The latest installment in 2K's annual professional wrestling franchise, WWE 2K26, is here as early accessers can start playing today. It sounds like they'll be happy with what they find, because when it comes to 2K26 ratings, the latest game in the series is the best WWE has had to offer in 20 years.
WWE 2K26 has an 81 on OpenCritic. That might not sound like a lot — especially with the incredible review scores of Resident Evil Requiem and Pokemon Pokopia — but it's the highest average a WWE game has been able to achieve since 2K took over development duties from THQ in 2013. In fact, it's the highest average review score any WWE game has managed to achieve since SmackDown vs. 7 Raw 2000.
WWE 2K26 reviews hit a 20-year series high
An era still considered by many WWE fans to be the best in wrestling game history, the last time a WWE video game settled for an average score of 81 was SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007. You have to go back another year to find a game that beat it, like SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 managed 84. Lofty heights that 2K can only dream of so far.
WWE video games reached an unimaginable low with WWE 2K20. Release in a broken state, the game has a 40 on OpenCritic and was the subject of such a backlash that 2K took a two-year hiatus before returning with WWE 2K22. Every game since has been well received, scoring in the 70s and reaching 80 in recent years.
There's a chance WWE 2K26's score will drop a point or two
As it is, WWE 2K26 pushed that score even higher. There is a chance that the score will drop to 80 and settle in the same spot as the last three games before it, all of which reached 80. This can be taken a few different ways. A pessimist can point to these scores and say that nothing really changes from year to year, which is a valid criticism.
The optimistic outlook is that, in reality, each WWE 2K title is a slight improvement over the last, which it should be. If it just churned out the same game every year, then games would be penalized for it. It wouldn't get the same rating every year. This score would drop as reviewers call out 2K for not changing the games enough each year.
Whether it stays at 81 for a 20-year streak high or the score drops to 80 to maintain the status quo, WWE video games seem to be in a good place. No, we're no longer living in the true golden era that brought us those N64 games and then the SmackDown series across PS1 and PS2, but the effort it takes to make a new game every year means such a turnaround is no longer possible.
