WWE 2K22: Best Things to Do

WWE 2K22 returned after a two-year hiatus to improve what was a much-maligned WWE 2K20. The game did indeed just that and has a plethora of things for you to do while playing. It has a little bit of everything regardless of your preferred play modes.

Below, you will find Outsider Gaming’s list of things to do in WWE 2K22. It will give you hours and hours worth of play time. The list is in no particular order.

1. Streamline Showcase Mode for unlockables

Showcase mode is WWE 2K’s mode where you relive a WWE wrestler’s (“Superstar’s”) career by playing notable matches. Depending on the wrestler, those matches could take place in other historical promotions like ECW and WCW. In WWE 2K22, Showcase features Rey Mysterio, considered the greatest masked wrestler ever.

You’ll begin in WCW before making your way through Mysterio’s career in WWE into 2020. As you engage each match, you’ll be given objectives to complete. Completing all objectives in a match will reward the most unlockables – and completing all objectives in Showcase unlocks a trophy as well as a secret match. Luckily, 2K22’s Showcase makes it virtually impossible to finish a match without completing all objectives.

Streamlining Showcase is especially recommended if you didn’t purchase the Deluxe or n.W.o. 4-Life editions, which came with all unlockables. Having access to the unlockables is important for at least one of the other options on this list.

2. Have fun in the Creations suite

One of the most, if not the most popular mode in WWE 2K is the Creations suite. In 2K22, there are ten creations options. They are:

• Superstar (wrestler)
• Championship
• Entrance
• Victory (post-match celebration)
• Move-Set
• Arena
• Show
• MITB (Money in the Bank)
• Video (Tron)
• Custom Matches

If you plan on playing MyRise (career) or playing MyGM with a created wrestler, you might as well do all that work here where you have full access to the creations options. Remember that championship you created in a notebook in middle school? Create that here! What about those sketches of your ideal arena? Now you can make that arena!

You can get lost for hours in Creations.

3. Head to Community Creations and browse

The other side of the Creations suite is Community Creations. This is where you can go to see all of the Creations that other WWE 2K gamers have uploaded for consumption.

To head to Community Creations:

• Go to the Online tab;
• Click on Community;
• Click on the specific Community Creations you want, or select “All.”

When you click on an option, it will automatically bring you to the “Most Recent” tab, which you can change with L1 and R1 or LB and RB. The other two options are “Most Downloaded” and “Most Up Voted.” Under “Superstars,” you’ll notice there are detailed creations of wrestlers not in the game for download. In the above, NXT wrestlers Solo Sikoa and Bron Breakker join a 2020 version of Alexa Bliss from before her association with another wrestler pictured, The Fiend.

The others include Hawk and Animal, but then All Elite Wrestling (AEW) members in Sting, C.M. Punk, Malakai Black (Tommy End), Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), and Adam Cole. Cody Rhodes is currently a free agent, though it’s heavily rumored he’s returning to WWE around WrestleMania or just after.

That’s not all, though. Some gamers like to upload fictional characters, sometimes in hyperbolic states, just for fun, and why not? Just look at bodybuilder Ned Flanders in the first row. Also, if it isn’t the Sound Hashira (Pillar), Tengen Uzui from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba! It can be fun to just scroll through the ridiculous characters people have created.

This is also a great way to add to your game if you’re not as adept at Creations, particularly wrestlers and images. There are many logos and images that are created and uploaded, making it highly likely you can edit your gear and tattoos as wanted.

4. Have fun with Title Management

WWE 2K22 has a vast number of championships that you can assign, from the current titles being used in WWE to historical titles from various promotions, including the pictured n.W.o. and Wolfpac versions of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) Heavyweight Championship. This is why streamlining Showcase is recommended so you have even more titles to choose.

To head to Title Management:

• Go to the Options tab;
• Select Title Management;
• Scroll to the desired title (use R2 or RT to advance the list by letter);
• Assign selected title with X or A.

If you want the titles to reflect the current WWE landscape, you can do that here. If you want to randomly assign them, you can also do that. If you want to strip everyone of their titles, you can also do that here.

