In most cases, the quality of NFL, NBA, and MLB video games has increased almost every year. People enjoy the advanced graphics and features that improve every year to the point where the newest NFL, NBA, and MLB video games are preferred over the older versions.
However, this is not necessarily the case with WWE video games of the past decade. The newest games have not always shown the most improvement or best features, leaving many fans to prefer certain older games.
11 WWE 2K20
Is it possible that the newest WWE game of the decade could be the worst? Well, video game reviewers and gamers think so. WWE 2K20 was a disaster, as the game was plagued with numerous glitches, technical issues, and extremely confusing controls.
Worst of all, however, may have been 2K's decision to not incorporate DLC to allow gamers to add old and new wrestlers to the roster. Instead, fans were left with an abysmal fantasy story mode that featured 2K originals.
10 WWE 2K15
Faring not much better than WWE 2K20 was WWE 2K15. Fans had high expectations for WWE 2K15 due to the new gameplay features that were promised. WWE 2K15 implemented a much more realistic style of wrestling gameplay, however, failed to deliver much else.
Various fan-favorite features from previous WWE games were removed, taking away all of the shine from the new gameplay style. Fans were outraged by this game. It also didn't translate well to the new PS4.
9 WWE 2K18
Released in the latter half of 2017, WWE 2K18 both pleased and disappointed gamers and reviewers alike. The game did right by fans as WWE 2K18 finally brought back certain game modes and features that had been taken out of the 2K games for the last few years.
Where WWE 2K18 disappointed was that it failed to improve a variety of gameplay problems present in the previous 2K editions at a time where fans were starting to lose patience with the series.
8 WWE 2K17
The release of WWE 2K17 in late 2016 brought excitement to WWE gamers because of new additions to the roster, particularly legends like Goldberg who hadn't always been featured. In addition to this, other positives of WWE 2K17 included better graphics and wrestling mechanics.
At the same rate, mechanics and graphics weren't drastically improved, and the game was missing certain game modes beloved by fans.
7 WWE '12
The first game on this list that's not a part of the 2K series is WWE '12. Despite being much older than certain WWE 2K models, its visual graphics weren't far inferior. WWE '12 developers attempted to implement some complex gameplay features that had wrestlers performing differently based on their energy levels.
This feature was both appreciated and disliked, as some gamers appreciated realism while others just wanted to complete their favorite moves.
6 WWE 2K14
The first WWE game under the 2K banner was WWE 2K14 in late 2013. WWE 2K14 came with great anticipation because of 2K's reputation with NBA games, as well as what was promised in this one.
Although the game still suffered from the various WWE 2K issues that have been discussed, this was the first game that truly allowed gamers to play as almost any wrestling star from the last 30 years. WWE 2K14 featured a great deal of WWE history and plenty of DLC from WCW stars as well.
5 WWE 2K16
A big reason fans enjoyed WWE 2K16 as much as they did was because its predecessor was WWE 2K15, one of the worst games of the decade.
Developers of WWE 2K16 appeared to make an effort in improving certain gameplay mechanics after the onslaught of complaints that came the year prior. Fans were appreciative of such improvement.
4 WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011
WWE SmackDown Vs. RAW 2011 was released in 2010 as the first major WWE game of the decade. Although the mechanics of this game weren't groundbreaking compared to previous years, a new physics engine did a fantastic job in making TLC matches feel much more realistic.
However, the coolest part of this game was the debut of the Universe mode that allowed gamers to simulate various unique gaming scenarios on the "Road To WrestleMania."
3 WWE All-Stars
Despite looking ridiculous on a visual level compared to traditional WWE games, WWE All-Stars was a hit. The game was simple and didn't make any promises it couldn't deliver.
WWE All-Stars was a classic arcade wrestling game that featured stars of the past and present. The characters were given oversized comedic looks, however, this fits well with the simple nature of the game as most fans enjoyed playing this one.
2 WWE '13
WWE '13 was the last WWE game published by THQ before the start of the WWE 2K series. Overall, this was a solid game without serious glitches or confusing game mechanics and featured notable improvements from its predecessors.
There was both enhanced Predator technology and a weight detection mechanic that didn't allow smaller wrestlers to pick up wrestlers they wouldn't normally be able to in real life. Plus, WWE '13 arguably had the coolest cover design of all the games on this list.
1 WWE 2K19
WWE 2K19 earns the top spot on this list as the best WWE game of the decade. Despite the previous three 2K games being solid, WWE 2K19 was able to improve even further in various areas. It appeared the game developers had finally found the proper way to implement game mechanics as WWE 2K19 has the smoothest gameplay on this list.
With all of this being said, it's mind-boggling that WWE would allow the developer of this game to be replaced during the making of WWE 2K20.