WWE 2K26 release date, editions, new match types, Ringside Pass system, Showcase mode and pre-order bonus revealed

2K Sports has shared information on the next instalment of its next WWE game, WWE 2K26.

The game will be released on March 13 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC, with special editions providing early access from March 6.

This also confirms that the last-gen versions of the game have now officially retired. The series has been available on Xbox One and PS4 since WWE 2K15, but 2K26 will not be coming to those platforms.

WWE 2K26 will feature the largest roster in the series’ history, with a roster of more than 400 playable characters covering Raw, Smackdown, NXT and WWE legends. New additions this year include Rey Fénix, Blake Monroe and the returning Rusev.

The game’s Showcase mode – which lets players take on a series of past and fantasy matches revolving around a certain theme – will be called Punked this year, and will focus on the career of CM Punk, narrated by the wrestler himself.

Four new match types will be included – Three Stages of Hell, I Quit, Inferno and Dumpster – while new weapons include stackable tables, shopping carts and thumbtacks.

The game will also be abandoning the previous DLC model, which saw packs of wrestlers arriving every couple of months. Instead, a new Ringside Pass system will be used, similar to Battle Passes in other games.

Each season of the Ringside Pass will include a free version with 60 tiers to unlock, and a premium season with a further 40 tiers to unlock. By earning XP across all game modes, players will unlock superstars, cosmetic and customisation items, VC currency, content for MyFaction and The Island modes, and more.

There will be six seasons of Ringside Pass over the course of the year, and players who pay for the Premium Ringside Pass will unlock new playable characters including current superstars, legends, personas and “some unexpected names”.

The first season will launch alongside the game, and the free tier in Season 1 will unlock superstars and legends who were previously unlockable through the paid Supercharger feature in previous games.

Other new features confirmed for WWE 2K26 include the following:

• A revamp of the reversals and stamina system
• Interactive entrances where players can control their wrestler’s actions
• The addition of Booker T and Wade Barrett to the commentary team
• Create-a-Superstar save slots rise from 100 to 200, image storage capacity rises from 1,000 to 2,000, deeper body and face morphing tools and two-tone hair colour blending
• MyFaction gets intergender matches, a new Quick Swap match type and Faction Chemistry and run-in support
• MyGM mode adds intergender matches, 5- 6- and 8-man matches and support for more match types
• MyRise adds two new division-based storylines
• Universe mode gets the WWE Draft, a Universe creation wizard, extra promo types and improved Money in the Bank cash-ins
• The Island gets an all-new storyline featuring three separate factions. The Island will be available on PC this time
• Switch 2 version gets optional touchscreen and mouse support, GameShare, GameChat, support for single Joy-Con gameplay, and mouse support in Creation Suite for face and body painting
• Switch 2 now supports Image Uploader and cross-platform Community Creations

WWE 2K26 will be available in four separate editions, ranging from the $69.99 / 69.99 Standard Edition to the $149.99 / £139.99 Monday Night War Edition.

Players who pre-order on PS5, Xbox Series X/S or PC (not Switch 2) will also get the digital base WWE 2K25 game to play while they wait.

The four editions are as follows:

WWE 2K26 – Standard Edition

• $69.99 / £69.99, releases on March 13
• Contains the base game
• Pre-order to get the Joe Hendry Pack
  • Playable Joe Hendry
  • Joe Hendry shirt cosmetic item
  • Joe Hendry MyFaction Evo card
  • Joe Hendry Spin Emote for The Island

WWE 2K26 – King of Kings Edition

• $99.99 / £89.99, provides early access from March 6
• Includes Standard Edition and Joe Hendry Pack
• Ringside Pass Premium Season 1
• 32,500 VC currency
• Playable Triple H ’98
• Playable Stephenie McMahon ’00
• Triple H Signature Taunt Emote for The Island

WWE 2K26 – Attitude Era Edition

• $129.99 / £119.99, provides early access from March 6
• Includes all content from King of Kings Edition
• Ringside Pass Premium Season 1-4
• Playable The Rock ’99
• Playable Kane ’98
• Playable Chyna ’97
• Stone Cold Steve Austin ‘Rattlesnake’ MyFaction Evo card
• The Rock ‘People’s Champ’ MyFaction Evo card
• Raw is War ’98 arena
• Undertaker ‘Thumb Across the Neck’ Emote for The Island
• Shawn Michaels ‘DX Crotch Chop’ Emote for The Island
• Superstar Mega-Boost, including 200 MySuperstar attribute points
• 100,000 VC currency

WWE 2K26 – Monday Night War Edition

• $149.99 / £139.99, provides early access from March 6
• Includes all content from Attitude Era and King of Kings Editions
• Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-6
• Playable Shawn Michaels DX
• Playable Macho Man Randy Savage ’98
• Playable Rowdy Roddy Piper ’98
• WCW Thunder ’98 Arena
• Diamond Dallas Page ‘Bang!’ Emote for The Island
• WrestleMania 42 Pack, including the WrestleMania 42 arena and three MyFaction Persona Cards (post-launch)

VGC’s WWE 2K25 review called it “a solid annual improvement”, saying: “With a string of improvements across all its existing modes, WWE 2K25 outdoes its predecessor in pretty much every way.

“The weak link is the new Island mode with its cynical pay-to-win mechanics, but throw a Cena taunt in its face and pretend it doesn’t exist and you’ll find more than enough elsewhere in the game to keep you entertained for months.”

We also reviewed the Switch 2 version released four months later, praising it for delivering an authentic experience on Nintendo‘s system.

“The Switch 2 version of WWE 2K25 is the best wrestling game on a Nintendo console since at least the N64 era, certainly the GameCube one,” we wrote.

“It’s not without its faults, some of which are present on all versions of the game, but the overall package is a brilliant offering. It’s satisfying enough as an annual iteration on other formats, but as the first non-broken WWE 2K entry on a Nintendo console since the 480p era, it’s a revelation for Nintendo-playing wrestling fans.”