5. WWF Smackdown! 2 Know Your Role (2001)
The N64 might be known as the go-to console for Attitude Era-wrestling fans, but the PS1 was no slouch either. Know Your Role features lightning fast gameplay with a cinematic flair and an impressive number of gimmick matches, like coffin matches, ladder matches, and falls count anywhere. And like a lot of the best wrestling games, it has an almost perfect Attitude Era roster though there are sadly a few notable omissions, like Ken Shamrock and Big Show (though they do occasionally show up in Royal Rumble matches).
Really, the only negative about Know Your Role is that while the Season Mode was greatly expanded from the first game, it still gets repetitive fast. Still, that basic gameplay is so much fun, and there are so many different matches to book, it’s easy to see how this laid the foundation for the next decade of WWE games.
4. WWE 2K25 (2024)
Maybe there’s some recency bias in putting WWE 2K25 so high on the list, but there is so much to do in the game, and so many innovations, that it seems destined to go down in history as a fan favorite. Quite simply this is the best playing wrestling game ever. Each move hits hard, the animation is beautiful, and each wrestler truly looks and feels unique. And there are a lot of wrestlers here, with more than 300 superstars (including variations for many) included.
The Showcase mode, focusing on the Bloodline and presented by the legendary Paul Heyman, is an outstanding mix of historic matches and fantasy booking. And while the new Island can feel like a cash grab, it’s a really interesting (and addicting) way to play a wrestling game and continually upgrade your character.
3. WWE 2K14 (2013)
After years of ups and downs, 2K14 was the title where everything came together for Yuke’s to create one of the greatest wrestling games ever. First, let’s talk about the roster. Several big names like the Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg, and Yokozuna returned to the series for the first time in years here. You had all the staples of early 2010s WWE, plus it was the video game debut of the Shield. Oh, and there was also a terrific New World Order DLC pack featuring NWO versions of Randy Savage, Curt Hennig, and The Giant. This is arguably the greatest roster in any wrestling game ever, even if it’s not the biggest.
And there’s a good reason for the large roster, because a lot of these superstars are featured in the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode, a 45-match trip down memory lane featuring some of the most memorable matches from the first 29 WrestleManias. It’s actually a much better version of what was done in WWE 2K24. Then there’s “The Streak” mode where you can re-live the Undertaker’s then-unbroken ‘Mania streak, or attempt to break it against a suped-up version of the Phenom. Combine all that with a faster game engine that better portrays the flow of matches, and it’s easy to see why this is still such a beloved entry in the series.
