WWE 2K25 on Nintendo Switch 2 Review: Big-Time Wrestling, Finally Done Right on a Handheld
Few forms of entertainment sit as naturally at the crossroads of spectacle and interactivity as professional wrestling. It’s athletic, theatrical, ridiculous, dramatic, and hyper-visual by design. Strip away the storylines and characters and it’s still impressive. Layer them back in and you have something that almost feels built for video games. And yet, wrestling games have always lived on a knife edge. Too arcadey and they lose authenticity. Too simulation-heavy and they forget that wrestling is, above all else, performance.
With WWE 2K25 on the Nintendo Switch 2, Visual Concepts lands closer to that sweet spot than ever before. This is not just the best WWE game on a Nintendo platform in years. It’s one of the strongest entries in the entire modern WWE 2K run, period.
Yes, it has one major misfire. Yes, there are familiar concerns around monetisation. But when the bell rings and the match begins, WWE 2K25 delivers exactly what fans want: great feel, huge variety, and a ridiculous amount of wrestling content that respects both the sport and the spectacle.
A much-needed technical reset on Switch 2
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. This is the first WWE game on a Nintendo platform in a long time that doesn’t feel like a compromised side project.
On original Switch hardware, WWE games always felt like they were apologising for existing. Cut-back visuals, uneven performance, and a general sense that you were playing a “version” rather than the game. On Switch 2, that’s no longer the case. WWE 2K25 runs smoothly, loads quickly, and finally delivers the kind of visual fidelity you expect from a modern wrestling title.
Character models look excellent. Sweat, bruising, and blood gradually build over the course of a match, giving you an immediate visual read on how things are going. Lighting is dramatic and arena presentation feels authentically WWE, from pyro-heavy entrances to camera angles that mirror televised broadcasts.
It’s not identical to the absolute top-tier console versions, but crucially, it no longer feels compromised. For the first time, playing WWE on Nintendo hardware feels proper.
The importance of great tutorials (yes, really)
WWE 2K25 does something that far too many annual sports games still get wrong. It remembers that not everyone played last year’s entry.
The Performance Center tutorial mode is outstanding. It’s thorough without being condescending, detailed without being overwhelming, and genuinely useful whether you’re brand new or returning after a long break. Chain Wrestling, which makes a long-requested return this year, is explained clearly and with enough hands-on practice that it actually sticks.
This matters because WWE games are mechanically dense. Grapples, counters, reversals, stamina management, signatures, finishers, submission systems. There’s a lot going on, and the fact that WWE 2K25 takes the time to teach it properly is a huge win.
It also makes the game far more approachable on a handheld platform, where pick-up-and-play flexibility is key.
The roster is absurdly good
WWE 2K25’s roster is stacked to a borderline indulgent degree. Legends, modern stars, niche favourites, and deeply specific versions of wrestlers from different eras all coexist here.
You get icons like Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan. You get modern megastars like Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, and Bianca Belair. You get oddballs, deep cuts, and multiple versions of the same wrestler that reflect different points in their careers.
What’s impressive is not just the size of the roster, but the granularity. Different versions of the same wrestler have distinct stats, move sets, entrances, and crowd reactions. This isn’t just fan service. It meaningfully affects gameplay and adds texture to modes like Universe and Showcase.
And if you don’t like how someone’s set up, you can change it. Stats, moves, crowd response, entrances. WWE 2K25 gives you an enormous amount of control, and it trusts players to use it.
In-ring gameplay: familiar, refined, and better for it
If you played WWE 2K24, WWE 2K25 will feel immediately familiar. That’s a good thing.
This is a case of refinement rather than reinvention. The core gameplay already worked, and Visual Concepts wisely chose to polish rather than panic. Animations flow well, strikes feel impactful, and reversals remain one of the most satisfying risk-reward systems in sports gaming.
The return of Chain Wrestling is a standout addition. It’s a timing-and-positioning minigame that adds authenticity to the opening moments of a match, recreating the feeling of technical grappling and momentum shifts you see in real wrestling. It’s situational and not always available, but when it triggers, it adds a layer of realism and tension that was sorely missed.
The only real downside is that Chain Wrestling rarely appears outside the early stages of a match. It feels slightly underutilised, but even in its limited role, it’s a welcome return.
Showcase mode finally feels… fun again
Showcase mode is one of the biggest improvements over last year. Full entrances are back. Commentary is sharper and more reactive. Most importantly, the immersion-breaking cuts to real footage mid-match are gone.
Instead of yanking you out of the action, WWE 2K25 recreates iconic moments in-engine. That means matches flow naturally, even if you don’t hit every optional objective exactly as intended.
There’s also a clever twist this year where some matches ask you to rewrite history. Changing outcomes, flipping narratives, and exploring “what if” scenarios adds variety and makes Showcase feel less like a history lesson and more like a celebration.
Timed objectives still exist, and they can be frustrating. Missing a narrow window because of an unlucky reversal is annoying. But the rewards are usually worth it, and the overall experience is far smoother than before.
MyRise and the joy of structured chaos
MyRise continues to be one of the most entertaining career modes in sports gaming. It’s silly, self-aware, dramatic, and surprisingly engaging.
The writing leans into wrestling’s inherent absurdity without mocking it. Storylines feel varied, character progression is satisfying, and your created wrestler genuinely feels like they’re carving out a place in the WWE ecosystem.
On Switch 2, MyRise is particularly compelling because it works so well in short bursts. A match here, a cutscene there. It fits handheld play beautifully.
Match variety is a genuine strength
WWE 2K25 adds several new match types, and they’re not just gimmicks.
Intergender matches are a long-overdue inclusion. Functionally, they work like standard matches, but the freedom they offer in custom cards and Universe mode is huge. It opens up creative possibilities that wrestling fans have wanted for years.
Underground matches ditch ropes and focus on knockouts and health depletion, giving the game a more traditional fighting-game flavour. Bloodline Rules matches lean into chaos, interference, and storytelling. These additions don’t reinvent the wheel, but they add meaningful variety.
In a game where longevity matters, match diversity is everything, and WWE 2K25 delivers.
Presentation and performance shine
Visually, WWE 2K25 is one of the best-looking wrestling games ever made. Bruising, sweat, blood, and fatigue all communicate match progression clearly. You can tell who’s been punished and where.
On Switch 2, performance holds up impressively. Matches are smooth, entrances are stable, and loading times are reasonable. It finally feels like Nintendo players are getting the full experience.
Final verdict
WWE 2K25 on Nintendo Switch 2 is a huge step forward. It looks great, plays even better, and offers an absurd amount of content for wrestling fans who want both authenticity and spectacle.
Yes, The Island is a misstep. Yes, monetisation still lurks in the background. But the core game is strong enough that these issues don’t derail the experience.
This is wrestling done right on a handheld. Big, loud, ridiculous, and deeply satisfying. If you care about wrestling games, WWE 2K25 is absolutely worth stepping into the ring for.
