The Best Wrestling Video Games of All-Time
It’s no secret that we live in a turbulent time in the history of humanity. The idea of escapism is something that has been with humans for centuries, though it is clearly much easier in an age of constant connection and access to anything and everything. One of the most popular forms of easily accessible escapism is video games. While they have been around since the late 1960s with old repurposed radar machines and the Magnavox Odyssey, released in 1972, it wasn’t until the great ‘video game crash’ of 1983 and the resurgence of the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 that it took off as a viable and pardon the pun, game-changing industry. And we all know that if there is an off-shoot that can make money and promote the product, that professional wrestling will latch onto it.
Over the decades, we have seen many great wrestling video games. While they would not come fully come into their own until the 64-bit era, with the exception of the 8-bit era (NES and Sega Master System for you non-video game nerds) there are diamonds in the rough in every console generation. Today we will take what I’m sure will be a controversial look at the top 10 wrestling video games. This list is curated from a combination of critical and widespread fan ratings, as well as some additional feelings from the staff and their friends and family. Again, these types of lists are completely subjective.
But first, some honourable mentions:
Honorable Mentions
Sadly, no games from the 8-bit era came anywhere within sniffing distance of the top 10, but a few surprises hit from the 16-bit era. WWF Royal Rumble for the Super Nintendo, while very much not a great game by any stretch, was fondly remembered by many, most likely due to it being an entry point for those of a certain age. I can attest it was one of the first wrestling games that I played religiously, and I still own the cartridge to this day. On the opposite end of the 16-bit spectrum rests Saturday Night Slam Masters. One of the few non-licensed games featured today, Slam Masters was a combination of a wrestling and fighting game from the king of the fighting game, Capcom (creators of the Street Fighter and Final Fight game series’), which featured over-the-top caricatures of wrestling characters and even Mike Haggar from the Final Fight series and controlled similar to Street Fighter in a wrestling ring. An underrated gem that could have cracked the top 10. The 64-bit era, as already mentioned is where another level would be attained, starting with the solid WCW/NWO World Tour, the first game released by THQ where the grappling system was first implemented properly. This would carry on through a few games on this list (spoiler!). One that narrowly missed the list from this time is Virtual Pro Wrestling 2, a Japanese-only release featuring the same game engine as the WCW and WWF N64 games, but with a roster boasting stars from several Japanese promotions such as All Japan, New Japan, and FMW. Several of the SmackDown games are wrapped up in this section, which became the de facto series for many years. The first two games in the series helped lay the groundwork with a different yet familiar system to the N64 games that preceded them and would continue to evolve until the present day. With all of that said, let’s get to the real reason we are here today.
10) WWE ‘13
System(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii
Release Date: 2012
Metacritic: 76 – Xbox 360 | 76 – PlayStation 3 | 74 – Nintendo Wii
The final WWE game released by THQ before their bankruptcy and the WWE license would be picked up by 2K Games, WWE ’13 would be a good swansong. Certainly not on the level of some of the more famous games we will get to, the season mode would be a recreation of the Attitude Era, and the roster would reflect that. Universe mode would also return, expanding the roster with three different downloadable content packs. One of the more controversial parts of the game was the choice of CM Punk as the cover star. According to Paul Heyman and Punk, WWE wanted Sheamus as the cover star, but THQ wanted Punk and went ahead with him anyway. This would also be the final game before the next generation of consoles would arrive and the last WWE game to appear on a Nintendo console until the ill-fated port of WWE 2K18 on Nintendo Switch in 2018.
