With WWE 2K23 heavily rumored for a March 2023 release, there’s still several long months to wait before we get to enjoy the 10th installment in WWE’s fruitful franchise collaboration with 2K Games. Yet all is not lost, as there is an incredible diversity of wrestling titles available today on a whole host of platforms old and new to enjoy.
The result of this is that there’s more than enough to keep you busy until the first 9th generation console wrestling game falls into our laps. Below we’re going to take a grand tour of some of the greatest WWE games ever created – some of these are perennial classics, others modern sleeper hits, but what they all share in common is their commitment to putting players in control of their favorite fighters primed to serve up a level measure of pain to both AI combatants and friends alike. Let’s dive in.
WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain
The biggest and arguably most beloved of any wrestling game over the past 20 years, ‘WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain’ struck a delicate balance between the more technical aspects of wrestling, and arcade accessibility that lets anybody jump in the ring and hold their own.
This made it a consummate party game, and the best realized WWE game of the 6th generation of consoles. Featuring Brock Lesnar adorning its iconic cover, the game was well reviewed at the time, and sold well, going platinum in the UK during its first year.
If you’re wanting to play this game though, you may need to go and dust off the old PS2. While there are rumors that ‘WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain’ could find its way onto PS Now before long, at present sadly nothing has materialized to that effect.
Underrated Oddities
Over the years the WWE has signed off on all manner of surprising gaming collaborations. As a result of this, there are many titles that fly under the radar for all but the most committed ring-side gamer.
But this is not to say that these games are not worth seeking out, especially if you’re looking for a change of pace from the classic console fighting format. One of our favorites has to go to be. WWE Legends Link and Win. Developed by Microgaming and All41Studios, it takes all the white-knuckle fury of the WWE and transmutes it into a slot-gaming thrill-ride served up by none other than VegasSlotsOnline. This platform has established itself as the leading online resource for both free and real money slot games online. It achieves this with a directory commanding thousands of top quality titles for gamers in diverse regions across the world, the UK to the Philippines.
Elsewhere, swapping reels for wheels comes WWE Crush Hour, which has got to take the cake for being the most left-field licensed wrestling game out there. This game takes its cue from the classic Twisted Metal franchise, a vehicular combat game where players deck out their vehicles which all manner weapons and duke it out in giant destruction derby arenas and race-tracks.
WWE Crush Hour takes that format, and puts iconic early 2000s wrestlers, from The Rock to Trish Stratus, behind the wheel.
WWF Super WrestleMania
To call WWF Super WrestleMania a cult classic is an understatement. While it wasn’t the earliest WWE/WWF console game, by a long shot – that accolade going to 1987’s MicroLeague Wrestling for the Commodore 64, Super WrestleMania brought the franchise screaming into the 16-bit era with a simultaneous release on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo.
Don’t expect complex or nuanced mechanics here though, as this game is fondly remembered for its ‘tug of war’ grappling mechanic that saw players enter a clinch and attempt to out-button press their opponent in order to overpower them and execute their moves.
In addition to this, the game featured a variety of attacks including dropkicks, clotheslines, elbow drops and, of course, suplexes. Different modes, including a four-on-four elimination match, and tag team games kept things interesting. If you can track this down, and have the means to play it, you’ll be well rewarded for the effort.
