# WWE 2K20
**WWE 2K20** is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports, released worldwide on October 22, 2019 for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), and Windows PC.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) It is the twenty-first entry in the [WWE 2K](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-2k) series and the first developed without longtime series studio Yuke's, which had parted ways with 2K before release.[2](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/2k-splits-with-veteran-wwe-studio-yukes/) The game introduced several franchise firsts, including a Women's Evolution themed 2K Showcase and a MyCAREER mode with both male and female player characters, but its launch was widely criticized for technical problems, and its poor reception led 2K to skip a 2021 installment and rebuild the series.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) • [3](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/76f4bbac-7caf-4a5c-978c-26947aa09610)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | October 22, 2019, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) |
| Developer | Visual Concepts, its first solo entry after Yuke's left the series[2](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/2k-splits-with-veteran-wwe-studio-yukes/) |
| Cover Superstars | Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns[4](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html) |
| Roster | More than 180 playable characters, including current Superstars, Legends, and Hall of Famers[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) |
| Franchise firsts | Women's Evolution 2K Showcase; male and female MyPLAYERs in MyCAREER; mixed tag matches[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) |
| Reception | Metascore of 43 on Metacritic (PC), rated generally unfavorable[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/wwe-2k20/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) |
## Development
WWE 2K20 was the first game in the series led entirely by California-based Visual Concepts. Yuke's, the Japanese studio that had developed WWE titles for years, co-developed the series with Visual Concepts from [WWE 2K14](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-2k14) onward, and 2K confirmed the split before release, stating that Visual Concepts would develop WWE 2K20 on its own.[2](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/2k-splits-with-veteran-wwe-studio-yukes/) Yuke's said at the time that it still had a good relationship with 2K.[2](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/2k-splits-with-veteran-wwe-studio-yukes/)
The change of developer came with a compressed schedule. Reviewers noted that many long-standing engine issues carried over regardless of who held the lead role.[6](https://www.shacknews.com/article/114701/wwe-2k20-review-botchamania)
## Features
**2K Showcase: The Women's Evolution.** The story-driven, objective-based Showcase mode follows the careers of the Four Horsewomen, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Charlotte Flair, and [Sasha Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/sasha-banks), through documentary-style vignettes, cutscenes, and objective-based gameplay covering the rise of the Women's Division.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) The Spanish-language review from MeriStation counted 15 matches tracing the wrestlers' path from NXT to [WrestleMania](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania).[4](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html)
**MyCAREER.** For the first time in franchise history, players control both a male and a female MyPLAYER through a single story, following friends Tre and Red on the path to a [WWE Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-hall-of-fame) induction, with cutscenes and voiceovers from more than 40 Superstars.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) Critics panned the mode's writing and on-rails structure; Push Square called it the worst career mode it had experienced in any WWE video game.[7](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/wwe_2k20)
**2K Towers: Roman's Reign.** The Towers mode returned with a story-driven tower centered on cover Superstar Roman Reigns' career, alongside other towers with varied match stipulations and player modifications.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) MeriStation counted 50 towers across three categories: Legends, Women's Revolution, and 2K Central.[4](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html)
**WWE 2K20 Originals.** The game introduced a new downloadable content service model, WWE 2K20 Originals, each pack presenting its own themed playable world with a Showcase, new arenas, reimagined Superstars, and story-driven Towers. The first pack, Bump in the Night, a horror-themed release featuring "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, was free for players who pre-ordered and $14.99 otherwise from October 28, 2019; all four packs were included with the Deluxe and Collector's Editions.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) • [8](https://www.wwe.com/section/wwe-2k20/article/wwe-2k20-online-features)
**Other modes and content.