Here’s How WWE 2K26’s Version of The Island Looks to Improve

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To call WWE 2K25’s The Island divisive is putting it mildly.

In my game review, I mentioned that the new game mode – available only on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 – was negatively impacted by the ability to buy advantages with real money, creating a situation where players could essentially pay to win.

Even though many people criticized it, The Island is returning in WWE 2K26, and it was always planned that way. Andrea Listenberger, a writer and narrative designer for Visual Concepts, explains that The Island was designed as a continuing storyline with both quick and extended narratives, just like WWE’s TV shows.

We’re building WWE 2K26 with the future in mind, not just as a one-off release,” explained Listenberger at a recent preview event. “We want to create a game that evolves over several years. And even just between this year and last, we’ve made significant improvements – and we’re still working on it!

The team had long-term plans for the game, including the introduction of three distinct factions on The Island this year. They always envisioned CM Punk as the leader and public face of the Order of Anarchy faction, which worked out perfectly since he’s also featured on this year’s game cover.

Visual Concepts Is Aware of the Public’s Perception of The Island

Last year’s ‘The Island’ in WWE 2K25 was a deliberate first step for the development team. They understood the challenges going in, and viewed it as a learning experience – a way to test their ideas and build towards bigger plans. Now, they’re using the lessons from that initial feature to improve and expand on their vision for the future.

When I first played The Island this year, I immediately noticed a lot more familiar WWE Superstars were available right from the beginning. This was intentional, and a big improvement over last year, when the game felt like it was pushing you to spend money almost immediately.

We aimed to immediately showcase significant changes so players would notice a difference from the previous year. While fundamentally a wrestling game centered around WWE Superstars, and acknowledging the slightly fantastical nature of professional wrestling, we wanted to ensure the Superstars themselves remained the focal point.

of our product. Just like in WWE, the superstars are the center and the core of the product.

Making The Island feel more real and engaging will help fix the problems players experienced last year. The developers are committed to The Island for the long haul, and they’re actively listening to player feedback and using it to improve the game going forward.

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It’s great news that The Island will be available on all gaming platforms. This year, PC and Nintendo Switch 2 players can join in and experience the aftermath of The Bloodline’s collapse and Roman Reigns’ defeat, something they couldn’t do last year.

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2026-02-23 19:10