WWE 2K23 is finally here. You have the opportunity to play as John Cena, Roman Reigns and others, or go crazy with customizing your own character. In this beginner’s guide to WWE 2K23, we’ll cover everything that you need to do to become a world champion.
Our guide will cover the tips and tricks you need to use to enter the ring with confidence that you can win every match on your journey to becoming a champion.
You’ll want to be sure to grab a PSN Gift Card from OffGamers to ease your journey.
WWE 2K23 Beginner’s Guide
Understanding the Basics of WWE 2K23
The first and most important tip to mastering WWE 2K23 is to get familiar with the gameplay mechanics. Before you can even start trying to get ahead in this game, you have to learn the controls and moves.
The controls in 2K23 aren’t significantly different from the previous version. The Grapple and Combo systems are still alive and kicking. The reversals system has been updated, so you can now dodge and block.
A few moves you want to master are:
- Running
- Grabbing
- Heavy strikes
- Light strikes
- Blocking
- Reversal
- Irish Whip
- Submission
- Dodging or climbing
- Pinning
- Lifting and dragging your opponent
- Picking up objects
You can also taunt the crowd or other players and change targets with the touch of a button.
The three most important areas to master are Grappling, Combos and Reversals.
Grappling State
To perform grapples, you first have to get into Grapple State, and then you can perform a grapple move or an Irish Whip.
You’ll also need to be in the Grapple State to perform ground moves, a drag and carry move and a bunch of other moves. Get used to getting into this state during matches.
Combo System
To perform a combo, start with a light attack, and then chain light or heavy attacks. The Combo Ender move can be a grapple and it will deal bonus damage. Every WWE Superstar has 30 combos available, and you can customize the moves for each combo in Create-A-Moveset.
Reversals
In 2K23, reversals are similar to previous 2K games, but now, you’re not limited in how many reversals you can perform.
You have a few options here:
- Reversal: Can be used to counter standard strikes, finishers, signatures, initial grab attempts, and diving and weapon attacks.
- Breakers: Can be used against Combos and Grapples (when inside the grab state).
- Block/Guard: Puts you into a blocking stance to defend against hits.
- Dodge: Allows you to move out of the way of an opponent’s hit.
- Mid-move Reversals: Can be used against certain grapple moves. You’ll be prompted to use this move when it’s available.
The game’s sliders are another important area to focus on because they give you control over how matches will play out. The settings you choose will determine whether your matches are easy, more realistic or downright difficult.
It’s also a good idea to explore and experiment with game modes.
In fact, WWE 2K23 introduces quite a few modes and improves on old ones, like:
MyGM
The improved MyGM now has more match types to choose from, including:
- Submission
- Triple Threat
- Steel Cage
- Tornado Tag
- Iron Man
- Falls Count Anywhere
- Last Man Standing
The GM roster has also expanded to include Mick Foley, Eric Bischoff and Woods and Tyler Bate. New Slammy awards and seasonal challenges will also be available.
There’s also the MyRise mode for building your WWE career, but we’ll cover that in more detail shortly.
Creating Your Own WWE Superstar
WWE 2K23 gives you a ton of customization options that allow you to create your own WWE Superstar, including:
- Classes: Choose from Striker, Technician, High Flyer and Powerhouse. Each class offers a variety of body types to choose from, and you can choose a persona. You can go all out when customizing your wrestler’s face to truly make your character your own. Expect to spend some time here adjusting settings and building your persona.
- Body: Choose from a variety of body types, skin colours and details.
- Appearance: Here, you can adjust everything related to your star’s appearance, including clothing, hair, eye colour, scars, other facial parts and more.
The range of customization is extensive with 2K23. And the Advanced Create An-Entrance feature is now back, so you can stitch together your own entrance.
Of course, you can also adjust your attributes, including:
- Leg power
- Arm power
- Aerial offense
- Running offense
- Grapple offense
- Grapple reversal
- Strike reversal
- Power submission offense
- Tech submission offense
To change these attributes, just use the slider for each one. You can also set the AI Attributes while you’re here.
Playing WWE2K23 with Friends
Facing off against AI characters gets old after a while. If you want more fun and challenging matches, you’ll want to play with other people.
And WWE 2K23 makes it easy to play with friends.
In the online portion of the game, you can join an existing lobby or create a Custom Match. Once you’ve created a match, you’ll be able to send out invites to friends to join the game. Up to eight friends can join a match. Cross-play isn’t available, so your friends will need to be on the same console type as you.
Here’s how to set up a custom online match:
- Navigate to the online section.
- Choose a custom match and choose a name.
- Send invites.
- Wait for everyone to accept, and let the games begin.
You can also play together locally. Just connect more controllers to your console, and start brawling.
Mastering WWE2K23’s Career Mode
WWE 2K23’s career mode, or MyRise, allows you to write every last detail of your Superstar’s storyline. This immersive game mode allows you to manage your Superstar’s career progression, develop relationships with management and other wrestlers, and more.
