WWE 2K26 Revealed: CM Punk Headlines A Massive Sequel

WWE 2K26 is officially stepping into the ring this March, and 2K is betting big on scale, nostalgia, and player freedom. Headlined by reigning World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk on the cover, the latest entry in the long-running wrestling franchise promises new match types, sweeping upgrades across every mode, and the largest roster in series history.

WWE 2K26 launches March 13, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. Premium editions arrive a week earlier on March 6. GameSpot participated in a virtual press conference in which 2K and Visual Concepts went through the ins-and-outs of what players can expect from WWE 2K26.

CM Punk Takes Center Stage

CM Punk graces the Standard Edition cover, marking his second time as a WWE game cover star after WWE ’13. Fittingly, Punk also headlines this year’s 2K Showcase mode, titled Punked: CM Punk’s Personal Journey.

Narrated by Punk himself, the Showcase revisits key moments, matches, and controversies from his career, while also introducing elements designed to test even veteran players.

“As a kid, I could only dream of being on the cover of a video game. Now I join a very exclusive group of WWE Superstars who have done it twice,” said CM Punk in a statement. “I enjoyed the experience of narrating the 2K Showcase, which gave me an opportunity to tell fans the straight, unfiltered story of the moments, matches, and controversies in my career.”

Al Stavola, general manager for global communications at 2K Games, added that while some of the showcase centers around Punk’s greatest moments in his WWE career, some of it is “fantasy warfare” with some of the matches proposing what would have happened if CM Punk never left WWE.

Four Editions, Heavy On Nostalgia

In addition to the Standard Edition, $70 released on March 13, WWE 2K26 includes three premium versions:

• King of Kings Edition, $100 (March 6), focused on Triple H’s in-ring career and executive legacy, and includes Triple H ’98 and Stephanie McMahon ’00, and a “Triple H Signature Taunt” Emote for The Island.
• Attitude Era Edition, $130 (March 6), celebrating WWE’s most iconic late-’90s stars, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Stephanie McMahon, Undertaker, Kane, Trish Stratus, Lita, Chyna, Kurt Angle, and The Dudley Boyz.
• Monday Night War Edition, $150 (March 6), a “super-premium” release that expands into WCW territory with legends like “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Booker T, as well as Macho Man Randy Savage ’98, Rowdy Roddy Piper ’98, the WCW Thunder ’98 Arena, and a Diamond Dallas Page “Bang!” Emote for The Island.

“Monday Night War Edition. Same WWE lineup up against the biggest names, arguably, in WCW history. What a time to be alive, that was,” said Stavola. “It was very cool. You had your TV, flipping back and forth between channels, we’re trying to capture that in this super deluxe edition of the game.”

All premium editions unlock seven days early and include varying levels of post-launch content via the new Ringside Pass system.

Ringside Pass Replaces Traditional DLC

WWE 2K26 debuts the Ringside Pass, a tier-based progression system replacing the traditional DLC model. Players can earn rewards across all modes, with six planned seasons featuring new Superstars, Legends, Personas, cosmetics, and currency. Premium tiers unlock additional playable characters not included in the base roster, as Stavola explained.

“So, we got an added-value upgrade to DLC: same price, you get more stuff. It is essentially a Battle Pass model so that you will get the same package of superstars you would get with a DLC pack when you buy the premium Ringside Pass, and then also a whole bunch of other stuff to unlock,” he said. “So, we’re giving you all sorts of new cool things, incentive to keep playing, earning XP across all the different game modes, except for the online lobby, so if you play MyFaction, if you play MyRise, you can unlock more XP, which then allows you to unlock content.”

Stavola continued that while they can’t give away all the secrets, it’ll eventually break down to 60 free tiers and 40 premium tiers, but even with the free tier, expect some big names.

“Something that’s important to note, because I know some folks are going to ask about this, is what you used to get in the Supercharger–Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, were in the Supercharger. Like, you could unlock them as you played through the game. Those are going to be all in the first Ringside Pass Season free tier. You can still unlock them through gameplay; they’re still accessible for all players. You don’t have to pay. You can choose to if you want, but you don’t have to.”