** The game carries a large exhibition match catalog, Universe mode with higher caps on match limits, championship slots, and rivalries per show plus 3,040 new promo lines, a Creation Suite for custom Superstars, apparel, and arenas, and returning online lobbies supporting up to six players with a Quick Play option and a daily Tonight's Match rotation.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) • [8](https://www.wwe.com/section/wwe-2k20/article/wwe-2k20-online-features) Controls were streamlined to ease entry for new players, with reversals moved to a different button on PlayStation 4.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available) • [4](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html) The in-game soundtrack features 12 tracks spanning hip-hop, hard rock, punk, metal, electropop, and alternative/indie rock.[1](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available)
## Reception
WWE 2K20 received broadly negative reviews. On Metacritic, the PC version holds a Metascore of 43, with three of four listed critic reviews negative, and PC Invasion wrote that the game should not have been released in its state.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/wwe-2k20/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) Push Square scored the PS4 version 3/10, and Shacknews scored the PC version 3/10.[7](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/wwe_2k20) • [6](https://www.shacknews.com/article/114701/wwe-2k20-review-botchamania)
**Technical condition.** The launch was plagued with bugs ranging from missing features and problematic graphics to issues with AI behavior and collision detection.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/wwe-2k20) Reviewers documented frequent crashes, character models with incorrect likenesses and broken hair physics, poor lighting, and long loading times; Shacknews wrote that collision detection was "a suggestion in the WWE 2K20 universe rather than a hard rule."[6](https://www.shacknews.com/article/114701/wwe-2k20-review-botchamania) • [4](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html) A patch (1.03) released on PC corrupted save files, and 2K had to issue a follow-up that downgraded the game back to version 1.02.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-SP2ECsTV0) Sony processed refunds in some regions, and Visual Concepts publicly committed to fixes.[4](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html)
**What critics credited.** Reviews found some positives. GamesRadar described a decent game under the problems, praising the variety of match types and the distinct feel of different matchups, and called MyCareer occasionally hilarious fun.[11](https://www.gamesradar.com/wwe-2k20-review/)
## Aftermath
The game's reception had direct consequences for the series. 2K skipped a 2021 installment entirely, and [WWE 2K22](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-2k22) launched on March 11, 2022, giving the franchise a longer development cycle.[3](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/76f4bbac-7caf-4a5c-978c-26947aa09610) Later coverage described the response to WWE 2K20 as the reason the team went back to the drawing board.[12](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/wwe-2k25-nintendo-switch-2-edition-review)
The game's online life was short. The game's manual had originally scheduled online features to be available until May 31, 2021.[13](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/manuals/WWE-2K20-XB1-Online-Manual.pdf)
## References
1. [Step Inside – WWE 2K20 Now Available, 2K Newsroom](https://newsroom.2k.com/news/step-inside-wwer-2k20-now-available)
2. [2K splits with veteran WWE studio Yuke's, Video Games Chronicle](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/2k-splits-with-veteran-wwe-studio-yukes/)
3. [Take-Two Interactive investor presentation (WWE 2K22 launch date)](https://ir.take2games.com/static-files/76f4bbac-7caf-4a5c-978c-26947aa09610)
4. [WWE 2K20, análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2019/11/12/analisis/1573549916_784382.html)
5. [WWE 2K20 critic reviews (PC), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/wwe-2k20/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
6. [WWE 2K20 review: Botchamania, Shacknews](https://www.shacknews.com/article/114701/wwe-2k20-review-botchamania)
7. [WWE 2K20 Review (PS4), Push Square](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/wwe_2k20)
8. [WWE 2K20 online features revealed, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/section/wwe-2k20/article/wwe-2k20-online-features)
9. [WWE 2K20 – Parents' Guide & Game Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/wwe-2k20)
10. [WWE 2K20 Patch 1.03 coverage, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-SP2ECsTV0)
11. [WWE 2K20 review, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/wwe-2k20-review/)
12. [WWE 2K25 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition review, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/wwe-2k25-nintendo-switch-2-edition-review)
13. [WWE 2K20 Xbox One online manual](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/manuals/WWE-2K20-XB1-Online-Manual.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Franchises and series › Fighting game franchises › Wrestling and boxing game franchises*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license