Why does Title Management matter, you ask? If you plan on playing Universe mode, where you can book shows as you desire, then having your preferred champions to kick off your Universe, or vacating them to hold championship tournaments may appeal to you.

If there is a historical title you’d like to see brought back, then you must first assign it here for use in Universe Mode.

It can also be fun to just scroll through and examine the evolution of championships throughout the decades.

5. Play others online

If the A.I. isn’t challenging enough for you, then online play might be your game mode. Simply head to the Online tab and select either Lobby or the daily match, the latter which will match you up randomly.

In the Lobby, you can scroll through the various rooms – matches – that are open, how many are in each room, and each match type. You’ll also see if men’s or women’s wrestlers can be chosen, with every room in the above picture set to “Male and Custom Superstar.”

You can also create your own lobby and either set it so anyone can join or send out invites to your friends to play.

There is a leaderboard where you can track the best across the 2K22 world as well as track your own progress. Unlike previous editions of the game, there are no trophies related to online play.

6. Try your hand at MyFaction, especially if you like MyTeam

WWE 2K22’s MyFaction is their attempt at bringing MyTeam from NBA 2K to professional wrestling. For the most part, it works.

In MyFaction, you’ll build a team of wrestlers through cards. Some, as pictured, will have evolution capabilities that, after hitting certain benchmarks, will upgrade one level. Along with wrestler cards, you’ll also find contract cards (one match is one contract) and side plates, which function as boosts when applied to wrestlers. Most wrestlers can only equip one side plate, but the higher rated ones receive more slots (up to four). There are also aesthetic cards for nameplates and your MyFaction logo.

If you played MyTeam, all of this is familiar. Even if you didn’t play MyTeam, if you played Diamond Dynasty, Madden Ultimate Team, or any other sports video game card-based mode, then you’ll know what to expect from MyFaction.

In MyFaction, the play options are:

• Proving Grounds: These are sets of matches (broken into chapters) where you need to win three tokens per match to fully complete them. You receive one token for playing on low difficulty, two for Normal, and three for Legend. You will have to beat each match on Legend to officially complete Proving Grounds.
• Faction Wars: A four vs. four match, as simple as that. It’s recommended to go for submissions after inflicting red limb damage as pins are seemingly always broken up.
• Weekly Towers: A set of five matches with a new one each week. Each tower has a different reward for winning all five matches.

There are also daily challenges as well as in-match challenges that will add MyFaction Points (MFP) that you can use to purchase cards.

7. Play MyGM, the resurrected GM Mode

One of the most beloved modes in all of WWE video games was GM Mode from Smackdown! vs. Raw 2006-2008. When 2K announced it was bringing back the mode as MyGM, wrestling video gamers were understandably excited.

MyGM plays like GM Mode with some slight upgrades and tweaks that add more depth to the mode than was possible on the PS2 and early PS3. One, you can choose a short season (15 weeks) or a full season (50 weeks) and a few between. Two, the wrestler classes and mechanics in how they function together make for interesting booking decisions. Three, the ability to choose your GM and show is a plus, only made possible by the fact that WWE now has four main shows as opposed to two.

It’s recommended to play one month to understand the mechanics, then start a new file (you have ten save slots) once you understand how to build rivalries, increase match ratings, and deal with a request or two. You can also refer to this guide for a 50-week season victory and gathering all seven MyGM trophies in one attempt.

Note that you can set who is involved in the draft pool (or not), including Legends. However, just because they’re eligible does not mean they’ll be in the draft pool. For example, in the pictured draft pool, both Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are absent even though they’re eligible. If you don’t see the wrestlers you want, restart until you do see them.

8. Play MyRise as both a men’s and women’s wrestler

MyRise is WWE 2K22’s version of MyCareer. Simply put, you create a wrestler and work your way to becoming the best ever. Unlike other career modes, MyRise doesn’t seem to have any definitive timeline or linearity. Rather, where stories and matches go depends on your face or heel alignment, your responses or non-responses to tweets and DMs, and your accepting requests from fans, wrestlers, and GMs.

The good news is that you’ll be notified when a certain action will either keep or turn you face or heel. You also don’t have to accept every request, though once you max your stats (out of ten), the requests will be the only way to move your stats beyond.

