WWE 2K

SmackDown! to WWE 2K

The series began on March 2, 2000, with WWF SmackDown! on the original PlayStation, developed by Japan's Yuke's and published by THQ. It stayed a PlayStation exclusive until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 reached other consoles. When THQ went bankrupt, Take-Two bought the WWE license in early 2013, and WWE 2K14 became the first game under the 2K name.

Yuke's worked on the series through WWE 2K19. Visual Concepts, the NBA 2K studio, took over as sole developer with WWE 2K20 in 2019.

The comeback

WWE 2K20 launched with so many technical problems that 2K paused the main series. A lighter spin-off, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, filled 2020, and there was no main game in 2021. WWE 2K22 returned in March 2022 to a much better reception, and every year since has built on it with bigger rosters and new modes.

Rosters keep growing: WWE 2K25 launched with 363 characters and was the first wrestling game with more than 100 women wrestlers.

Inside WWE 2K26

WWE 2K26 arrived on March 6, 2026, in its premium King of Kings, Attitude Era and Monday Night War editions, and the Standard Edition followed on March 13, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. CM Punk is the cover star, and the 2K Showcase mode replays moments from his career, with a few what-if twists.

The roster passes 400 playable characters, the biggest in franchise history, and there are four new match types. Take-Two lists WWE 2K27 as coming, with a date to be announced.

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