The first gameplay reveal for WWE 2K26 is set for tomorrow, which means fans are more excited than ever about what might be in store for WWE gamers in 2026. Although we still have to wait another day to find out, that doesn’t mean we can’t spend a little time looking forward to predicting what we think will and will not be appearing when the game hits physical and digital storefronts. These are five predictions for what we expect to see from WWE 2K26, from fun new elements to disappointing areas where there will still be ample room for improvement.
400 Wrestlers Will Not Be Enough To Include Everyone You Want
Operation Sports App
Your ultimate companion for sports gaming. Access in-depth coverage, thoughtful discussion, and a community built around the games—and sports—you love.
Your ultimate sports gaming companion.
Leading things off with a prediction that’s just a little tongue-in-cheek. The WWE 2K series is famous for having massive rosters that span the decades of World Wrestling Entertainment and the various brands the mega promotion now owns the rights to. With WWE 2K26 the roster will be going up above 400 for the first time, providing a staggering amount of wrestler depth to choose from.
Despite this, there will still be disappointments. This is not a criticism of developers so much as it is a testament to how many incredible wrestlers and personas there have been through the years. The roster for WWE 2K26 will be absolutely loaded, and you will also find yourself wishing for the opportunity to play as someone not available before long.
AAA Wrestling Will Feature In MyRise Mode
One of the most exciting pieces of news for WWE 2K26 is the addition of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide into the franchise. Leaks of wrestlers from the promotion being scanned by EA for inclusion in the game have all but confirmed the hopes that arose when it was announced that WWE was acquiring the Mexican promotion. With the athletes on the AAA roster now under the WWE umbrella, it brings them within 2K’s reach, and it’s no surprise developers have rushed to include them.
What remains to be seen is precisely how the AAA wrestlers will be incorporated and to what extent the promotion will, as well. While adding some basic aesthetic touches to make matches take place under the new banner is a simple enough addition to the game, we expect there to be a bit more to look forward to.
Most importantly, the additions will include the potential to incorporate Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide into the MyRise mode. Story modes are not for all sports gamers, but the gamers who love them tend to really love them. This makes it important that developers keep their story modes feeling fun and fresh, and an entirely new promotion in a new country is a spectacular opportunity to do just that.
2K has already shown a willingness to incorporate foreign leagues into its story modes, with NBA 2K26 featuring the option to choose between playing ball in France or Spain. Now, a time on the luchador scene may not make sense for every created wrestler’s story so a hard-scripted period with the promotion may not be a perfect solution, but having a sectino of MyRise where you have to choose your developmental path with a move to Mexico as one of the options would be a big hit with fans and we think that the team at 2K know this, too.
No Surprises Are Waiting In The List Of New Match Types
For fans of certain types of matches that were not available in 2K games, or those that were in the past but no longer are, it’s been a good 2026 on the news front. Earlier this month, it was revealed that several popular modes would be coming to WWE 2K26, with Inferno matches, Three Stages of Hell matches, and “I Quit!” matches all making a return, while Dumpster matches join as a new addition.
While these are welcome additions and will no doubt provide some fun gameplay and match booking options for gamers, they were not the only match types fans were hoping to see brought back.
Although there is still room for hope until the game arrives or the developers release a finalized list of matches appearing in the game, the four leaked match types will likely go down as the only new additions to the match option list. If your favorite match wasn’t in the game last year and wasn’t on the list of four, you’re likely looking at another year of waiting at minimum before you can see it play out in 2K.
Expanded Depth For Universe Mode
Any wrestling fan who has followed the sport for a significant period of time at any point in their life probably spent some of that time thinking about what they would do if they were in charge of the promotion. Sometimes it feels like half the fun of the sport is not in seeing what the writers actually decide to do with all the talented wrestlers on the roster, but instead on showing how you could do an even better job by thinking about all the cool storylines they could pursue.
With Universe Mode, you are given the chance to live out that dream, and with WWE 2K games having such a massive roster of wrestlers at your disposal, you can do so tremendously. Although the mode can be extremely fun and is highly popular with wrestling gamers with a mind for matchmaking, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still ways to make the mode better.
Earlier this week, we talked about how valuable it would be to have a more thorough integration of factions into the programmed storylines and cutscenes available in the game. Perhaps it’s a bit of wishful thinking, but we do think developers will deliver on an expansion to Universe Mode. When complaints for the mode are considered, it’s almost always issues of longevity, with gamers enjoying the mode but finding it gets stale and repetitive with time and requires more and more work on the gamers’ part to deliver the stories. New depth is the solution to this problem, and we believe that 2K Studios knows this.
The Island Will Again Fail To Make A Big Splash
From a mode that mostly delivers but with some flaws that developers could well make right in the next edition, to a mode that landed with a thud, The Island. WWE’s answer to The City in NBA 2K, this open-world online mode was a big disappointment with fans who found the mode to be thin, clunky, and just generally not very fun to play with.
Unfortunately, this is one area we are not expecting a massive enough overhaul to make the mode a popular choice with gamers. Although early news has discussed new storylines and plans for the mode, the distance it would need to progress to be greeted mostly favorably by its audience seems too large, and it’s more likely that The Island will be the least beloved mode available in 2K once again this time.
