WWE 2K Battlegrounds Review

Wrestling games can be a lot of fun but the latest WWE 2K20 was…let’s just say it got pinned. Enter WWE 2K Battlegrounds. Instead of the more authentic wrestling simulation, 2K decided to go with an arcade-style wrestling game.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds brings you 70 of your favorite classic and modern wrestlers into a cartoony over-the-top wrestling game. You can play in various modes including Exhibition, Tag Team, King of the Battleground, and Campaign. While some modes are fun, I had the biggest issue with the Campaign mode. Even with a minimal story in the form of a comic strip, Campaign mode felt nothing more than a linear progression through various styles of matches with rewards occasionally thrown in between your matches. I didn’t even use the character I created in the Create-A-Wrestler mode, which I’ll discuss shortly. 

Once in a match, the character movements are exaggerated, physics-defying, and occasionally confusing. The hit detection seems to be off making some moves look very awkward during a match. The arcade nature of the game opens itself to allow physics-defying moves such as spinning a wrestler up into the air and while he is mid-air, you jump and punch him up even higher. Then there are strange moments like during a match in the Mexico stage, my opponent left the ring, grabbed a remote, and I was now being attacked by a remote-controlled ram. What?

The Create-A-Wrestler mode lets you create a wrestler from one of five classes (Powerhouse, Brawler, All-Rounder, Technician, or High-Flyer) each with unique abilities. While there may be five classes, it seems like characters created and those already in the game have very similar move sets. Wrestlers did have their signature moves but other than that, you could often use the same move when playing as different wrestlers.

As with some other 2K games, players can expect to find many characters behind a paywall. I’m not a fan of microtransactions so this is a deterrent in keeping WWE 2K Battlegrounds on my list of games I can’t remove when needing to free up hard drive space.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds Review Final Thoughts:

WWE 2K Battlegrounds has its fun moments but the Campaign mode along with other quirky things I found in the game prevents me from saying this is a must purchase. Wrestling fans will enjoy seeing their favorite wrestler in the game but is there enough replayability for the average gamer.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is available for the Nintendo Switch, Stadia, Xbox One, PC via Steam, and the PlayStation 4.