WWE 2K Battlegrounds Reviews
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a decent fighting game marred by multiple bad campaign and transactional decisions. Like the real WWE, it's best enjoyed when you focus on what's happening in the ring and ignore everything that surrounds it.
Over-the-top action, ridiculous animations and attacks, and a cartoony reimagining of your favorite superstars aside, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is hampered by its lackluster class-based movesets, as well as a system that requires you to grind for a vast majority of superstars that still need to be unlocked. With limited customization options and game modes, it's best played in short bursts, and you'll hardly feel engaged from a single-player standpoint.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a budget brawler with a high price tag. Despite the core gameplay being quite solid, a lot of the content is locked behind microtransactions and grinding away at matches. These things stop it from rising to Superstar status.
When it’s all said and done, I can’t shake the feeling that WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a quick pivot after last years disastrous WWE 2K20, a way to simply distract wrestling fans with a new shiny object while they work on what will hopefully be a stronger WWE 2K22. So much of this wrestling experience is copy and paste, from the animations, to the move-sets, to the painfully slow method of unlocking the roster and even the lack of polish that sometimes brings frame-rates down to a grinding halt. There’s a fun arcade fighting experience to be had, especially when it comes to local multiplayer where the shallow nature of the gameplay is less obvious. But while this may be accessible and “fun for the whole family”, it’s ultimately about as successful as a Sasha Banks title reign. Satisfying at first, but inevitably short and disappointing. We deserve better.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a welcome spin-off for the franchise, giving it the extravagant, over-the-top, enjoyable gameplay that captures and magnifies the WWE's best aspects.
Easy on the eyes and ears and fun to play, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a simplified title that mainly works. Its horrific paywall system, however, immediately kills much of its good will.
The agressive monetisation in Battlegrounds goes a long way to undermine an otherwise fun and thoroughly entertaining brawler
WWE 2K Battleground is a fun take on wrestling after the messy WWE 2K20, but microtransactions felt absolutely unnecessary.
Review in Italian | Read full review
So would I recommend this game? Well, it depends what you want out of a WWE game. This would probably be a really fun game for a parent to play with their young son or daughter. I also think it could be a fun budget title if you just want a party game to trot out with some wrestling buddies. Overall, it's not a bad game, but it doesn't feel as special as something like WWE All-Stars either.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is striking for its simplicity. It is the game equivalent of a popcorn flick. This is something goofy, simple, affordable, and likely intended to be enjoyed in brief bursts.
While it is reliant on grinding and lacks the sort of customisation that the simulation fans crave, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is the most entertaining WWE games in years.
There’s a bit of a budget feel to WWE 2K Battlegrounds, thanks to its shared movesets and story presentation. Despite that though, it’s actually quite endearing to play, and it’s easy to have fun with it. Get a friend or two to play it in local multiplayer with you, and it really is a blast.
With WWE 2K Battlegrounds, 2K has made it impossible to recommend for price and value. All aspects of the game revolve around microtransactions and by offering so little to begin with, the motivation to continue playing isn't present. Even the little things that make WWE games worth playing, such as seeing your favourite star enter the arena, are ruined with short audio clips and the same punch out of casket or box entrance. With baffling modes and gameplay that doesn't ever need to extend past single button bashing, it really highlights how 2K have gone for the cash grab and decided a mobile game may reach a wider audience on consoles. This is one title that needs to Rest….In……Peace.
If it was a fair priced arcade game, it would have a chance. With it's full price and micro-transactions, it doesn't seem possible.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
It is derated wrestling with missing adrenalin. Just several similar game modes without piquancy.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a bad game. It tries to be arcade and fun, but instead it's buggy, shallow and repetitive. Even for a fan of WWE, there are far better option out there.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Although WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a way more pleasant experience then last year's wrestling debacle, the franchise still has a ways to go. The title sets out what it wanted to do, which was a provide a light, arcade-like take on the WWE. However, between the lack of depth and intrusive microtransactions, I'm not sure how much staying power it has.
Simple and fun, WWE 2K Battlegrounds is an enjoyable experience for wrestling fans and rehabilitates a bit of the awful image that the series has because of the previous game, being a good distraction to play with friends either locally or online.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I don't hate WWE Battlegrounds. It's a much more arcadey style of game that I think is a better representation of what a pro wrestling game should be. But it does have its own set of problems in its lack of depth and aggressive microtransactions. I wouldn't mind seeing more from this series, but it needs some big changes to truly be a fun experience.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds tries to reach a new audience with a refreshing new direction for the series after the last year's disaster. However, locking a lot of its contents behind micro-transactions along with some other issues damaged the overall experience
Review in Arabic | Read full review