It's WWE 2K24 launch day and fans have already picked up their controllers and entered the squared circle.
This year's title continues the upward momentum WWE 2K23 started and introduces some exciting new features that helped the franchise reach new heights.
WWE 2K24 delivers a very immersive and enjoyable experience, and it's fair to say all the hype surrounding the title was justified.
So let's find out everything about WWE 2K24, the best wrestling game ever.
WWE 2K24 release date
As expected, WWE 2K24 will be timed to allow players to make the most of the WrestleMania season.
WWE 2K24 has an official release date of Friday, 8 March 2024. This is a month before WrestleMania, so right in the hottest part of the WWE year.
If you were willing to spend a bit more money, you could have got started in WWE 2K24 on Tuesday, 5 March, thanks to the three days of early access that is attached to the Deluxe Edition and the special Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition.
Editions, platforms, & price
WWE 2K24 has a total of three editions, Standard, Deluxe and Forty Years of WrestleMania, with each having its own cover, rewards, and price.
The game will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC (via Steam), which adds yet another layer to the pricing.
So let's take a look at what each of the three WWE 2K24 editions offers.
Standard Edition
The Standard Edition costs $59.99 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
On the Xbox Series X|S & PS5 the price is slightly higher with the edition costing $69.99. It's also worth noting that this is a cross-generational edition.
The pre-order bonuses for this edition are the following:
- Nightmare Family Pack includes:
- Dusty Rhodes ('76) + MyFACTION Card
- Stardust
- Undashing Cody Rhodes
- "Superstar" Billy Graham
- Mattel Cody Rhodes (Bruised) Playable Character and MyFACTION Card
- Pharaoh Manager MyFACTION Card
Deluxe Edition
The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99 and is available for the Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
It's more expensive than the Standart edition, but that's because apart from including the Nightmare Family Pack, it also offers many other rewards, including three days of early access.
Its cover is unique and historic, as it marks the first time two female superstars feature on the cover of a WWE 2K game. The two superstars that share the cover are Bianca Belair and the current Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley.
The pre-order bonuses for this edition are the following:
- Nightmare Family Pack
- 3 day early access,
- Season Pass (5x DLC)
- MyRISE Mega-Boost
- SuperCharger
- Rhea Ripley MyFACTION Evo Card
- Bianca Belair MyFACTION Evo Card
- Rhea Ripley Alt Attire
- Bianca Belair Alt Attire
Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition
The final and most expensive edition of WWE 2K24 comes in at an eye-watering $119.99 for Xbox Series X|S and PS5.
The Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition has an incredibly looking cover, featuring some of the biggest WWE superstars of all time, such as Stone Cold, The Rock, Hulk Hogan and John Cena among others.
It features everything you get in the Deluxe Edition plus:
- Showcase Superstars Roster Unlock
- WrestleMania 40 Arena
- "Macho King" Randy Savage - WrestleMania 6
- Rey Mysterio - WrestleMania 22
- Triple H - WrestleMania 30
- Charlotte Flair - WrestleMania 33
- Rhea Ripley - WrestleMania 36
- 2-3 Gold MyFACTION cards of the above
Showcase of the Immortals
With an emphasis on WrestleMania's grand history, this year's Showcase of the Immortals will feature 21 of the most spectacular and memorable WrestleMania matches, as we can see in its trailer.
This showcase will put players in control of the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history, with matches that take place across five different decades. Each new match is unlocked by completing the previous one.
It's a very similar game mode to the one in WWE 2K14, where the 30 years of wrestling biggest show were celebrated. However, this time it's WWE commentator Corey Graves who takes us through the tale of WWE's most iconic event, and helps us relive some amazing matches and moments.
2K’s distinctive Slingshot Tech seamlessly morphs gameplay into live-action footage and back again for the most immersive WrestleMania video game experience to date.
Similar to other showcase modes, there is a host of unlockable content such as characters, titles or arenas, which add challenge and replay value to this historical experience.
Some of the matches players will be able to relive are:
- Ricky Steamboat w/ George Steele vs. Randy Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth (WrestleMania 3)
- Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant w/ Bobby Heenan (WrestleMania 3)
- Bret Hitman Hart vs Roddy Piper (WrestleMania 7)
- Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels ( WrestleMania 10)
- Bret Hitman Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13)
- Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 17)
- Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 20)
- The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25)
- Seth Rollins vs Randy Orton (WrestleMania 31)
- Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 35)
- The Fiend Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena in a Firefly Funhouse match (WrestleMania 36)
- Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens (WrestleMania 38)
- Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude (WrestleMania 5)
- Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 39)
- Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes (WrestleMania 39)
- Bianca Belair vs. Asuka (WrestleMania 39)
New match types
There are four new matches coming to WWE 2K24. These are a Special Guest Referee, Ambulance Match, Casket Match, and Gauntlet Match.
While none of these are brand new to the genre of wrestling games, it is good to see them included in WWE 2K24.
The Ambulance Match type is certainly the most unique of all, with players needing to complete a two-button-mash mini-game, which is very similar to the submission mini-game, to win the match.
These are some of the community's favourite match types so it's great to see them return.
Gameplay upgrades
2K is putting a big emphasis on some gameplay improvements this year. The addition of Super Finishers, as well as a new Trading Blows mini-game will change up the gameplay loop a little.
The Trading Blows mini-game can appear at the beginning or at crucial points of a match. The mini-game mode will see players trading blows one at a time until only one is left standing.
This mechanic adds yet another immersive feature to the game and one that fans will certainly love.
There is also the addition of dives to the outside that can impact a group of opponents, new weapons, double title matches, and even the inclusion of real WWE referees to heighten the experience.
WWE 2K24 cover stars
As expected, Cody Rhodes is the cover star of WWE 2K24, but he's not alone.
While Rhodes will be on the front of the Standard Edition, Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair will grace the cover of the Deluxe Edition, making history as the first female superstars to be on the cover of a WWE 2K game.
As the name suggests, the Forty Years of WrestleMania Edition features stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker and more. All the covers look unique and aesthetically pleasing.
WWE 2K24 full roster
The WWE 2K24 roster has already been revealed, and it has some huge surprises.
With a focus on WWE's historic moments, this year's roster is bigger than ever, including more than 200 current superstars and legends in the WWE 2K24 roster.
Despite that, huge Superstars such as CM Punk, Jade Cargill, Nia Jax and Carlito aren't a part of the base roster. However, they will likely be added to the game in a future DLC.
Edge and Goldberg are no longer with WWE, and Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, and Mustafa Ali have also left the company, so it's no surprise they aren't on the roster.
But the late great Bray Wyatt's character The Fiend is returning to the title, and so is Ronda Rousey, who should be present in one of the Showcase of the Immortals moments.
The biggest news is that Brock Lesnar won't be in WWE 2K24, something that many fans were already expecting.
We will update this article regularly, so make sure to bookmark it.
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