MyRise has two stories to choose from:
Legacy
The Legacy storyline starts with The Legacy flashback and takes you through some backstories before you even start getting into the action.
Lock
With this storyline option, you start with the character creation screen and it gets you right into the action.
Tips and Tricks for Winning Matches
WWE 2K23 is a ton of fun, but it’s not as beginner friendly as past iterations of the game. If you have hopes of being the world champion, you need to win matches. You don’t have the luxury of having Vince McMahon fix matches for you in the game.
Instead, you need to use everything at your disposal, such as timing and even objects in the environment, to pin your foes.
A few tips and tricks that will help you master 2K23 WWE include:
Start Using the “Black Bar’ Indicator
When you’re fighting and watching the health bar of your opponent, it’s far too easy to miss the black bar to understand the green and red bars. The black bar is difficult to see, but it’s the true health that your enemy has left.
If you’ve tried and failed to hit a finisher, the reason is that the black bar is not low enough.
Ideally, the black bar should be 50% or lower before trying to end the match. A lot of first-time players will overlook this bar – we did.
Time Your Moves and Counters
WWE2K23 is all about timing, and you need to time every move and counter that you make. You’ll want to block or put up your guard to be able to reverse moves, and this is all about timing.
During each match, there’s the “perfect” time to do your signature or finishing move. You need to experiment to understand timing better so that you can take down an opponent when they’re at their weakest.
Master Stamina and Momentum
When you view the in-game HUD, you’ll notice that there’s a big green health meter. Directly under this bar, you’ll find:
- Momentum bar
- Three finisher meters
The devs have changed these bars in recent years, but you’ll get used to them quickly. Your momentum bar is one to pay close attention to during the fight because it’s what allows you to perform your signature moves.
You’ll also use this bar when using paybacks or trying to activate instant recovery.
A few ways to increase your momentum bar include:
- Deal damage
- Taunt your opponent
- Perform special moves
If you land a finisher, be sure to capitalize on it and quickly pin your opponent.
Use Environmental Objects and Interactions
In-match features have changed a bit in 2k23 WWE. Sadly, there is no longer the option to finish one of your opponents with a weapon or chair. There are also quite a few weapons that are missing in the latest version that was in previous versions of WWE.
You can still use the following in-match if you find them:
- Kendo sticks
- Steel chairs
Use objects to do some serious damage to your opponent. If you’re up against a strong foe, these objects can be a total game-changer.
Don’t Use Resiliency Unless 100% Necessary
Resiliency is a powerful addition to the game, but you need to use it strategically to win matches. If someone tries pinning you or goes in for submission, it’s better to try using any of your other moves before resiliency.
If the ref gets to a two-count and you can’t get up, using resiliency will save the match for you.
Using resiliency and even instant recovery properly is something that separates new players from the pros who have been dominating the ring match after match.
Strategically Use Instant Recovery
Instant recovery is a fast way to recover, but if you use it too often, it won’t be there for those close matches that you have. You’ll sacrifice a portion of your blue bar every time you use this recovery feature.
A major mistake new players make is using instant recovery during the first 30 seconds of the match.
Conserve your recovery so that you can change the tide of a match that may not be going in your favour.
Go Hard on Stunned Opponents
When you’re hitting your opponent, you’ll often notice that they get stunned. If you want to win the match fast, attack them when they’re stunned because they’re unable to defend themselves.
Rapid attacks will eat away the opponent’s health and allow you to take control of the match.
Stunned opponents are fully vulnerable to your special moves, so use them and try going in for a fast finish.
Modding and Customizing WWE2K23
What WWE 2K23 beginner’s guide would be complete without discussing modding? If you’re playing on a console, you might not be able to mod anything just yet. There are rumours that you’ll be able to add your own music, but they haven’t been confirmed. PC gamers are able to do limited modding.
You can use mods to add your own entrance music, and in 2K22, you could replace sound files in the game with your own.
Mods are not easy to download or install, as you’ll need to change files and modify them to work for your needs.
If you want to create your own title, that is easily done by following these steps:
- Open up the game
- Click on the main menu
- Go to Championship
- Select Custom Championship
You’ll have the option to create your own championship in WWE 2K23 through this menu setting.
Final Word
WWE 2K23 is still very new, and while we expect people in the gaming community to find ways to mod the game, it’s more complex than in past iterations of the game. Players just starting out will want to adhere to our tips above to master fighting and get the upper hand on their opponents.
If you continue having trouble taking control of matches, be sure to watch more gameplay on Twitch and YouTube.
Great players who continue to play WWE every year show off their skills in the ring every day. If you practice and learn from others, you’ll be well on your way to being the champion and beating some of the biggest names in WWE history.
Are you looking for other games to play? Be sure to read through our beginner’s guides on Atomic Heart and Sons of the Forest.
