WWE 2K26 Faces Negative Reviews Due to Ringside Pass
WWE 2K26 has only been out for a short time, but the newest wrestling game from 2K is already getting a rough reception from players on Steam.
The game launched on March 13, 2026, as the latest entry in the long-running WWE series, bringing updated rosters, new content, and gameplay improvements. However, early reviews show that many players are not happy with the current state of the game.
WWE 2K26 Is Off to a Rough Start in Steam Reviews
Right now, the game’s Steam user rating is sitting at around 51% positive reviews, which puts it in the “Mixed” category. For comparison, WWE 2K25 launched with around 78% positive reviews, showing that reception to this year’s release has dropped quite a bit.
Many of the negative reviews focus on the game’s Ringside Pass, which some players believe pushes too many extra purchases.
Several users claim that features and content that used to be part of the base game now feel locked behind additional payments, especially after 2K replaced traditional DLC packs with a battle-pass style system that could reportedly push the total cost of the game to over $600 if players want to unlock everything.
One user wrote, “I’ve been playing WWE games for a long time, and I’ve never seen monetization this aggressive in any game I’ve played. This year with WWE 2K26, it honestly feels like things have gone way too far.” Others argue that the system makes progression slower unless players pay for additional content.
There are also complaints about technical issues. Some players mention bugs, crashes, and performance problems that they say affect the experience.
Not all feedback is negative, though. Some players still praise the core wrestling mechanics and the large roster of WWE superstars.
Still, the large number of negative reviews has clearly affected the game’s overall score on Steam. With the rating currently sitting just above 50%, WWE 2K26 is much closer to the reception of WWE 2K20, which is widely remembered as one of the most criticized entries in the series.
In other news, WWE 2K26 Community Creations see PS5 temporarily separated from cross-platform content, while Switch 2 creations face approval delays.
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Not a fan of the ring side pass, wish they just had the fan axxess dlc that unlocked everything, they already patched the exp exploit that let players adjust the sliders in the settings and win by submission repeatedly and max out the ring side pass at level 40.