WWE 2K25 Review - The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns Invites You to His Island

Written by Brandon Hofer on March 20, 2025

Reviews: Your road to relevance begins as you learn more about the Bloodline and see if you are good enough to impress the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns.

WWE 2K25 has arrived and it has brought a lot of good ideas to the table. There is a lot here for WWE fans and gamers who might not watch WWE television but still enjoy the games. My recommendation is to visit the Performance Center as soon as you start the game and go through the training so that you can have a better experience with the game. It opens up with a fantastic video where Paul Heyman talks about being a WWE Superstar and asking whether or not you have what it takes to get to the main roster and potentially challenge the Bloodline, or maybe even stand alongside them. Paul Heyman is the best in the business at hyping up the fans and this video package is no different. As soon as I was done watching it I was eager to jump into the lessons the Performance Center had waiting to teach me.

The next mode that I wanted to try out was MyRise. This mode allows players to guide their custom Superstar from the men’s or women’s division in a MyRise storyline. In this storyline some main roster superstars infiltrate NXT to try and assume control of all of WWE. During my time with this mode I really enjoyed the storylines that were presented and some of the new personality choices the game presented to me. I am not going to spoil which WWE Superstars are involved in the MyRise storylines but they are some fan favorites that everyone should enjoy seeing.

There is one thing I think fans will appreciate and that is that MyRise has a sort of new game plus option. Once you go through a full playthrough there is the option to replay MyRise on the same save slot. What this allows you to do is experience the story again but this time your custom characters and overall rating carry over, giving you a potential leg up on the situation. This is definitely something I would advise players to experience as subsequent playthroughs will have some new content, including new ally storylines. There also appear to be multiple endings in MyRise which means multiple playthroughs if you want to experience everything.

The Showcase mode for WWE 2K25 features the Bloodline, perhaps the most dominant faction in the history of the WWE. It doesn’t just showcase recent members though. When you go to the showcase button on the main menu you immediately see images of Umaga, Yokozuna, Tamina, and more. This entire mode pays tribute to the Anoa’i family and throughout, Paul Heyman provides historical context for each member of the Bloodline. This year the development team at 2K Sports made two changes to the Showcase mode now, having full entrances as well as commentary in the matches. For fans who are unfamiliar with the Showcase mode, I have always looked at it as somewhat of a “story mode” for the game. For this year’s version the story revolves around the Bloodline and the matches have been divided into three categories: Create History, Change History, and Relive History.

In Create History, I was able to experience some dream scenarios that weren’t able to take place in the real world for a variety of reasons. One such match is The Islanders vs. The Street Profits. For the Change History category you have the opportunity to change the history books in matches such as The Headshrinkers vs. Steiner Brothers at WrestleMania IX or Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins from the 2022 Royal Rumble. Longtime fans will get a kick out of Relive History with matchups such as The Usos vs. New Day with Big E from the 2017 Hell in a Cell pay per view. This Showcase mode features over 70 rewards that you can unlock as you make your way through the story and complete objectives. I always enjoy being able to unlock a new WWE Legend or perhaps even a new arena from the past that I have forgotten about and then it unlocks and the memories of that show start flooding back. The development team at 2K Sports did a great job here and WWE fans should really enjoy this trip down memory lane.

The next thing I tried is a brand new concept for WWE 2K, The Island. During Roman’s promos beginning around Fall 2020, one of the consistent things he has talked about is his island of relevancy. What that basically means is that anyone that is in his orbit, whether they are standing alongside him or fighting him, immediately becomes more relevant in the grand scheme of things. In this mode Roman has laid down a challenge to see if you have what it takes to be a WWE Superstar. This mode features its own story and has its own quests. Using your created superstar (if you haven’t created one, you will do so now) you launch into the hub world of The Island. Your first quest is to speak with Paul Heyman who has some important information to give you. That is where your road to relevance begins. I wanted to explore the island so I didn’t speak with Heyman immediately. There are a number of different shops available to you, all wanting you to spend money. This is definitely micro-transaction heavy but it seems to all be optional. For example, you can spend money to buy 2K’s virtual currency and then go into the WWE Shop to buy a WWE jacket. If your wrestler needs some new kicks, there is a Nike store you walk into to get a new pair. There is also a Jordan specific store where you can go in to buy some new Jordans. A pair of Jordan’s costs 18,000 virtual currency. You can buy a VC pack that has 32,500 credits for $9.99 so you can kind of see what the real world cost is for some of this stuff. There are also character specific stores such as “Becky & Seth’s Driporium”. In this store you can get some of the stuff fans have seen Seth Rollins wear on tv, such as those giant Mario red shoes that took the internet by storm.

