaneous matches with other online players.
It might seem farfetched, but this is exactly what 2K Games is already doing in NBA 2K21 with The City on next gen platforms.
WWE 2K22 needs to take that cue and run with this opportunity, because if they don't they're just leaving money on the table.