WWE 2K23

 PC
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Hooked Gamers
    May 1, 2023
    91
    Folks, the new WWE 2K23 is such a massive yearly game enterprise that has brought the goods yet again for 2023. This is a great game franchise and Visual Concepts and 2K Sports have delivered. I hate to admit that even though I played the PC version, my game pad expertise wasn't up to par to begin with and I struggled to perform all of the many required finishes and special moves. However, as I slowly got used to the controls by using the great included tutorial that is narrated by Xavier Woods, it became easier. Being able to deliver John Cena's smashing "Attitude Adjustment" finishing move or Triple H's trademark "Pedigree" is something that every WWE game wrestler should strive to accomplish. Practice does make perfect and the same holds true for real wrestlers along with in-game make-believe ones too.
  2. TouchArcade
    Mar 22, 2023
    80
    WWE 2K23 is shockingly good on Steam Deck despite the few issues I ran into. If you skipped the last few years of WWE games, WWE 2K23 is worth your time. It feels like an enhanced version of WWE 2K22 that improves in all the right ways and brings some long overdue features. Just don’t come into this expecting as much of a jump in quality as you had with WWE 2K22 from prior games. In its current state, WWE 2K23 is an excellent wrestling game with tons of content, but one that is let down by its online servers.
  3. Worth Playing
    Mar 15, 2023
    80
    WWE 2K23 shows that Visual Concepts and 2K are continuing their trend in the right direction for wrestling games. Flaws aside, the fighting engine is still good, while the pageantry also remains nice even if some flourishes are missing and some other issues are no fault of Visual Concepts. The game does a good job of being up to date, and the modes ensure that there's plenty to keep people busy and glued to the game for quite some time. There's still stuff that needs work, like having cross-play from the get-go and some tweaking to add more polish, but wrestling fans will really enjoy WWE 2K23 since it still emphasizes fun above all.
  5. App Trigger
    Mar 13, 2023
    80
    The gameplay rewards you with lots of variety, while the graphics are still top-notch. WWE fans will feel like the wrestling lords have blessed them with tons of content. The single-player modes are easy to dominate (if you want them to be) but not all of them are worth sticking around for. The hustle and grind of Showcase mode might be a turnoff to some.
  6. Destructoid
    Mar 21, 2023
    75
    Building on the reasonably solid gameplay foundation of WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23 manages to finally find a comfortable spot. It is, at its core, the same general game that we get year after year. It kind of sucks that we have to keep paying for small improvements. However, small improvements got us here, and here is a pretty decent place to be.
  7. XboxEra
    Mar 13, 2023
    75
    WWE 2K23 continues the series’ upwards trajectory. It’s a massive package full of different things to do. The roster is enormous, the microtransactions seem egregious in familiar “yearly sports title ways”, and the in-ring action almost nails riding the line between sports sim and scripted tv show. There is a love of the genre on display here and for any major or minor fan of sports entertainment, this year’s entry is worth checking out.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. MandokPlays
    Jul 6, 2023
    0
    This game is at Fifa levels: Every year the same game but with a different number on its name... WWE 2K22 was great because it raised theThis game is at Fifa levels: Every year the same game but with a different number on its name... WWE 2K22 was great because it raised the level from that disaster called WWE 2K20, but this 23 version is more like a patch… Full Review »
  2. voxdoom
    Mar 18, 2023
    1
    Every year I think "Oh maybe this game isn't a janky piece of ass" and every year the WWE 2k games are a janky piece of ass. The game isEvery year I think "Oh maybe this game isn't a janky piece of ass" and every year the WWE 2k games are a janky piece of ass. The game is basically quicktime event after quicktime event, except you're supposed to have the reflexes of a **** cheetah to be able to complete some of them. It's a slog to get through a match when the y button keeps flashing for 1/10th of a second before you get your head kicked in, over and over again, until you suddenly get lucky and hit it at the right time. This is with maxed out defensive stats.

    The combo counter system is ass, you have to get a lucky press of the right button when your opponent starts their combo, and even then it just doesn't work sometimes.

    An interesting bug I kept getting was when the game would suddenly decide I had no controllers, no keyboard or anything, forcing me to reset the bluetooth connection on my computer.

    Oh and I lost a trophy because of a double count-out, instead of it being a draw, that was definitely the highlight.

    Fun character creator though, you get a point for that, 2K.    … Full Review »
  3. klementineQt
    Aug 12, 2023
    6
    A very solid game mechanically, soiled by 2K being the publisher and pushing the MyFaction mode, and even worse, locking alternate attires andA very solid game mechanically, soiled by 2K being the publisher and pushing the MyFaction mode, and even worse, locking alternate attires and versions of wrestlers (sometimes even more current versions) behind the mode, unavailable to the free play modes (Quick Play, Universe Mode, etc.)

    The saving grace of the PC version is a better mod community than ever before, but that does not save the experience for anyone unwilling to dig into potentially hours of editing text files, understanding the database structure of the game, and learning tools made by the community. Also I can't give a game points when the devs have only ever historically made it a pain to mod.

    So overall, a solid game (mechanically the best of the 2K sim era of WWE games) hindered by 2K's monetization scheme, the dated yearly sports game model, and a feeling of disappointment in how samey it feels despite all the improvements made.    … Full Review »
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