With a month to go until its release, WWE 2K25 feels like a big title for the franchise. At least, that’s how it’s been marketed. Promising a giant roster of WWE Superstars, as well as a plethora of new features, WWE 2K25 seems to be parlaying WWE’s massive popularity into its biggest game yet.
But what is new this year? And how will it be implemented. We’ve already touched upon stuff like intergender wrestling and the Underground match Here, we’ll look at three other things new to WWE 2K25: the KO system, new arenas, and some new moves.
Everything New Coming To WWE 2K25
The New KO System
According to an interview done with IGN, the knockout system in WWE 2K25 has received a complete overhaul. Whenever a wrestler runs out of their health bar, they will enter a “Danger” state. If a Superstar remains in a “Danger” state, then one signature or finishing move will end the match. The only way for a Superstar to escape a “Danger” state is for them to perform a well-timed reversal.
By default, most matches in the WWE 2K games have KOs turned off. But KOs will be a crucial element to the newly-added Underground match.
For anyone who didn’t watch WWE during the COVID-19 era, an Underground match is basically made to resemble a traditional MMA contest, but with a pro wrestling twist. The only way to win the match is by KO, TKO, or submission. Therefore, expect the KO system to come most in handy in a brawl-like mode such as this.
New Arenas
In order to achieve realism, WWE 2K25 will have to include arenas that WWE fans are accustomed to seeing on live TV. And to 2K’s credit, everything in recent trailers seem to indicate that the arenas in WWE 2K25 will be up to date.
In a brief clip of Nia Jax powerbombing Rey Mysterio in the latest gameplay trailer, the new logos for Raw on Netflix — as well as the show’s new black mat — can both be seen in the background. It was unknown whether or not there would be time for Raw’s new look to be added considering that it debuted in January. And typically, WWE games are slow to add anything within months of its release.
Outside of the new Raw’s Netflix arena, the newest Smackdown and NXT arenas can also be seen. In line with previous WWE video games, the PPV arenas will likely be based on the ones used between WrestleMania 39 and WrestleMania 40, barring any kind of DLC add-ons.
Unique Moves
With the new Underground match type comes new moves that are unique to it. Because the Underground match features no ropes or turnbuckles, 2K has created a new system when it comes to moves near the apron, and a new teetering animation that will commence when a wrestler is tossed towards the edge. There are a few others, but the most exciting is the way Create-A-Moveset has been overhauled this year.
In WWE 2K25, 2K will introduce AI settings for CPU-controlled movesets which allow you to adjust three different settings for moves. Here are these three settings, as described by 2K:
- Priority: This setting adjusts how likely AI will be to perform the move in general. When set to Preferred, AI will have a higher chance of performing the attack. When set to Favorite, AI will try their best to perform the move at least once during the match, performing any setup necessary. The Low and Very Low settings will de-prioritize this move.
- Repetition: By default, AI tries not to repeat an attack too soon after it was performed. This setting modifies that behavior. For example you can discourage any repeats at all, or encourage AI to perform the attack multiple times in a row.
- Timing: This setting allows AI to be particular about the “phase” of the match in which a move should be performed. Some moves make more sense in the Early phase of the match, while other moves should be saved until the Late phase of a match when both superstars have been worn down.