Keep in mind that you can also earn XP and VC (virtual currency) by winning matches and completing quests. The island is also where you can engage in some action online against other players. If you win your match you will earn rank points. If you lose though, you also lose points and might move down a level. Up to 50 players can be on the same server so even if you aren’t wrestling a match, you should still see other players running around the island with you. Outside of the micro-transactions, there is quite a bit to do on the Island to try and win the favor of the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. The island has four different districts to explore, all with a unique atmosphere. There are quests for you to complete, challenges to take on, and live events to compete in. There are rewards to be earned depending on how well you do which will allow you to upgrade and customize your MySuperstar character through the different chapters. Overall, I love the concept here. Walking around the island exploring all of the areas like the Arcade of Tomorrow, the Temple of Ancestors and more show there was a lot of care and thought put into this mode.

The MyGM mode returns this year with an important addition. For the first time ever, the MyGM mode is now online. Online play will support up to four players on the same platform. This year the development almost doubled the amount of general managers that are available to use, going from 10 to 19. Some of the general managers you can choose from include Stephanie McMahon, Ava, CM Punk, Shawn Michaels, Miss Elizabeth, Nick Aldis, and more. This mode essentially allows the player to make all of the decisions to see what would happen if you were one calling the shots. It is up to you to build your roster through a draft and then lead your brand through different seasons which include running shows and making those hard decisions.

If you want more of a sandbox style of gameplay WWE 2K25 also has you covered here with Universe mode. This is where you control the entire WWE world. It will be your job to develop rivalries, book matches, create your own shows, and even come up with your own storylines. Have you always wanted to see a story play out a certain way on television but it never does? You can make it happen here. Another way to think of this is that Universe mode is basically like a “career” mode. Just like WWE television every week, Universe mode can go on nonstop as you follow a calendar of weekly shows and try to make adjustments as needed.

For those who want something completely different than everything I mentioned above, there is also the MyFaction mode. This is similar to Madden’s Ultimate Team mode so if you have played that, you kind of know what to expect here. You collect cards of WWE Superstars and Legends to try and build your own faction. You then use these to participate in matches and complete challenges. You also compete online to see how your stable fares against everyone else. There is a lot to see here such as Faction Wars. Leading a team of four superstars in my faction against the A.I. teams was a good amount of fun and it helped me judge just how good (or bad) my team really was. One of the biggest additions to this mode is the World Tour. You can go to different regions where matches will be handled differently. For example, a match in Orlando might have different stipulations then a match in Los Angeles. It is up to you and the cards you draw to see if you can handle the pressure of being in the WWE.

I don’t really have a whole lot to complain about with WWE 2K25. There will definitely be some people that don’t like all of the micro transactions in The Island. It is all optional and you can earn currency to buy things by playing the game, so I don’t have too much of an issue with it. If the only way to get currency was by using real money that would be a different issue. As a big WWE fan, some of the entrances still aren’t as accurate as they should be. One of more egregious errors is Paul Heyman accompanying Roman Reigns to the ring. When Roman and Paul appear on WWE tv, Heyman treats Roman with the utmost respect. He has his hands together almost like he is praying and he is acknowledging his tribal chief. In the game, Heyman acts like a cheerleader and is jumping up and down to try and hype up the crowd. To say that is wrong is an understatement. I’m not quite sure how this happens. It doesn’t affect the game or gameplay at all but that type of thing will be jarring to WWE fans.

WWE 2K25 has a lot to offer fans that should keep everyone busy for a long time. There is also a massive creation suite where you can create your own superstar, work on your entrance, work on your move set, customize your matches, and so much more. WWE 2K25 also features community creations where you can share your ideas with the world, or download something you think is really well done. The development team at 2K Sports has given fans a lot to do here and WWE fans should have a lot of fun with the experience. No matter what type of gameplay or experience you are looking for, fans should be able to find it here. The only thing that remains is to answer the question of whether you will become relevant enough to impress the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns.