CM Punk Announced As Cover Star Of WWE 2K26

For the the 2nd time (since WWE '13) the "Best In The World" and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk was revealed during the Royal Rumble kick off show as the cover star for the standard edition of WWE 2K26.

“As a kid, I could only dream of being on the cover of a video game. Now I join a very exclusive group of WWE Superstars who have done it twice,” said CM Punk. "I enjoyed the experience of narrating the 2K Showcase, which gave me an opportunity to tell fans the straight, unfiltered story of the moments, matches, and controversies in my career. Players will get to step into my boots, relive some of my proudest WWE moments, and take on challenges I never had the opportunity to face.”

“WWE 2K26 introduces several new community-requested match types and gameplay features,” said Greg Thomas, President at Visual Concepts. “The team has put a lot of thought into refining the in-ring action and presentation, while also expanding creative options to allow players more freedom than ever before.”

WWE 2K26 features several updates and improvements to existing features throughout the game:

• 2K Showcase: Punked - CM Punk’s Personal Journey:
  CM Punk jumps through time to relive incredible moments from his career. Narrated by "The Best in the World" himself, players will relive iconic matches and battle against WWE Legends in Fantasy Warfare. For those who want to truly prove their mettle, the Showcase Gauntlet looks to push players to their limits! CM Punk’s rise, rebellion, and return make this the most personal 2K Showcase yet
  

• Best in the World Roster of 400+:
  WWE 2K26 boasts a roster of over 400 playable characters; The biggest in franchise history. A combination of current Superstars from RAW, SmackDown, and NXT, Legends, and WWE Hall of Famers, the massive roster features John Cena, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Rhea Ripley, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Iyo Sky, Andre the Giant, Drew McIntyre, Bron Breakker, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Seth Rollins, Logan Paul, Stephanie Vaquer, Eddie Guerrero, Liv Morgan, Bret “Hitman” Hart, Penta, Charlotte Flair, Randy Orton, new additions and returns including Rey Fénix, Rusev, and Blake Monroe, and many more.
  

• Four New Match Types, Offensive Tools, and Gameplay Upgrades:
  Four new match types, including I Quit, Inferno, Three Stages of Hell and Dumpster, stackable tables, new usable objects including shopping carts and thumbtacks, and larger interactive environments offer new but familiar ways to punish opponents. Intergender Matches are available across core game modes. A revamp of the Reversals and Stamina system adds a layer of strategy and upgraded physics interactions make the action feel more dynamic and dangerous. Interactive entrances and the addition of Booker T and Wade Barrett to the commentary team further refine the audiovisual presentation.
  

• Creation Suite - 2X the CAS and Image Slots, Plus Body Morphing: The best-in-class customization mode now offers 200 Create-A-Superstar save slots, doubling the existing count in response to community demand. Community Creations now features a doubled image capacity of 2,000, deeper body and face morphing tools, and two-tone hair color blending, giving players unprecedented freedom to craft the Superstars, arenas, and other creations of their dreams.
  

• MyGM - More Shows, More Superstars Per Match: New Intergender Matches, 5, 6, and 8-man matches, plus support for more match types than ever before, vastly increase the number of possible matches and outcomes. More shows per season pose new management challenges in 2K’s strategic brand management simulation mode.
  

• MyRISE - New Theme, Increased Replay Value: Players define their MySUPERSTAR’s journey through two new division-based storylines where villainous or heroic decisions impact MyPLAYERs like never before. Players can now keep playing even after the main stories are complete, with more unlockable content and achievements to earn for increased replayability.
  

• Universe - The Draft is Here!: The WWE Draft comes to WWE 2K’s sandbox mode where players create their own WWE Universe and control match outcomes. Other new introductions include new Universe Creation Wizard, Watch Show mode, improved Money in the Bank cash-ins, and additional Promo types.
  

• The Island - New Storyline and Environment, Available on All Platforms: 2K’s WWE-themed world is now bigger and more social than ever, and available for the first time on PC. Players will choose one of three factions and battle for control with a revamped progression system. The new Scrapyard Brawl environment, fresh Towers, new shops and branded gear, an expanded MySUPERSTAR builder with face-photo importing, plus upgraded quests, complete with Superstar voiceovers, cutscenes and dialogue screens, enhance the immersive experience.
  

