For better or for worse, it seems like WWE 2K25 will be prioritizing online play when it finally releases. Having already revealed The Island as well as a litany of different MyFaction rewards players can get should they preorder one of the versions of the game, it’s obvious that 2K wants to filter fans through their online functions. And fair enough, considering that’s where the money is made. But what about Universe Mode?
In the rare case that you haven’t played a WWE game in the last 13 years or so, Universe Mode is essentially a sandbox mode where players can shape their WWE universe as they see fit, acting as a kind of fantasy booking simulator. And while the mode does provide a decent experience, it is far from perfect and lacks quite a few features that hold it back from being all it can be.
So, what changes can WWE 2K25 make that would drastically improve the mode?
Operation Sports’ WWE 2K25 Universe Mode Wishlist
Promos Are Here, But Are They Really?
So just to knock this one out really quick — promos are something the WWE 2K community has been begging for in Universe Mode for a while. And to 2K’s credit, promos will be featured as part of Universe Mode in WWE 2K25. But its mere presence isn’t enough as they have to be done right.
When it comes to WWE television, the promos are just as important as the matches themselves. After all, it’s the building up of a storyline that makes the match work it in the first place. And in order to capture that accurately, WWE 2K25 will need a promo function that provides plays freedom and adds stakes to big matches.
Promos in WWE 2K25 can’t afford to be there for the sake of being there. They must be engaging, provide plenty of options/outcomes, and accurately reflect those seen on WWE television.
More Options For Factions
It’s incredibly ironic that despite The Bloodline being the biggest thing about WWE for the past five years, the WWE 2K games are severely lacking when it comes to booking factions in Universe mode. Yeah, there’s some options for tag teams to wage war amongst one another. But where are the three-on-three staredowns? Where is the option to show some in-house drama amongst the members themselves?
The only option that even resembles that of faction warfare is the Numbers Beatdown action, which doesn’t even allow for complete freedom when it comes to choosing who is involved (more on that in a second). With acts such as Judgement Day, Wyatt Sicks, American Made, Final Testament, and the aforementioned Bloodline being staples of the modern WWE landscape, there must be more options to book believable and immersive faction storylines in WWE 2K25.
Free Mode Needs To Provide Actual Freedom
By default, Universe Mode in the WWE 2K games is meant to be a living, breathing alternate universe where anything is possible. But most players — myself included — use it as a means to fantasy book shows without the pressure of meeting certain metrics like in GM Mode. To accommodate this, WWE 2K games provide users the ability to book angles in Free Mode, giving players more freedom to book as they see fit without needing a rivalry to be at a certain level.
But how much freedom does it give you? Honestly, not much.
While using Free Mode does allow you to perform Rivalry Actions even if that particular rivalry doesn’t meet the normal requirements for it, you can unfortunately find yourself in situations where you can’t choose the correct Superstars for said action.
As an example, I was once booking one of the Numbers Beatdown actions we talked about a minute ago. And even after I chose it (a convoluted process in and of itself), I couldn’t choose the Superstars I wanted to use. Instead of it being three members of the faction I was booking, I was limited to choosing two of the Superstars I wanted and one random that had absolutely nothing to do with anything. Talk about immersion breaking…
If WWE 2K25 is gonna retain Free Mode in Universe Mode, then let it give you the option to choose anyone for anything.
Fix The Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is one of the biggest and most important shows on the WWE yearly calendar. Not only does it provide tons of excitement and surprises, but it also kickstarts the road to WrestleMania, the company’s biggest show of the year. And for some reason, Universe Mode just doesn’t know how to handle it.
For starters, booking the actual Royal Rumble match is a nightmare. Changing the participants is a pain, as it requires you to navigate a ton of menus within menus to do so. And worse yet, choosing the winner of the Rumble is awful as it only lets you choose between a handful of wrestlers in the match for the main match menu. This means that in order for the Rumble to play out exactly how you want to — winner included — you will have to manually play through the longest match type in the game.
As we speak, my leadup to WrestleMania is now ruined because I — being the genius I am — decided to just sim the Rumble and see how it played out. The winner? Johnny Gargano.
No offense to Johnny Wrestling, but the guy has barely featured in my Universe Mode and has spent a majority of it at the bottom of the card getting his butt kicked (along with tag partner Tommaso Ciampa) by Bloodline 2.0 on Smackdown. But now? He’ll main event WrestleMania for a World Championship.
Brand-Specific Money In The Bank Winners Needs To Go
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a yearly WWE tradition in which the winner is given a briefcase that can be cashed in for a World Championship match at any time of their choosing within a year. There are two MITB matches, one for the men and another for the women.
WWE 2K has this event in Universe Mode and, like in real life, has both a men’s and women’s MITB match. The problem? These matches are completely brand specific. For instance, by default, the men’s MITB match can only be contested by members of the Raw brand, whilst the Smackdown brand has exclusively rights over the women’s MITB. This is not realistic at all, as members of both brands compete in both matches.
In order to preserve authenticity, brand-specific Money in the Bank matches need to be done away with in favor of having it be an inter-promotional match, much like the Royal Rumble.
There’s obviously a ton of other features we could possibly add to this wishlist, but these are a good start. What changes would you like to see in WWE 2K25 Universe Mode? Let us know in the comments!
Published: Feb 3, 2025 6:02 PM UTC