Best WWE Games

Highlights

• WWE games have had their highs and lows, with some being considered great and others being true stinkers.
• WWE 2K22 and 2K23 show improvements and are a welcome return to form for the franchise, with new features and better gameplay.
• SmackDown vs. Raw and SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth are also highly regarded entries in the series, with advanced mechanics and interactive story modes.

Niche as the industry might be, WWE games are a staple of the gaming scene. Over the last few decades, each year seemed to produce at least one wrestling title headlined by WWE’s many superstars, be it the Attitude Era’s Stone Cold and The Rock or recent superstars like Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns. Naturally, not every game is of the same quality, and the franchise is responsible for some true stinkers; conversely, the series is also responsible for some truly great fighting games.

WWE games have evolved quite a bit over the years, and most fans have their favorite periods. While personal taste plays a part in dictating someone’s top pick, a few releases stand out above the crowd. What are the best WWE games ever?

Updated on April 30, 2024 by Mark Sammut: WWE 2K24 has been out for nearly two months by this point, and 2K and Visual Concepts’ game has gone down pretty well overall. Still, is it among the greatest WWE wrestling games ever?

13 WWE Day Of Reckoning 2

A Forgotten GameCube Gem

In terms of wrestling games, the early 2000s were dominated by the PS2. During this era, Yuke’s rarely failed to hit a home run when developing entries for Sony’s system, and titles like Shut Your Mouth, Here Comes the Pain, and SmackDown! vs. Raw hogged the limelight. However, the developer did not ignore Nintendo’s GameCube, producing four exclusives for the console between 2002 and 2005. All these releases have something to offer, but WWE Day of Reckoning 2 is the pick of the bunch, although its predecessor is roughly of the same quality.

Superficial as this compliment might sound, but Day of Reckoning 2‘s graphics are seriously impressive. They were cutting-edge for the era, and they still hold up. Outside of Here Comes the Pain, Day of Reckoning 2 is arguably the easiest early 2000s WWE game to revisit in this day and age, and that goes beyond the visuals. The gameplay was also great and offered a more sim-like experience than the PS2 releases of this era. That said, a few things keep this title back from greatness, specifically the poor handling of multi-man matches due to an overly sensitive collision system.

WWE Day Of Reckoning 2 Critical Reception

WWE Day of Reckoning 2 garnered a generally positive reception from critics, even if its overall Metascore is slightly lower than its predecessor. While not looked back on as an all-time great, this fighting game tends to be fondly remembered.

12 WWE 2K24 (Or 2K22/23)

The New Era

Following the disastrous WWE 2K20, 2K and Visual Concepts took measured steps to ensure their flagship wrestling brand returned to the limelight. WWE 2K22 and WWE 2K23 are both very good games that warrant a recommendation for their Showcases that cover Rey Mysterio and John Cena’s careers respectively; however, outside those modes, these titles have been rendered obsolete due to the existence of WWE 2K24, which is essentially a slightly better version

Yearly releases typically focus on incremental improvements rather than widespread changes, and 2K’s franchise is one of the better examples of this trend. Despite being very similar to the older entries, WWE 2K24’s new match types, WrestleMania Showcase, improved visuals, fun MyRise storylines, MyGM tweaks, and an updated roster are notable enough changes to firmly cement the latest release as the best WWE game of the last five years. The new era’s shift towards more arcade-style gameplay might be a better fit for old-school fans who want a spiritual successor to classics like Here Comes the Pain than many of the franchise’s decorated sim releases of the 2010s.

WWE 2K24 Critical Reception

WWE 2K24 was generally well-received by critics and fans, with the consensus painting it as a worthwhile sequel that takes very few risks. That said, the praise is underpinned by a sense of slight fatigue, suggesting that WWE 2K25 will need to implement more substantial improvements to keep the franchise’s positive run going. Still, if someone is craving a modern wrestling game, WWE 2K24 is the title they should pick up.

11 SmackDown Vs. Raw

Battle Of The Brands Begins

The original SmackDown Vs. Raw was met with mostly positive reviews. At this point (2004), WWE’s brand split was gaining real traction, with fans picking a side and deciding what weekly show they’d support. WWE Raw, WWE’s long-running flagship program, or WWE SmackDown the newer on the rise show of talent.