At times, MyRise will force into certain things once engaged in a story. For example, during playthrough, a shot to enter the Royal Rumble match was dashed when the player accidentally eliminated Mia Yim in a battle royal and Yim distracted the player to allow Dakota Kai to eliminate the player and win the match. The entire sequence was done in a cutscene after being triggered by mid-match events.

If you’re a trophy or achievement hunter, then playing as both a man and woman is necessary. You need to win the top titles for both men and women on NXT, Smackdown, and Raw, six total trophies. There are also a few other non-championship related trophies if MyRise. It will take time, but at least it’s hours of entertainment.

In this case, it’s recommended to seek the quickest way to another brand once you capture the top title. If you receive a DM about the draft or speak to a GM and they mention a trade, go for it to be stripped of your title and move to the other show to once again start the chase.

8. Play a wide arrange of matches in Play Now

After all that, just go ahead and hit Play Now (Play) for some relaxing wrestling gaming. In Play, you’ll see 11 different types of set matches and Custom Matches available. These matches are based on the number of wrestlers in each match with the adjacent case of Tournament. Of course, One-on-One (Singles) matches are the easiest to win while multi-person and tag team matches will be more frustrating because of the pin and submission breakups.

After you select the match based on number of participants, you’ll then have your option of gimmick matches, aside from the Royal Rumble match, with the number of gimmick matches dependent on the number of participants. Singles matches should have the most available.

Beyond a normal Singles match, there are also Falls Count Anywhere, Backstage Brawl, Extreme Rules, Ladder, Table, TLC (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs), Hell in a Cell, Steel Cage, Iron Man, Last Man Standing, No Holds Barred, Submission, and Custom Matches available to play. Most of these options are available for tag team matches, but not all are available as you add wrestlers and teams. Still, some matches area only available as multi-person matches (like the Royal Rumble match).

There are also several trophies or achievements obtainable in Play Now only against the A.I. They are:

• Outta Nowhere: Perform a catching Finisher. Once you have a Finisher stored, pop-up a running opponent with L1 or LB, then quickly hit your Finisher with R2 + X or RT + A. This is only an option if you have a catching Finisher.
• Fight Forever: Kick out after being with a Finisher.
• Fit for a Prince: Finish a match with a five-star rating. Reversals, Signatures, and Finishers add a lot to match rating. Play Hell in a Cell and throw someone off the roof for a big gain in match rating.
• Master of the 619: As Rey Mysterio, hit a 619. This will not unlock in Showcase! Simply land the 619 Signature with Mysterio.
• C-C-C-Combo Breaker: Counter an opponent’s combo using Breaker. To break a combo, hit Square, X, or Circle (or X, A, or B) during an opponent’s combo and if the button corresponds to their attack, you’ll break their combo. For example, if you hit Square (X) when they do, it will break.
• Maybe They Just Need a SNICKERS: Win a 30-person Royal Rumble match as the first or second entrant. This might be the most difficult trophy with how easy it is to be eliminated. If you’re close to the ropes, beware of running opponents as they’ll quickly clothesline you to the outside!
• Gulak Academy Graduate: Finish the Tutorial.
• Record Breaker: In the Royal Rumble, eliminate 14 Superstars.
• First of Many: Win a match.
• CANNONBALL!: Perform a top rope dive with a Super Heavyweight. There are a few in the game, notably Otis (who’s picture dons the trophy) and Keith Lee, the latter a great choice for this.
• Getting Creative: Hit your opponent with five different objects during a match. To get a weapon, head outside and hit L1 or LB at the middle of the apron. Use the left stick and X or A to select your weapon. Hit your opponent with five different ones to pop this.
• Acknowledge Me!: Win a 1v1 match against Roman Reigns on Legend difficulty. This must be a normal Singles match! Winning an Extreme Rules or other gimmick match on Legend against Reigns will not pop the trophy or achievement.

There are a lot of match types to play and many trophies to pop. Those are always goals to strive to accomplish.

There you have it, the best things to do in WWE 2K22. Which will you play first? Which will you play most?