• MyFACTION - Chemistry is Key: The collectible card-battle mode is back with new intergender lineups and Quick Swap matches. Players collect new card designs and boost their performance with the new Faction Chemistry and run-in support. New themed card packs and goals will continue to roll out regularly throughout the year with seasonal content refreshes.
  

• Ringside Passes - DLC Gets an Upgrade with More Post-Launch Content Than Ever Before:

  The all-new Ringside Pass offers players additional incentive to play, earning XP across all game modes, excluding online lobbies. 60 free tiers and 40 premium tiers will be available to reward gameplay, with players who can reach tier 40 of the Ringside Pass Premium Season able to unlock Superstars, cosmetic and customisation items, VC, MyFACTION and The Island content, and more. The Ringside Pass Premium replaces the previous DLC model, rewarding players with all-new playable characters unavailable on the base game roster, including current Superstars, Legends, Personas, and some unexpected names. Six Ringside Pass Seasons are planned to roll out throughout the year, with Ringside Pass Season 1 available at launch and featuring unlockable Superstars and Legends, previously available in the WWE 2K Supercharger, on the free tier.

WWE 2K26 officially revealed, features CM Punk on cover

WWE 2K26 features four editions of the game: Standard Edition, King of Kings Edition, Attitude Era Edition, and Monday Night War Edition:

• The Standard Edition will be available for AUD$119.95 / NZD$129.95;

  • Pre-Order Bonus Offer: Players who pre-order the WWE 2K26 Standard Edition will receive the Joe Hendry Pack, a bonus pack of content containing playable Superstar Joe Hendry, a Joe Hendry shirt cosmetic item, Joe Hendry MyFACTION EVO card, and Joe Hendry Spin Island Emote.

• King of Kings Edition will be available for AUD$159.95 AUD / NZD$169.95. King of Kings Edition includes the Standard Edition, Joe Hendry Pack, Ringside Pass Premium Season 1, and 32,500 VC, plus the King of Kings Pack which includes playable Superstars Triple H ‘98 and Stephanie McMahon ‘00, and a “Triple H Signature Taunt” Emote for The Island. King of Kings Edition will be available from March 6, 2026 – seven days ahead of Standard Edition.

• Attitude Era Edition will be available for AUD$199.95 / NZD $209.95. In addition to all content included in the King of Kings Edition, Attitude Era Edition includes access to Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-4, plus the Attitude Era Edition Pack, which features playable Superstars The Rock ‘99, Kane ‘98, and Chyna ‘97, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin “Rattlesnake” and The Rock “People’s Champ” MyFACTION EVO cards, the Raw is War ‘98 Arena, and Undertaker “Thumb Across the Neck” and Shawn Michaels “DX Crotch Chop” Emotes for The Island. The Superstar Mega-Boost is also included, which grants 200 MySUPERSTAR attribute points for MyRISE plus 100,000 VC. Attitude Era Edition will be available from March 6, 2026 – seven days ahead of Standard Edition.

• Monday Night War Edition will be available for AUD$229.95 / NZD$239.95. In addition to all content included in the Attitude Era Edition, Monday Night War Edition includes access to Ringside Pass Premium Seasons 1-6, plus the Monday Night War Edition Pack, which features playable Superstars Shawn Michaels DX, Macho Man Randy Savage ‘98, Rowdy Roddy Piper ‘98, the WCW Thunder ‘98 Arena, and a Diamond Dallas Page “Bang!” Emote for The Island. Monday Night War Edition also grants entitlement for the WrestleMania 42 Pack, which includes the WrestleMania 42 Arena and three WrestleMania 42 Superstar Persona Cards to be automatically entitled post-launch. Monday Night War Edition will be available from March 6, 2026 – seven days ahead of Standard Edition.

Players who pre-order Attitude Era Edition or Monday Night War Edition on PlayStation or Xbox between January 30 and February 24 at 3AM AEDT will receive 15,000 VC in WWE 2K26 and 67,500 VC in WWE 2K25.

WWE 2K26 will be available starting March 6th, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC, via Steam with Pre-Orders available now!