9) Fire Pro Wrestling World
System(s): PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date: 2018
Metacritic: 79 – PlayStation 4 | N/A – PC
And here is the portion where I admit to having never really played the Fire Pro games much. Incredibly popular amongst the more hardcore gaming and wrestling crowds, the Fire Pro series has been going on for seemingly forever. The most popular game, likely due to its placement on a big console such as the PS4, is Fire Pro Wrestling World. The game features much of the New Japan Pro Wrestling roster at the time, including the now-AEW Champion Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, and the always-amazing Tetsuya Naito. Featuring a deep control scheme that is maybe easy to pick up but difficult to master, the Fire Pro series continues to be a favorite of the hardcore crowd. There is a good chance it may take a hit from the forthcoming AEW video games, which look to be leaning into that style, so we will see where the series goes from here.
8) WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role
System(s): PlayStation
Release Date: 2000
Metacritic: 90 – PlayStation
The first sequel in the wildly popular SmackDown! Series, Know Your Role was released only eight months after its predecessor. Featuring a more extensive roster and changes to the fan-favorite Season mode, adding more storylines for the player to experience, and SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role would be the swan song for the N64/PlayStation generation before THQ would move onto the world of the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox (which sadly never got a good game until the Xbox 360 generation.) Widely considered one of the best wrestling games until that point, it would receive wide critical praise and fan reaction, as evidenced by it sitting at 90 on Metacritic with the “Must-Play” medal proudly emblazoned upon it. The game also added the much-needed ‘Create’ suite, which had been present in previous N64 games but missing from the first SmackDown! Game, including new options like Create-A-Manager and Create-A-Moveset, opening up a much wider variety of options for gamers. It would become the best-selling wrestling game on the PlayStation, though up against options like WWF War Zone and WWF In Your House, which isn’t too hard of a feat. Laying the groundwork for the greatness to come, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role easily belongs on this list.
7) WWE 2K14
System(s): Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release Date: 2013
Metacritic: 75 – Xbox 360 | 74 – PlayStation 3
The first game in the WWE series after THQ’s bankruptcy and Take-Two (aka 2K Games) picked up the WWE license was a great game and arguably the last truly great and fun game in the series. While later games (except WWE 2K20) would have their moments and highlights, WWE 2K14 was the last to have an overall fun experience. The real highlights were the new take on the Story or Season mode. While Universe Mode persisted as a bastardized mix of Season and GM Mode, the new 30 Years of WrestleMania mode is a fantastic trip back through history, bringing back many characters that hadn’t been seen in a very long time in the games. Another great addition is The Streak mode (ironic given that the Streak would end at the hands of Brock Lesnar months later at WrestleMania XXX) which tasked the player with defeating many of his most iconic WrestleMania opponents and was considerably tricky as well. Along with another fabulous Creation Suite, WWE 2K14 was a lot of fun at the time, and sadly the series would seemingly drop in quality as the years wore wear on.
6) WCW/NWO Revenge
System(s): Nintendo 64
Release Date: 1998
Metacritic: N/A (Release came before Metacritic began aggregating reviews)
What is there to say? WCW/NWO Revenge changed how the general public viewed wrestling video games. While the previous game in the series, WCW/NWO World Tour, laid the groundwork, Revenge took it to an entirely new level. Adding in actual arenas for the first time and the most expansive roster up to that point (seriously, nearly every WCW wrestler was in the game, and given how many were in the company at that time, that says a lot) and the grappling system and moves list was vastly improved. While there was no Create-A-Wrestler mode, you could edit many wrestlers to be the ones you were hoping to add to the game. This would sadly be the last WCW game worth playing, as THQ would move onto WWF/WWE after the game's release. Speaking to the popularity of wrestling in 1998, Revenge would become one of the best-selling games in the history of the Nintendo 64, which also speaks volumes given how many incredible games were released for the system.
5) WWF WrestleMania 2000
System(s): Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color
Release Date: 1999
GameRankings: 85 – Nintendo 64 | 64 – Game Boy Color
Following the incredible success of WCW/NWO Revenge, WWF moved away from working with Acclaim and to working with THQ, resulting in a game-changing (pardon the pun) moment for wrestling video games. Featuring a ridiculous roster (especially for the time) and the introduction of the Creation Suite, WrestleMania 2000 allowed wrestling fans to compete in a vast story mode that took them from preliminary matches to being in the main event. The game featured accurate arenas for nearly every PPV and TV show (except the title PPV, as the game was released months before the actual show.) And then there is the Game Boy Color version, which, I’ll be honest, I forgot existed. That version received much less favorable reviews, but the N64 version is fondly remembered as one of the greatest N64 games and certainly wrestling games of all.
