WWE 2K25 Release Date Announced, Adds Open-World Mode And Bloodline Showcase

Following last night's reveal of the WWE 2K25 cover star, Visual Concepts, 2K, and the WWE have now revealed a lot more about this year's game, including the focus of this year's Showcase mode, a new open-world mode akin to NBA 2K's The City, and several new match types and other additions. Here's everything you need to know about WWE 2K25.

Perhaps most important is when the game comes out. WWE 2K25's standard edition launches on March 14, though players who buy one of the game's special editions--the Undertaker-celebrating Deadman Edition or The Bloodline Edition--will get into the game a week early on March 7.

You can check read about the editions and preorder WWE 2K25 here.

The cover star in any given year tends to go hand-in-hand with the Showcase mode's focus, and that's true once again. With Roman Reigns on the cover, the era-spanning Showcase mode will tell the story of The Bloodline, the Samoan wrestling family dynasty that includes blood relatives and "adopted" family members. Though The Bloodline is really a term only a few years old, the Anoa'i dynasty has been celebrated in pro wrestling for decades.

Showcase mode in WWE 2K25 will be hosted by Paul Heyman and Reigns' "Wiseman," and will feature wrestlers past and present such as Reigns, The Rock, Yokozuna, Jacob Fatu, and more. The mode also alters the typical goals of Showcase mode. Rather than only reliving or rewriting past matches, a bit of both will be in play, as will dream matches we never saw happen, with each of them pulling from the impressive family tree of The Bloodline.

This year's game also takes a page out of the team's labelmates at NBA 2K. The Island, like NBA 2K's The City, is an open-world social multiplayer space where players can take on challenges, compete in live events, and more, all starring their custom MySuperstar characters. This mode, like The City in NBA 2K, is only available on current-gen consoles. The team plans to reveal a lot more about The Island as we head toward release.

There's a reasonable expectation that each new WWE 2K game will bring something fresh to matches, be they new types or ways to experience them. This year's game offers a bit of both. For new match types, you'll find the unique Underground matches make their debut. These matches remove ropes from the ring and tend to play out in a more MMA-style. Bloodline Rules matches will also debut this year, and the team figured out a way to differentiate this match type from the many other iterations built on a no-disqualification framework.

Bloodline Rules matches will allow up to six run-ins per match, three per side, and these run-ins can be performed like a finisher, by filling a meter and then spending the earned credit like you're popping an ult in a MOBA--and what is pro wrestling if not a massive battle arena of its own, right? Effectively, a Bloodline Rules match will start one-on-one and end four-on-four, cleverly combining different aspects of WarGames and hardcore matches.

Intergender matches can also happen for the first time in the series. Though these are rarely on WWE programming, it seems the team has finally added the ability to pit men and women against each other (beyond the already available mixed tag matches) because people really want to have Rhea Ripley beat up Dominik Mysterio. Finally, they can do that beginning in WWE 2K25. You can even have mixed Royal Rumble matches, so it seems R. Truth was just ahead of his time.

With the game finally offering intergender matches, MyRise story mode now ditches the separate male and female storylines in favor of one storyline that will have your created superstar competing against both divisions as they make their way to the top of the WWE locker room. The story focuses on an attempted takeover of NXT from superstars like Bayley, Kevin Owens, and more. Players may make allies out of wrestlers such as Jey Uso, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins, and more through the branching paths of MyRise mode.

As for gameplay changes that will affect these and other match types, chain wrestling mechanics have returned to the game this year, and players can perform new barricade dives.

The WWE 2K roster is massive every year, and only expands from there thanks to DLC and the user-generated content. This year's game is said to have more than 300 official names and faces coming to it. Only a small handful were specifically named, though many more can be safely assumed, of course.

As for those who were name-dropped, you can be sure to find Cody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, Rey Mysterio, Bret “Hitman” Hart, Jacob Fatu, Rob Van Dam, Lita, LA Knight, Chyna, Batista, Nia Jax, and Becky Lynch. Those who preorder the game will also get the Wyatt Sicks at launch. Many more will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

I'm personally excited for this one, as MyGM is my favorite mode in the game and I've been hoping for the feature for a while now. The Visual Concepts team didn't say what else, if anything, is new to this mode, but I expect if you're like me, this is the big new thing you've been hoping for.

If you're into the fantasy card-collecting mode, MyFaction is going on World Tour with its new "non-linear" mode that replaces Proving Grounds. Presumably, more will be shared in the future on this aspect of the game. Faction Wars is also adding 50 new stages, and additional match types will be supported in the mode this year. Naturally, all of this is highlighted by a bevy of new cards to collect, too.

In the world of WWE, your mic work is often as important as your wrestling prowess. Universe mode is finally bringing back promos in an effort to reflect that, so you can finally tell Hulk Hogan how you really feel.

Stay tuned for lots more on WWE 2K25 in the coming weeks as we head toward its launch this March.