WWE 2K26 Early access March 6th, CM Punk on the cover, 4 editions
I was on a zoom call with the people themselves this past Monday, and it’s now official. WWE2K26 will launch in early access on March 6th, while people who purchase the standard edition will get access to it on March 13th. This will be the first in the series that will be released for Gen 9 consoles and PC (with the Island!). The game will be released on Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series, and Playstation 5 consoles. And I didn’t freak out when WWE Superstar Liv Morgan actually jumped on the call to complain about how Dominik Mysterio wasn’t the cover athlete. I didn’t freak out. I’m a professional.
As we already know, CM Punk will be the cover athlete of the Standard Edition, and one of four editions. We also found out that there will be no new game modes, meaning that all the current ones are returning, including the Island of Relevancy. There are plenty of enhancements, arenas, and a graphical and technical overhaul, and Visual concepts promises more freedom than ever when it comes to creation mode. They also mentioned some picture in picture action for the Royal Rumble. 
400+ playable characters are in this game. This is being touted as the biggest roster yet. RAW, Smackdown, NXT, plus your blast from the blast superstars, and newer additions to the roster including Blake Monroe, Rusev, Rey Fenix, Ricky Starks. I will tell you as of right now, Kit Wilson’s new theme is not in the game, but preorder the game, and HE appears, along with his MyFAction EVO card, plus his spin Emote . Speaking of which, Booker T and Wade Barrett join the commentary team. There are talks of interactive entrances, including triggering pyro, and interacting with the commentary team. Could we see Booker T do some Black Snow commentary? One could dream. And no. Whoop that Trick is NOT in Trick Willie’s entrance. That’s not up to them. 
DLC packs are GONE! Replacing them are Ringside Passes. They’re like seasons in NBA2K. This will make you play the game more, to earn XP, and unlock items, creation content, and even Superstars. Over six seasons, you will be rewarded through 60 free tiers, and 40 premiums. Ringside pass season 1 will be available at launch, and will feature superstars and legends. You’ll have to pay to unlock the premium tier, and I’m not sure if you can earn VC to pay for those upgrades. There are tier skips though, because, battle pass. I’ll update you as I get that info.
We will get four new match types. Inferno, Three Stages of Hell, Dumpster, and I Quit. In an I Quit match, you actually have to hold the microphone to your opponent and make them say “I Quit”, which cannot be more explained than that. With those match types comes even more weapons and variations, including stacking tables, a shopping cart (in certain modes) and thumbtacks. It is confirmed that the thumbtacks stick to you, in case you need that detail. They’ve revamped the reversal and stamina system too. Oh it’s true. It’s true. 
The Creation mode has DOUBLED the slots for the create a superstar, and Image slots. You can now create up to 200 superstars, and upload up to 2,000 images. The body morphing tool has also been refined, so if you truly want to create a weirdo character, the boyhood dream has come true.
My GM has more shows to add, intergender matches, and now has the option to be 5-6 and 8 man matches. We will get to add more matches, more match types, and more shows per season. The Universe mode will add the WWE Draft, and we now have a creation wizard, so you don’t have to do everything yourself. There is now a “watch show” mode, so you can…watch the show, and they’ve added more promo options. Yes, they’ve improved the money in the bank cash- in, and yes, please stop asking for it. And that’s the bottom line.
My Rise, the other campaign mode in the game, sends you in one of two directions. You can even turn heel as you progress, adding to the replay value of the mode. There are unlockable characters within this mode, and you can play beyond the original story. The Island of Relevancy also returns, bigger than last year, and now on PC. Roman Reigns has been dethroned, so now you will have to team up with one of three factions to create your own nation of domination. New shops, and new branded gear, and a new scrapyard Brawl is coming too. Again, they’ve revamped the creation suite, and this goes across modes, as you can now import your face onto your superstar. Hopefully it’s better than what NBA2k did to me.
MyFACTION isn’t going anywhere, and the card collectable version is back, now with intergender matches, and new card packs. We’ll see how many persona cards are locked behind this mode. I really hope it’s worth it. It’s my least favorite.
The Standard Edition will have cover athlete, and star of the showcase mode CM Punk. 2K said this was the worst kept secret, but had some laughs about it. While this showcase mode will span a good chunk of Punk’s WWE career, there will be some “fantasy booking” available. Narrated by the Second City Saint, you will also get to face opponents that he didn’t get to face when he was away. Doing other things. This will be his second cover appearance. This will be $69.99
The King of Kings Edition has Triple H on the cover, with the Big Gold Belt. and gives us a behind the scenes look at the legacy of the cerebral assassin, plus the standard edition, for $99.99. This will put you in the ring with the aforementioned Joe Hendry pack, a premium Ringside pass, and 32,500 virtual currency. You also get Triple H ‘98, and Stephanie McMahon ‘00, plus a Trips taunt for the Island. Early access starts under this edition. 
The Attitude Era edition has all the above, plus most of the Attitude era stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock ‘99, Shawn Michaels, Chyna ‘97, Lita, Undertaker, Kane ‘98, Stephanie McMahon, and get the tables for The Dudley Boyz! Notice I said ‘98 Kane, just in case you didn’t see that. This will set you back $130, but will also include a premium tier Ringside Pass for seasons 1-4. Included with this small package are The Rock and Steve Austin EVO cards, the Raw is WAR ‘98 arena, and Undertaker and Shawn Michaels emotes for the Island. You also get the Superstar Megaboost, which is 200 MySuperStar attribute points for the My Rise mode, and 100,000 of that sweet virtual currency. 
There’s now a 4th SUPER PREMIUM edition called the Monday Night War Edition, which has all the things from above, plus some of the WCW greats like Randy Savage ‘98, Outsiders, Goldberg, Booker T, and Eric Bischoff. Shawn Michaels DX and Roddy Piper ‘98 will also make their way down that aisle. You will get all 6 seasons of the Premium ringside pass, the WCW thunder arena, and a Diamond Dallas Page emote for the Island. The imminent Wrestlemania 42 pack also comes with this edition. $149.99 Now can you dig that…suckaaaaaaaaaaaa?!
The Nintendo Switch 2 edition will have motion controls, and Gameshare within the gamechat, meaning that a friend can enjoy the game without having it at all. You can also use mouse controls in the creation suite, including face and body painting. Last year, they missed the image uploader and cross platform community creators. That was a decision from last year, and now it’s back. The Nintendo Switch 2 is a real boy nowI think Q The Gift and myself are going to finally finish GM mode.
Lots to take in. Lots of screen shots. Lots of things were announced today. My esteemed colleague Nathan is probably losing his mind right now, as we are both avid fans, and I want to personally thank him for all of his help. More info is coming. Stay tuned. If you hear any other rumours, know your role, and shut your mouth.