SmackDown Vs. Raw made full use of the marketing that was the WWE brand war, and the rivalry the two shows had. While this game had its flaws, it still made up for it with advanced mechanics and showed what customizable options could look like for future installments down the road.

SmackDown Vs. Raw Critical Reception

This title sold over 300,000 copies in the UK alone, meaning that the sum of the profits made in addition to North American (and global) sales would have been enormous for the time. As such, the popularity of the game with fans helped spawn many following titles of similar nature for the WWE game library.

10 WWF WrestleMania 2000

Should Not Be Overlooked

A great game eclipsed by a masterpiece, WWF WrestleMania 2000 exists entirely in the shadow of WWF No Mercy, which is superior in basically every way. Consequently, AKI’s original WWE title tends to be ignored since there is no reason to recommend it over its successor or even the developer’s WCW titles; however, that would be a disservice to what is still one of the greatest wrestling games ever.

Boasting a stellar Attitude Era roster, accessible but challenging gameplay that lends itself well to lengthy matches, a good selection of match types, and a respectable, if basic attempt at a Career mode, WWF WrestleMania 2000 can be thrown on when someone wants to play a one-off match, put together a dream PPV, or dedicate a few weeks of their lives to collect every available belt. Like all of AKI’s wrestling games, the combat has aged like fine wine.

WWF WrestleMania 2000 Critical Reception

While contemporary reviews are somewhat difficult to find, WWF WrestleMania 2000 seemed to be received well by critics, many of whom praised the gameplay’s depth and the roster. At the time of its release, it was the best WWE game ever. Among fans, the title is held in reasonably high regard.

9 WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth

Creation Of Story Mode

One of the biggest complaints WWE fans have is that modern games are lacking in a good story mode. This is mostly true, but this is not the case for WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth.

This PlayStation 2 classic is highly regarded for its advanced story mode, where players select rosters and choose their own designated path through the WWE ladder. Many fans are still begging for this concept to be replicated since it is arguably the most intricate and highly interactive story mode in any WWE game to this day.

WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth Critical Reception

The story mode was popular with fans, who were also able to enjoy custom-created characters to behold with graphics that were incredible for the time.

8 WWE 2K16

Improvements From Previous Titles Shine

WWE 2K16 is an entry in the series that serves as a grand improvement when compared to its 2K15 predecessor. After the negative reception of WWE 2K15, fans were about ready to give up on the WWE 2K games series. Developer Yuke’s went above and beyond to improve everything they could from their previous installment and succeeded in a majority of different ways.

The greatest thing about 2K16 isn’t the improvements or added match types though. The overflowing roster containing over 120 characters is what makes this game stand out. Adding some much-needed diversity to a stale cast of playable talent with the introduction of numerous NXT superstars makes this entry stand out especially.

WWE 2K16 Critical Reception

This game was not disregarded by fans, however, it wasn’t the best-received either. Many, including some critics, believed WWE 2K16 to be a step in the direction, as it mostly moves away from a lot of the faults plaguing past WWE 2K games.

7 SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007

Wrestling Meets New Consoles

SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 was the first WWE game to be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and while there weren’t many new additions such as game modes, match types, commentary, etc. it’s still a great entry in the series nonetheless.

Keeping much of what made the 2006 edition of the game so successful, but not offering anything new likely due to developer Yuke’s having to create four different versions of the game due to the newly released console’s arrival. One aspect worth mentioning is the game’s ever-growing roster though as newcomers and legends are both present and accounted for.

SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 Critical Reception

Despite being plagued by numerous bugs, such as ones involving announcer dialogue lines and certain game types being nearly unplayable, some of the collision glitches were hilarious to behold, albeit annoying if detrimental. With that said, SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 had a lot of content and replay value…if one could enjoy the unrefined aspects.

6 SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010

A Safe Bet And Worthy Sequel

While better than the 2007 entry in the series, and a majority of the other titles as well, SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010 isn’t the best of the SmackDown Vs. Raw era of WWE games, but it’s a sequel worthy of the namesake in its own right. While the roster is a lot more lacking when compared to the 120 playable characters that 2K16 possesses, it still makes up for that with major enhancements to gameplay and a few standout game modes.

Character creation was exponentially expanded in this title, allowing players to customize every attribute of their wrestler, along with creating their own entrance, highlight reels, and finishing moves. Another welcomed addition was the improvements to the vastly underrated Road to Wrestlemania game mode, which allowed players to create personalized stories for every single wrestler in the game where one’s imagination could run rampant.

SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010 Critical Reception

SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010 was considered to be a notable improvement over its immediate predecessors. The amount of time that can be lost delving into custom storylines and creating bizarre original characters can easily end up being in the hundreds for fans of the franchise.

5 WWE 2K19

Best Wrestling Game Of The Last Decade

The final game developed by Yukes in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K19 is the wrestling game that longtime fans have wanted for years.

Older entries in the series are highly regarded for their ridiculous and oftentimes over-the-top atmosphere, and it seems like 2K19 developer Yukes took those games to heart, and created something that both hardcore and casual fans could get behind. Serving as by far the best title in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K19 has nearly everything from wacky match types, a steller roster, and incredibly fun gameplay. It’s a shame the series couldn’t keep the momentum going following it.

WWE 2K19 Critical Reception

Both the “My Career” and “Showcase” modes were praised for being fun and well-thought-out. They lacked severe bugs and captured the spirit of WWE games that fans crave: a wacky, over-the-top atmosphere with tight controls and nice graphics.

4 SmackDown Vs. Raw 2006

Introduction To A Fan-Favorite Game Mode

SmackDown Vs. Raw 2006 took the concept of brand wars to a whole new level with the introduction of fan-favorite game mode, General Manager mode, (Or GM mode for short).

GM mode is a fairly simple and straightforward game mode: players take control of either SmackDown or Raw and produce their rosters, matches, rivalry, champions, and more. Players could run their own show and decide the fate of their show’s wrestlers. While this game mode hasn’t been around for over 10 years now, WWE 2K titles have introduced players to Universe mode which is similar to GM mode–sadly, however, Universe mode is nowhere near as good.

SmackDown Vs. Raw 2006 Critical Reception

Many, including critics, praise the sheer amount of content found in this title. There is a lot to see and do, giving it great replay value to tie fans over until the next year’s inevitable release.

3 WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role

Endless Season Mode Was A Joy To Play

Named after one of the many iconic catchphrases said by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role is a standout in the series. Releasing in 2000 as a PS1 exclusive, Know Your Role seemingly already knew its role when it hit shelves that fateful year.

The addition of some wild match types such as backstage brawl and outrageous weapons make this entry a highly sought, and much-beloved wrestling title to his day.

WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role Critical Reception

With tons of options and great multiplayer, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role was fun to play alone or with friends. Any game mode could also hold one’s attention for a long time, due to the addictive nature of the easy controls and charm.

2 WWF No Mercy

Nintendo Exclusive Fans Still Praise

Mostly beloved for its absolutely brutal gameplay, this WWE game is by far the most “attitude era” out of any WWE game to date, and that’s likely why fans still can’t get over it. Being that the attitude era was and still arguably is the best time to be a wrestling fan, creating a game with attitude was definitely key, and that’s what developer syn Sophia did.

The sequel to Wrestlemania 2000 runs off the same engine but proves that it can still prosper. The first game in the WWE game mythos to include storylines into gameplay, along with epic and brutal combat as well as finisher animations make WWF No Mercy a game long-time fans still reminisce about.

WWF No Mercy Critical Reception

This title’s easy-to-learn controls were a double-edged sword for it: casual gamers were able to essentially button mash and win fights while more hardcore gamers were limited in terms of combat options. This leveling of the playing field created minor splits in the WWE game community, though was not enough to cause gamers to dislike WWF No Mercy.

1 WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain

A PS2 Classic

Similarly named after a prominent catchphrase (said by former wrestler and commentator Tazz every time Brock Lesnar came to the ring), Here Comes the Pain still holds up to this day. While Xbox players weren’t graced with this wrestling gem of a game, PlayStation 2 users were.

At the time of release, Here Comes the Pain was the best-looking wrestling game ever and had gameplay reminiscent of WWF No Mercy in regards to the ridiculous, brutal, and overall enjoyable combat mechanics. Finishing moves especially felt huge in this game, as the camera angle would change and create the epic environment a fan would see viewing WWE’s actual product from home. While completely unnecessary, Here Comes The Pain seemingly knows this and gives fans an experience that many still rave about to this day.

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain Critical Reception

According to critics and fans alike, massively improved graphics from previous titles, a more detailed career mode, and a fleshed-out character creator feature are but some of what make Here Comes the Pain the best WWE game of all time.