Ahead of WWE 2K26's official release date on Friday, March 13, those who got early access to the game through the most expensive version quickly ranked it as one of the best wrestling video games since the Smackdown vs. Raw era on PlayStation 2.
They also quickly discovered that, for better or worse, getting all the DLC content required a significant amount of effort. Unlike previous games that used a one-time season pass model, WWE 2K26 introduced the concept of Ringside Pass, a tiered, non-expiring program that forced players to commit to DLC. technically I already paid for it.
Ragdoll physics is the best thing to happen to WWE 2K in decades.
WWE 2K26 is hilariously violent in most video game ways possible.
Gamers quickly discovered that the grinding method of making Eric Bischoff, the in-game administrator character, tap out 10 seconds after adjusting an in-game slider was the quickest way to get a DLC character they'd already dropped cash on.
However, 2K runs very fast and a recent patch has removed that vulnerability, which they state in the patch notes.
“If the match is completed faster than 60 seconds, players will receive completion RXP, but no additional win bonuses will be given. We know you're enjoying Eric Bischoff's tap out, but let's give poor 'Eazy E' a break.”
Now WWE fans are hitting back at the developers, who claim the exploit “circumvents the system.” Those fans argue that the system needs two things: The thing is that it takes a lot of time to unlock everything or you need money to buy tier skips.
Ringside pass drama is marring the best WWE title in terms of gameplay.
Brian Mazique, developer of WWE 2K's MyFaction and Live Event programs, made it clear on social media that this was not the company's intention to turn the other cheek.
The same method was popular among those who enjoyed MyFaction, another time-wasting mode with additional roster members and prizes.
“Aren’t you blaming your player base for fixing your game design?” one user wrote on Reddit, and the post quickly went viral.
“If you don't feel like unlocking something in a F2P game, people won't feel the need to do so, unless it's a game people already paid for and you're paying extra for content that forces people to unlock it as if it were a F2P game,” wrote another user.
Others said the tons were enough to make them reconsider their purchase.
Mazique accused fans of wanting to “speedball” the game. That didn't go over well either, and the game, which launched this week with so many promises, is now at the center of a heated debate over whether the company can monitor how players engage with the products they paid for and try to get what they spent their money on.
- released
-
March 12, 2026
- ESRB
-
Teen/blood, language, suggestive themes, violence, in-game purchases (including random items), user interaction
- developer
-
visual concept
Twenty-five years later, Conker's Bad Fur Day still feels like a video game miracle.
Happy anniversary to one of the best and rarest games of all time.
