Almost anything can happen at any time in professional wrestling, no matter how unlikely. Just a few weeks ago, evil John Cena seemed improbable, but now he’s standing around making grumpy faces and kicking our heroes in the unmentionables with the best of them. Oh, and Travis Scott was there, for some reason, burning sage.

Despite this, each year the WWE 2K games get better at keeping up with the changes WWE makes to its product on an almost weekly basis. WWE 2K25’s Raw and Smackdown arenas have the correct ring mat color and announcer table design, despite WWE changing those things at the start of the year. After the negative response to Jey Uso’s outdated entrance, a new version was added just a week or so before launch.

These are small things, but in previous years they would’ve gone unchanged, leaving us with a game outdated at launch. There is still some of that in 2K25 — The Judgement Day still has their old theme, and Drew McIntyre’s entrance still uses the sword he hasn’t brought out in at least two years — but as a whole, the game feels much more up-to-date than any previous game has at launch.

This goes for the mechanics too, as matches are as smooth as they’ve ever been, with small but noticeable improvements to contextual actions that make springboard attacks and fighting outside of the ring more intuitive. Plus, there’s brand new stuff like throwing your opponents into — and diving off — the barricades around ringside.

The new match types are loads of fun. Underground matches have a unique feel thanks to the ropeless rings, and the interactions at the edge of the ring have been entirely redesigned for this purpose, making for a match that feels gritty and messy in exactly the way it does on TV. The same goes for Bloodline Rules matches, which allow you to charge up a unique Payback ability to call on allies to aid you during the match.

A one-on-one match gradually turning into an all-out four-on-four brawl is as much fun as it sounds, with the ringside area slowly filling up with chaotic action all around you. The one major issue is the lack of ability to choose who comes out to aid either competitor. You can alter who is listed as a superstar’s allies in the roster settings to influence it, but it doesn’t always work, which limits your ability to tell interesting stories (which is really what wrestling is all about).

There are improvements across the board in the game’s many modes. MyGM now has online multiplayer; MyRise has by far the best story they’ve told in years with some great performances from its starring wrestlers. Universe has finally gotten a long list of quality-of-life improvements that fans have been begging for and MyFaction is also still there.

Showcase mode is trickier, though, as there are some significant improvements but also a handful of bad decisions. Getting rid of the “Slingshot” technology that overlaid real WWE footage onto in-game cutscenes is a good choice — we’re here to play the matches, not watch them — and the cutscenes before each match featuring Paul Heyman hyping up each competitor are fantastic. The choice of matches is also top-notch, giving you a look at every member of the Anoa’i-Johnson Bloodline throughout WWE history in their biggest moments.

However, there can be some frustrating new features. Getting the AI to cooperate with the specific objectives you need to fulfill in a chaotic Money in the Bank Ladder match is a chore, even on the easiest difficulty — especially as, when trying to set up some of these moments, the AI will just get in the ring and win the match before you can stop them, forcing you to start the whole thing again if you want to get all of the unlockables.

There are also time-limited objectives. Setting up some of the specific moves you’re required to do is enough of a pain as it is, but with the strict time pressure these objectives inflict, it means that if you’re unlucky enough for the AI to land a counter, it’s as good as an automatic fail. Having to restart the entire match because you failed an objective due to the randomness of the AI’s counters is not satisfying or enjoyable and goes directly against the common complaints about Showcase.

Without such a silly addition, this could’ve easily been the best Showcase has ever been, but these new mechanics drag it down.

The Island is the big new mode, though, and it’s … fine. If you’re looking for a live-service style mode to give you a reason to keep coming back and playing the game — both against AI and other players — then this is a big improvement on MyFaction in that regard, though it’s not overly compelling. Being able to create your own superstar and improve them in whatever way you want is a lot of fun and far more interesting than assembling a team of trading cards of existing WWE wrestlers, though.

Plus, the story elements at play are fun, even if the writing is a little cheesy. It takes some of the charm of MyRise and puts it into a multiplayer live-service playground where you’ll be completing events, challenges and quests with the eventual goal of earning the respect of the Tribal Chief and getting a WWE contract.

The visual design of the mode is by far its strongest suit. The entire island area you can explore is relatively small but full of fantastic details and references to a laundry list of WWE superstars past and present. You’ve got a haunted church based on The Undertaker, an Aztec pyramid paying homage to lucha libre and much more. Plus, the original arena designs are easily the best 2K has ever come up with, making the most of a more fantastical setting.

2K has already spoken about its plans to support the mode over the coming year, and while it’s never going to be the dominant reason anyone plays the series, it is overall a good addition that gives you yet another different way to keep coming back.

Since the series’ soft relaunch with WWE 2K22, the WWE games have gotten steadily better and 2K25 is no different. It makes some missteps along the way, but this year’s game is still an improved package compared to last year’s and stands as the best wrestling game on the market. Whatever your reason is for coming back — be it MyGM, Showcase, the new stuff, or even just playing casually with friends — WWE 2K25 will serve you better than the series ever has.