Following years of anticipation, the WWE 2K23 WarGames arrival was met with unanimous praise from fans who have been eager to see the former WCW staple join the WWE 2K franchise. With multiple rings and an extended cage, that means there are new WWE 2K23 WarGames controls that players will need to learn.
Even if you’re a cage match veteran from last year’s installment, there are new aspects like the acquisition of weapons and fighting on top of the cage that shake things up. This WWE 2K23 WarGames controls guide will help guarantee you’re not walking into battle without a plan.
In this guide you will learn:
- The WarGames controls, match rules, and options
- How to bring weapons into WarGames
- How to climb and fight on top of the WarGames cage
- How to throw your opponent off WarGames to win
WWE 2K23 WarGames match rules & options
The new WWE 2K23 WarGames mode was a huge feature touted by developers heading into launch, which is already living up to the hype. Although new to this series, WarGames is a match originally created by Dusty Rhodes after he watched Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. In 1987, WarGames: The Match Beyond debuted with The Four Horsemen taking on The Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, Dusty Rhodes, and Paul Ellering.
Several dozen WarGames matches have taken place through the years, and the rules and format of it have evolved in that time. The original iterations of the WarGames cage were covered, not unlike Hell in a Cell is today, but the return of it in WWE saw that roof removed and opened up the opportunity for superstars to climb and dive off the WarGames cage.
When you begin a WWE 2K23 WarGames match, the pre-match cutscene will brief you on these official rules (unless entrances are turned off):
- Two teams will be contained in separate cages, with one member of each team starting the match.
- At regular intervals, alternating members from each team will be released to enter the match.
- The first member to enter will come from the advantaged team.
- Once all competitors have entered, WarGames officially begins.
- The match can be won by pinfall or submission. Exiting the cage will result in a forfeit.
That final detail about forfeit is from the official WarGames rules in WWE, a caveat added to keep the removal of the roof in the original cage design from allowing superstars to leave the ring throughout the match. While a WarGames match hasn’t ended that way yet in WWE, it is a way to win in WWE 2K23 as you can force your opponent over the edge and to the floor in order to secure the win.
By default, WarGames will be set to allow victory by pinfall, submission, or by forcing your opponent to exit the cage. You can turn off the “force opponent to exit cage” condition, but must have either pinfall only or submission only active as a win condition. You cannot set “force opponent to exit cage” as your only win condition. The entrance interval duration defaults to 90 seconds, but you can customize it in 30-second increments to anywhere between 30 seconds and five minutes.
Furthermore, when setting custom match rules, you’ll also have the option to edit the weapons that can be brought into WarGames. By default, the weapons will include a table, chair, kendo stick, sledgehammer, and stop sign. You can edit this list to include a baseball bat, however, the ladder, hockey stick, and shovel are not available as weapons in WarGames.
WWE 2K23 WarGames controls list
Now that you’ve got an idea of how the match will work and your setup options, learning the WWE 2K23 WarGames controls will help you stay informed on best possible ways to dish out punishment when the opportunity arises. Here are the primary controls you need to know:
- LB or L1 (Press) – Get Weapon, only possible when entering WarGames mid-match
- RB or R1 (Press) – Move between rings, also throws a carried table to the other ring
- LB or L1 (Press) – Grab ropes for springboard, you can springboard between rings
- RB or R1 (Press) – Climb up towards the top of the cage
- B or Circle (Press) – Climb down off the cage towards the floor
- RT + A or R2 + X (Press) – Throw opponent off the top of the cage, finisher needed
- Left Stick (Move) – Scoot forward or backwards while on top of the cage
- Right Stick (Move) – Flick towards your back to turn around and face the opposite way
With many of these only available in very specific circumstances, the tips and tricks below will help you know when and how to make these moments happen in WarGames.
How to bring weapons inside Wargames and use them to win
If you’re looking to crank up the chaos inside WarGames by using weapons, the opportunity to retrieve them will not be available to superstars who begin the match. Given the way entrances are handled, the two characters that begin the match will never receive the prompt to get weapons from under the ring.
When a player is released from their small holding cage during WarGames, you’ll quickly get a pop-up prompt to Get Weapon. Press LB or L1 immediately upon seeing this. Once the prompt disappears, your superstar will automatically enter the ring and be unable to retrieve any weapons.
Once you press LB or L1 to Get Weapon, you’ll have the option to choose from the default chair, kendo stick, sledgehammer, stop sign, and table unless you’ve changed that during match creation. You’ll receive the prompt up to two more times, allowing you the opportunity to bring as many as three weapons into the match while entering.
Once inside the ring, these weapons will mostly follow the same controls for objects that apply in any other match. The one minor exception is the table, as you can now toss a held table between rings by pressing RB or R1 as you approach the center. You can find more details about using weapons here in the complete WWE 2K23 controls guide.
How to climb, fight on, dive off, and throw someone out of the WarGames cage
While most of the action in WarGames will be contained within the ring, there are some big ways to use the cage itself to your advantage. If your superstar is near any of the cage walls, you can press RB or R1 to climb up the ropes to a position standing on the top rope and against the cage wall. You can execute a regular dive from this position or continue climb higher.
Press RB or R1 a second time to climb up onto the cage and sit down with your legs straddling the sides. Once on top, you can use the Left Stick to move your superstar and scoot in a specific direction.
When you’re ready, press RB or R1 one more time while sitting on the cage to stand up and move into position for a dive. You can press the Light Attack or Heavy Attack buttons to then execute a dive off the top of the WarGames cage.
At the various stages of climbing up the WarGames cage, you could end up in combat with another superstar trying to prevent you from doing this. Keep an eye out for reversal prompts as you’re climbing, and you can use a Light Attack or Heavy Attack while straddling the top to kick at opponents trying to climb up towards you.
If you find yourself on top of the WarGames cage at the same time as your opponent, there are a few ways things can go. If the two of you are close enough, you can use a Light Attack to throw a punch or a Heavy Attack to attempt to slam their head down onto the cage and throw them back into the ring.
In the event that you’re looking to execute the “force opponent to exit cage” win condition, you’ll be looking for a rare “Throw Over” prompt while fighting someone on top of the cage. With at least one banked finisher, use a Light Attack to stagger an opponent on top of the cage and then watch for that prompt to appear. The timing of this is tricky, and exact positioning and damage to the superstars may affect when that prompt appears.
If you’ve followed along and found your superstar on top of the cage with a yearning to get down safely, simply press B or Circle at any stage of climbing to descend back down one stage until you’re back on solid ground. With the tips and strategies outlined in this WWE 2K23 WarGames controls guide, you should be more than prepared to tame the chaos and seek victory.