WWE 2K23 is finally out for wrestling fans. This year's installment features a heavy focus on one of the greatest of all time, John Cena. The 16-time WWE Champion graces the cover of the recent release, and the game's Showcase Mode focuses on the legend and his career.
RELATED: 9 New Features In WWE 2K23 That Gamers Should Know About
However, as is the case with prior WWE installments, there are a lot of other features and modes for gamers to sink their time into over the next year. That being said, not everything in WWE 2K23 is equal, with some modes and things in the game being incredible and blowing far past other things in the title.
10 Roster
Counting DLC, unlockable wrestlers, as well as those available on launch, there are nearly 250 wrestlers on the WWE 2K23 roster. While that's a lot of names, for the most part, it's exactly what you would expect.
With the exception of Bray Wyatt being locked behind DLC, pretty much the entire main roster is in the game. However, the legends in the game feel a bit lazy, as it's the same ones that you've seen for the last few installments such as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, etc.
9 Classic Editions
While the WWE 2K23 roster is exactly what gamers expected, one of the cooler features in the game is the distinct models for some wrestlers. Every year features wrestlers from a certain era in their career, for example, the WCW version of Rey Mysterio was playable in last year's title.
This year, they took it a step further. There are many special edition wrestlers that have never shown up in prior WWE titles. For example, the OVW era-versions of John Cena, Batista, and Brock Lesnar made it into WWE 2K23.
8 WarGames
This year was the first time that a WWE title featured the match type, WarGames. Given that it's also the first video game released in the Triple H-era, and knowing his love for the match, it's not exactly a huge surprise.
That being said, WarGames is a lot of fun in WWE 2K23. You can tell they've put a lot of effort into the match type, which isn't a surprise considering it's reportedly been in the works since before 2K22's release.
7 MyFaction
In case you skipped WWE 2K22, that title brought in the MyFaction game mode. There, the focus is to collect cards and help create a faction that will rival the New World Order. For the most part, the 2K22 edition of the mode was fun but barebones.
RELATED: 10 WWE 2K23 Superstar Ratings That The Game Got Totally Wrong
2K23 makes a big improvement and change. MyFaction now allows players to face other factions online, which is a massive switch that feels natural. In hindsight, it's strange it wasn't online, to begin with.
6 Creation Suite
The creation suite is traditionally one of the greatest things in any WWE game. That sounds a bit weird on the surface, but the ability to create just about any character, championship, venue, match type, etc, is insanely fun.
In WWE 2K23, the creation suite is no different. For the most part, there are not any massive changes here, but obviously, there's been added elements for players to use, with create-an-entrance getting more focus this year.
5 Graphics
It feels weird to say considering the ninth-generation consoles have been out for years now, but this is the first time that a WWE game truly feels next-gen. The reason is that while the game was released for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, their successors clearly got a heavier focus.
It's hard to understate how incredible some of the wrestler models are in WWE 2K23. Obviously, not everyone looks great. However, the models for names such as John Cena and Randy Orton are scarily accurate in-game.
4 Universe Mode
Like it or hate it, Universe Mode is basically the most consistently stable WWE game mode from year to year. Considering that it's been around for a long time, it makes sense, and admittedly not a lot has changed in WWE 2K23.
That being said, it didn't really have to change. Universe Mode is as fun as ever and features everything that you would expect from the mode, albeit with a couple of small additions here and there.
3 MyRise
MyRise is essentially the career mode for WWE 2K titles. Every year, players have the choice to create either a female or male wrestler and go from the bottom of the card to an all-time wrestling great.
However, the storyline differs from game to game, and that is the case here. Either you're a male wrestler who's The Next Big Thing, or you're a female wrestler who is a rookie getting mentored by your aunt who was a WWE Hall of Famer. Whatever storyline you choose, you'll get some fun out of this mode.
2 GM Mode
Yes, everyone was hoping, GM Mode is much improved in WWE 2K23. Last year saw the return of the fan-favorite mode for the first time in years, but many felt that it was quite barebones. That isn't the case this year.
GM Mode has been mostly overhauled in WWE 2K23. All of the big complaints from last year, including lack of match types, ability to play more than one season, and more, have all been fixed.
1 Showcase Mode
Showcase Mode is the best thing in WWE 2K23, and it's not very close. It's not even a surprise either, considering the mode focuses on legend's careers throughout WWE history. This year, the focus was on John Cena, and 2K gave it their all.
RELATED: WWE 2K23: Every Match In John Cena's Showcase Mode, Explained
The mode is incredibly fun, and lets you experience some of the best moments from Cena's career. However, there are also a lot of easter eggs in Showcase Mode that some eagle-eyed fans have already noted.