4) WWE WrestleMania XIX
System: Nintendo GameCube
Release Date: 2003
Metacritic: 76 – GameCube
A personal favorite that deserves to make this list. The GameCube is arguably one of the most underrated video game consoles of all time and featured some of the most underrated wrestling games of all time. While the previous entry in the console series, WrestleMania X8 featured wildly different controls and a grappling system that was hit-or-miss for players, WrestleMania XIX, a game based on maybe the best WrestleMania of all time, found the perfect blend between the previous system and the grappling system from the N64 games. Also, having maybe the most talented roster in WWE history of nearly 70 wrestlers and a fabulous Creation Suite that I can attest to filling several memory cards of wrestlers, WrestleMania XIX may be the most underrated (there’s that word again!) game on this list. While more critical acclaim would go to Day Of Reckoning and its direct sequel, they lost some of the charm. An absolute classic; I can’t recommend this one enough.
3) WWE SmackDown Vs. RAW 2006
System: PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
Release Date: 2005
Metacritic: 84 – PlayStation 2 | 81 – PlayStation Portable
You may be wondering how SmackDown Vs. RAW 2006 ranks so high. To which I have two words: GM Mode. While the rest of the game is solid in its own right, with it possibly being the best game on the PS2 since another game that is still to come on this list, the introduction of GM Mode was another game-changers we like to talk about. GM Mode allowed one or two players to take control of either RAW or SmackDown and book the shows, dealing with pushes, injuries, and those ever-so-dreaded ratings. I can personally attest to spending many nights playing against an old friend that lasted nearly until dawn, completely ignoring every other mode (and again, they are solid and fun as hell) simply acting as the General Manager. The popularity of GM Mode is so strong that players everywhere have been asking for its return since it was phased out, and AEW has promised that they will create a game based only around playing as GM. A classic game all around, highlighted by the strength of this mode that is still revered to this day.
2) WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain
System: PlayStation 2
Release Date: 2003
Metacritic: 85 – PlayStation 2
Ahh, the final two are almost interchangeable in many ways. While over on the GameCube, we had the number four game on this list, and the Xbox would have WWE RAW 2, which was mediocre at best, the PlayStation 2 would receive this absolute masterpiece. Featuring a roster of over 50 superstars and a huge Creation Suite, the game was also the first to feature the new (at the time) Elimination Chamber, while also featuring Bra & Panties matches for the first time. The Season of Story mode featured branching options based on the decisions you would make, and once again, I can personally attest to playing the ever-loving hell out of this one. One of the highest-reviewed wrestling games of all-time; there is a reason that wrestling fans fondly remember this game, they usually ask for a return to this form whenever a new game comes out every year.
1) WWF No Mercy
System: Nintendo 64
Release Date: 2000
Metacritic: 89 – Nintendo 64
As if there was any doubt. When you talk to anybody, wrestling fan or not, there is a 99% chance that they will bring up WWF No Mercy. The roster features over 60 wrestlers plus a Creation Suite that was unmatched then. Championship modes allowed you to challenge and follow different storylines for all titles at the time. From their advent in WCW/NWO World Tour through the other games, the control schemes had been perfected by this point. There is not much more I can say that you don’t already know; this is the game by which all wrestling video games are compared. The game stands tall to this day, with many fans modifying the game and playing it via PC and other means with new arenas and wrestlers to this very day. The head director of the game was contacted and signed onto be the head of the upcoming AEW game, another indication of the game’s influence to this day. Simply perfect and significant to this day.
