Michael has been writing about entertainment since 2016, but he's been a gamer since playing Pac-Man in the arcade, Kings Quest 3 on the PC, and the Sega Master System he got from his late father.
In addition to loving gaming, Mike is an avid movie fan - especially cheesy 80s and 90s action films. He also loves watching wrestling, MMA, and anything with Star Wars, including the sequel trilogy. His favourite TV shows include Stargate SG-1, Battlestar Galactica, The Boys, Dexter, and Only Fools and Horses.
Mike's favourite gaming genres are JRPG and RPGs. He fell in love with them after playing Final Fantasy 7 and made it his mission to collect as many as possible back in the early 2000s. Michael grew up a wrestling and boxing fan, so he loves wrestling, boxing, and UFC games because they have a different pace to regular fighting games.
Despite its presentation, it's hard to call WWE 2K25 a wrestling sim compared to the classic Fire Pro Wrestling series or even the back-and-forth strategic nature of the AKI N64 games from WCW vs nWo World Tour to WWF No Mercy. Thanks to the gameplay sliders, you can adjust your matches to make them closer to your preferences and the experience you see on TV and take away the often unfair advantage the AI has over the player. This guide outlines the best options for realism in WWE 2K25, enabling longer matches between WWE Superstars with near falls and granting you greater control.
To access the sliders in WWE 2K25, head to the Extras section from the Home page by pressing the RB/R1 and opening the Gameplaytab. Press the RB button again to locate the Balancingsliders.
Referee Down Time: 80-100/100. Keep this setting high if you want the referee to stay down after getting knocked down.
Reversals
Basic Reversal Windows: 65/100
Ground Attack Reversal Windows: 65/100
Signature & Finisher Reversal: 60/100
Weapon Reversal: 60/100
Stamina & Recovery
Stamina Cost: 35/100
Stamina Recovery Rate: 60/100
Rollout Frequency: 25/100
Rollout Duration: 25/100
Feeding Requency: 50/100
Stun Gain: 45/100
Stun Duration: 40/100
Vitality Regen Cooldown: 45/100
Vitality Regen Rate: 60/100
Post-Kickout Damage Recovery (Player): 65/100
Post-Kickout Damage Recovery (AI): 45/100
AI Damage Difficulty Scaling: 25/100 - Increases or decreases the damage the AI inflicts and receives.
Escape Difficulty
Drag Escape Difficulty: 30/100
Carry Escape Difficulty: 30/100
Match Options In WWE 2K25
Difficulty: Hard mode is the most balanced after adjusting the sliders. Legend Mode feels like an invincibility cheat for the AI in WWE 2K25, so you may want to keep it on hard.6
Weight Detection: Switch this feature to Simulation for more realistic matches with super heavyweights.
The Super Heavyweight feature has been improved in WWE 2K25 with a damage meter for super heavyweights that needs to be depleted before you can slam them
Stamina Mode: Change it to Normal so wrestlers can’t spam power moves and run around without getting tired.
Submission Mini-Game: This is down to your preference, but the new submission game is somewhat immersion-breaking and far more difficult to master than rapidly pressing the buttons, so you may want to switch this to Rapid.
Pin Mini-Game: Again, you can select between Rapid and the Mini-Game, but the mini-game feels more immersive.
Pin Min-Game First Count Lock After Finisher: Forces at least one count after a wrestler hits their finisher. It’s more realistic to get the one count, but switching it on reduces the chance of kicking out by one.
Trading Blows: A back-and-forth fisticuffs which should be switched on for more immersion.
Chain Wrestling: A returning feature that should be switched on to emulate the back-and-forth grappling that often occurs early in the match.
Allow held input for mini-games - choose between holding down a button at the prompt or rapidly mashing them. Switch it on if you want a better chance of escaping finishers,
Rope Break (Automatic): Ideally, you should switch it off for realism, so you have to manually reach for the ropes. However, the rope break can be temperamental with the game, not recognizing how close to the ropes you are.
Auto-Reversal for Ground Attacks: Switching this on auto reverses repeated strikes on your grounded wrestler. Use it if you’re struggling with reversing ground strikes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t apply to online matches.
Entrance Run-In (Play Mode): Choose whether entrances can be interrupted by a Run-In or Breakout. You can now select Player so only your play-controlled WWE wrestler can perform it.
Mid-Match Run-In (Play Mode): Switching this on can make mid-match run-ins occur from rivals in WWE 2K25. Setting it to “Payback” will trigger a run when a Payback move.
Post-Match Run-In (Play Mode): Run-ins can occur after matches. A personal preference, but it is a good feature in Universe Mode to set up future rivalries.
Blood: Switch this on.
Edited/Created Superstars: Switch this to Allowed, and custom superstars can compete in Universe mode.
Allow Instant Recovery: This is a Player preference, but switch it on if you want to give a wrestler a fighting chance of getting up at the cost of some of their Special Meter. Or, if you prefer a wrestler to sell the damage they're taking in the ring, switch it off. The cost increases every time it’s used.
Allow Possum Attack: At the cost of some of the Special Meter, you can take down your opponent from the ground. However, it can be reversed, meaning you can potentially waste the Special Meter, and the cost is increased every time.
Allow Possum Pin: When grounded, you can grab your opponent for a pin attempt. However, the pin attempt can be reversed with a pin attempt from your opponent, meaning you can potentially waste the Special Meter or lose the match. The cost is increased every time.
Allow Ring Escape: You can roll out of the ring after taking too much damage at the cost of the Special Meter. The cost increases the more it’s used.
Gameplay Camera: You now have the option to choose standard, ramp-facing, or the new third-person. The third-person is a new feature for WWE 2K25 and slightly changes the mechanics.
Third-Person Camera Field of View: Keep this at Default.
Superstar Hub: Switch this off for immersion when you feel confident with the mechanics.
Reversal Prompt: Switch it off if you feel comfortable with reversals.
Post Match Replays: This is a Player preference, but sometimes the replays can be excessive after a long match.
Camera Shakes: This can provide impact to a big move.
Camera Cuts: Switch on for a more cinematic view.
Camera Cuts for Big Moments: Switch it on to make sure you get cinematic camera cuts for moves like signatures, finishers, dives, and more.
Camera Cuts For Pins And Submissions and Taunts: You choose between sometimes, often, frequently, or never.
Super Finisher VFX: This gives the super finishers an arcade-style effect, so if you’re striving for realism, you may want to turn this off.
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