New Match Types And Gameplay Upgrades

One of WWE 2K26’s biggest additions is the introduction of four new match types:

• I Quit
• Inferno
• Three Stages of Hell
• Dumpster matches

These join expanded weapon options such as stackable tables, shopping carts, and thumbtacks, alongside larger interactive environments. Intergender matches are now fully supported across core modes, and a revamped stamina and reversal system adds more strategy to in-ring action. Physics and animations have also been tuned to make matches feel more “dynamic and dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Three Stages of Hell has been completely revamped in how players go from match to match.

“So, Three Stages of Hell, I think people are going to be excited for the way it works. It could have just been choose three matches, and then you play three matches back-to-back with loading screens, and that’s not how we did it,” said Visual Concepts’ Derek Donahue.

“You choose three matches up front, and you have a lot of customization for the order in which matches you want. And once you load into the game, you’re going to be there through all three matches. We have this really complex transition system in between, so that you don’t actually hit a loading screen at all, and it feels like it’s a contiguous three stages of hell before you get out of it. It’s going to feel like you’ve been through hell, win or lose, at the end of that match type.”

Presentation upgrades include interactive entrances and a refreshed commentary team featuring Booker T and Wade Barrett.

“We’re really working on the presentation every year, and we want to bring it up to speed in terms of what the current and also historical WWE presentations look like,” Stavola added. “So, yeah, definitely some great opportunity there to recreate your favorite moments.”

As for interactive entrances, building on past efforts to enhance entrances, 2K26 takes a bigger step toward giving players more control and personality in how their characters make an impression.

“Yeah, so, we’ve tried to amp up the interactions that you have during entrances. One of the things that we wanted to do in 2K25 was add different camera angles. So we added the third-person camera, [and] added these presets for the camera, and we felt like that was a good start,” said Visual Concepts creative director Lynell Jinks.

“Ultimately, we want, you know, people to have agency over their entrances and breathe character into the performance during the entrances. And so, we’ve added some animations that you can trigger. There are three for each type of archetype. And then, you know, you can trigger them at different times during the entrance. You can also trigger pyro on the stage or in the ring. So, it just gives you a little bit more flavor to make each entrance your own.”

The Biggest Roster Ever

WWE 2K26 boasts a 400+ Superstar roster, the largest in franchise history. It spans current RAW, SmackDown, and NXT stars, Legends, and Hall of Famers. Names confirmed include John Cena, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Bret “Hitman” Hart, Eddie Guerrero, Charlotte Flair, Penta, Logan Paul, and Andre the Giant, alongside new additions of Rey Fenix and Black Munroe, and the returning Rusev.

“The biggest roster ever. I know we always say that, but it’s true. 400-plus playable characters. Some are Superstars, some are Legends, some are–well, you’ll be surprised,” Stavola said. “You know, every year we’ve got a few surprises. Joe Hendry, everyone’s been asking for him. He’s here. He’s available as a pre-order bonus. We’ve got some superstars making their debuts–or returns– including Rey Phoenix, Rusev, Izzy Dane, Miles Bourne … but more surprises to come. I think you guys are gonna be really excited. We’re not ready to reveal the whole roster yet, so, you know, there will come a time.”

As for the inclusion of AAA stars being part of this year’s roster, as WWE acquired the lucha promotion last year, confirmation went unanswered for now, with a solid “maybe” and for fans to stay tuned.

Nintendo Switch 2 Gets Exclusive Features

On Nintendo Switch 2, WWE 2K26 supports touchscreen and mouse controls, Joy-Con-only play, GameShare, GameChat, and full access to Image Uploader and cross-platform Community Creations–bringing the portable version closer than ever to its console counterparts.

Mode-by-Mode Improvements

Nearly every mode receives notable updates:

• Creation Suite doubles Create-A-Superstar slots to 200, increases image capacity to 2,000, and adds deeper body morphing and two-tone hair options.
• MyGM expands match variety with intergender bouts, larger multi-person matches, and more shows per season.
• MyRISE introduces division-based storylines with branching heroic or villainous paths and extended post-story progression.
• Universe Mode finally adds the WWE Draft, plus a new Universe Creation Wizard, Watch Show mode, and improved Money in the Bank cash-ins.
• The Island returns with a new storyline, factions, a Scrapyard Brawl environment, and expanded social and progression systems, now available on all platforms, including PC.
• MyFACTION introduces Faction Chemistry, Quick Swap matches, and continued seasonal card content throughout the year.

With multiple editions and broad platform support, WWE 2K26 represents the next step for the series as it continues to refine its approach ahead of release.

Source link