All Game Modes in WWE 2K24 Ranked

#7 Online Multiplayer

Online multiplayer in WWE games is always a mixed bag, to say the least. While the idea of online wrestling matches sounds like a lot of fun, two things make it basically impossible: lag and the nature of wrestling games. The lag problems could be solved if 2K wanted to improve the servers, but that doesn’t seem likely. But if you are interested in trying it despite the lag, there’s also the other problem. Since wrestling is staged, choreographed, fake, or whatever else you want to call it, it’s kind of hard to replicate in game form.

If your opponent isn’t cooperating, it’s really hard to do anything other than spam taunts and run from one another. It’s far too easy to abuse spam tactics like that in these games, which I don’t see changing. MMA and sports games can get away with this easier than wrestling, since there are far more ways to break the rules here. The online play is really best reserved for playing with friends, as matchmaking is an absolute disaster.

#6 MyFaction

MyFaction has a lot of potential, but it still just feels out of place. At its core, MyFaction plays a lot like many other card-based sports games. You unlock wrestlers as cards which you can add to your overall team, with each card/wrestler having their own unique reasons why you might want to pick one over the other. In theory, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. However, it requires far too much grinding to make any progress, and there are plenty of micro-transactions to go along with it all.

If you can stomach the micro-transactions and major time commitments, then you can have a lot of fun playing through the challenge modes and multiplayer (if you don’t mind the lag and other problems we mentioned earlier).

#5 Showcase – 40 Years of WrestleMania

For the most part, every 2K WWE game comes with a showcase mode. These modes feature a single wrestler or other general theme and let you play through the key moments associated with them. Since this year sees the 40th annual of WrestleMania (WWE’s biggest annual show), it makes sense that they chose to include a showcase for it specifically. But, what exactly would they do for the 40th year showcase? 21 matches. It does honestly feel like a missed opportunity not to do one from each year, but nonetheless, it’s still fun.

This game mode takes you through the decades in the form of iconic WrestleMania matches. It incorporates footage from the actual shows mixed in with in-game renderings of moments from the matches, and my only real complaint about the way they present the matches is that the cutscenes are too frequent.

Showcase is a great mode for WWE fans who want to play through some great, nostalgic moments, and it’s also a good way for newer fans to catch up on some of the more well-known wrestlers and moments from WWE history. It’s just a bit of a drag since it can be very repetitive at times, but that’s no real surprise if you’re familiar with other showcase modes.

#4 MyRise (Story Mode)

If you want the best story mode experience, MyRise is the way to go. This year, as with last year, there are two options for MyRise–one for male wrestlers and one for female wrestlers. The story itself is also different within each, which gives you two separate stories to complete. As always, the story in WWE games tends to be a bit on the ridiculous side, but that’s for the best. These games always excel with the “stupid” storylines, and even though these may not be as unhinged as the ones from SmackDown: Here Comes the Pain or the other old PS2 era games, they’re still funny enough to stand out from the other game modes.

Of all the time I’ve spent playing these games, I personally think that the story modes are always one of the main reasons to come back to them. They’re not always perfect and they almost always end up far too grindy, but the absurdity and addictive gameplay makes them worthwhile.

#3 MyGM

MyGM is a fan favorite game mode from the older games which we finally saw return just a couple years ago. In this game mode, you take the role of the “general manager” of one of WWE’s shows (or one of their former competitors’ shows). As general manager, your role is to pick the matches for each show, hire new wrestlers, and keep the show running efficiently. You have to keep the fans entertained and the wrestlers happy, and both are easier said than done.

This mode does admittedly struggle from becoming far too repetitive in a short period of time, but it’s still fun. While still not as good as some of the old SmackDown vs Raw games’ GM modes, that’s okay. It feels like 2K is still improving the new MyGM mode each year, which is great to see.

#2 Universe

Universe Mode has sort of become the “standard” mode for WWE games over the last decade or so. Every game has one, so we know almost exactly what to expect each time. Basically, Universe mode allows you to take full control of WWE and do whatever you want. It’s a sandbox mode where anything can happen, with the only real drawbacks being some clunky menus and annoying AI decisions. If you’re a big WWE fan as I am, I don’t think there’s a better way to play the game than this. You can do just about anything you could imagine doing within a game where you put together a wrestling show, so it’s always going to be fun.

From my experience, the only real reason not to use Universe mode is that it can be too much to deal with sometimes. You have to either do everything yourself (requiring way more time in menus than anything else) or let the AI take a shot at it. The AI in this game rarely puts together a competent show, but hey, sometimes that’s part of the fun. Why not have four steel cage matches and a battle royal on the same show?

#1 Exhibition Matches

For my money, there’s no better way to play WWE games than the classic Exhibition mode. This is the simplest mode in these games, as it’s pretty much just a quick play option. You pick what match type you want to play, pick your wrestlers, then get straight into it. Since 2K has made so many major improvements to the actual in-ring gameplay, now is the best time to just enjoy the game in its simplest form. At this point, I don’t really feel like all the extra steps are necessary. The matches are as fun as they’re ever going to be.

To get the most out of exhibition matches, you can do anything from create your own match types, download custom wrestlers to use in the Community Creations menu, make your own Universe mode without the actual “mode” itself, and much more.