WWE 2K20 PC Technical Review: Needs more time in developmental

WWE 2K20, reportedly, has a number of issues. Some of these surfaced a week prior to its launch with screenshots and clips that came from an event attended by influencers and streamers. More recently, we’ve also seen a lot of tweets regarding bugs and glitches, Collector’s Edition buyers not getting an autographed picture that it led Edge to step in, and the #FixWWE2K20 hashtag which started trending after the game’s release. Naturally, I had to check things out for myself, which brings us to our technical review for the PC version. Also, for the sake of comparison, I do have WWE 2K19 still installed. You’ll see some screenshot comparisons throughout the article as well.

Note: You can find our official/scored review of WWE 2K20 right over here. You can also check out our WWE 2K20 guides and features hub.

System Requirements

Minimum:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: 64-bit: Windows® 10 (latest updates)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-3550 / AMD FX 8150
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 / AMD Radeon HD 7850
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 50 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible sound card
• Additional Notes: At least 2GB DDR Video Memory

Recommended:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: 64-bit: Windows® 10 (latest updates)
• Processor: Intel Core i7 3770 / AMD FX-8350
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290X
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 50 GB available space
• Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible sound card

Author’s:

• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-7700 4.2 GHz
• Memory: 16GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti (8 GB)
• Network: 25 MBps Fiber-optic connection
• Display: Ultra HD/4K (3840 x 2160p)

WWE 2K20‘s system requirements are from its Steam store page. As you can see, I’m well above the recommended specs. That should mean optimal performance and quality while playing the game, right? Oh, and for the sake of posterity, the system requirements for this game are similar to the ones from last year’s WWE 2K19.

Graphics options.

Graphics Options

As you can see above, you only have a handful of graphics options in WWE 2K20. You can change the resolution, v-sync, texture quality, crowd density, FXAA (anti-aliasing), depth of field (DOF), and motion blur. That’s about it, really. Admittedly, customization options when it comes to the graphics were never the strongest suit of WWE 2K titles.

Anyway, WWE 2K20‘s system requirements are already fairly lenient. But, don’t try to turn off the FXAA setting or you’ll regret it. I’ll explain more below in the performance and benchmark section.

Performance and Benchmark

Just like last year’s title, WWE 2K20 also has a benchmark tool. When you run it, you’ll have six superstars fighting inside Hell in a Cell. It’s the game’s way of trying to push your machine to the limit. The results you’ll see are primarily because it’s a multi-man bout and you’re not likely to see major framerate drops during one-on-one matches (hopefully). It does bear mentioning that entrances and cutscenes are completely locked to 30 FPS even with v-sync turned off.

I’ll add several screenshots with the WWE 2K20‘s benchmark tool running as well as the various results depending on my settings. Click on each image for a larger view.

High/everything enabled @ 1080p:

Benchmark tool running @ 1080p resolution.

Benchmark tool results @ 1080p resolution.

High/everything enabled @ 4K:

Benchmark tool running @ 3840x2160p.

Benchmark tool results @ 3840x2160p.

Low/FXAA disabled @ 4K:

Benchmark tool running @ 3840x2160p (FXAA disabled/low textures).

Benchmark tool results @ 3840x2160p (FXAA disabled/low textures).

Even with my specs, there were still some problems trying to get more bang for your buck when I picked the 4K/UHD 3840 x 2160p resolution. If you end up in 6-man contests or the Royal Rumble, then you could opt to downscale to 1080p instead.

Also, the last couple of images might surprise you. That’s what the game looked like when I switched to low textures and when I turned off FXAA. At first, I thought it was simply because of the red Hell in a Cell motif. So, I ended up checking the differences in a regular match:

FXAA on.

FXAA off.

There you go. Don’t disable FXAA unless you want to play WWE 2K20 in perpetual darkness as if The Undertaker or Bray Wyatt/The Fiend made their respective entrances and the lights never came back on. Or, you know, just ’98 Kane’s entrance. Yes, that’s a r/Squaredcircle reference. Apparently, the Big Red Machine’s Attitude Era version has been getting some love lately.

Graphics Comparisons

Next, let’s look at one of the key issues that many fans noticed before the game’s release. There seemed to be a graphical downgrade when it came to WWE 2K20‘s unit models and facial features. The way I approached this issue is by looking at the differences between the high and low textures settings. I also checked out comparisons between WWE 2K19 and WWE 2K20.

Charlotte’s entrance (WWE 2K20):

High textures.

Low textures.

This is actually from WWE 2K19. You’ll notice that the entrance is a tad bit different. The downside is that at least when using the 4K resolution, her face and skin appear to look jagged (mirroring the effects from the Titantron).

Sasha’s pre-match motions (WWE 2K20):

High textures.

Low textures.

Four Horsewomen match start (WWE 2K20):

High textures.

Low textures.

I must admit that I hardly noticed any major differences when changing WWE 2K20‘s textures setting from high to low. You’re probably good to go with high settings for the most part.

WWE 2K19 vs. WWE 2K20

Up next, I took a look at the presentation between these two games using various scenes and moments.

Braun’s Entrance:

Last year.

This year.

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan (Backstage Brawl):

Last year.

This year.

Four Horsewomen match-up screen:

Last year.

This year.

Demon Balor vs. Kevin Owens match-up screen:

Last year.

This year.

Finn Balor Demon (pre-match motion):

Last year.

This year.

Kevin Owens (pre-match motion):

Last year.

This year.

It’s clear, from the get-go, that Yuke’s departure really left a void that Visual Concepts had a hard time filling. Although 2K’s own subsidiary studio had been collaborating with Yuke’s in past games, the team had mostly been working on the NBA 2K titles.

You’ll notice how character expressions and models during the match-up screen are more on-point in WWE 2K19, whereas WWE 2K20 almost makes them look too goofy. Facepaint and facial hair designs also need to be considered, especially when you look at the images of Demon Balor and Kevin Owens. It’s almost like these features we’re slapped on their faces, kind of like Doink the Clown throwing pie at your face.

The hair physics

Another talked-about issue prior to WWE 2K20‘s launch was the hair physics. We’ve mentioned a GIF of Bianca Belair’s entrance that was circulating, one where it almost seemed as though her ponytail had a life of its own. Doubters may think that the GIF probably didn’t have the right camera angles. Or, maybe a patch already fixed the problem prior to release? So, I recorded her entrances in WWE 2K19 and WWE 2K20.

Here’s Belair’s entrance in WWE 2K19:

Here’s Belair’s entrance in WWE 2K20:

For the second video, keep in mind that this is already from the launch version of the game. This is not from any pre-release footage or an alpha/beta build. It can get worse at times when you have long-haired wrestlers fighting in the squared circle. There’s a good chance you’d see their hair flopping around more often than Ric Flair.

Gameplay Options

We’ve been focusing too much on the graphics and visuals of WWE 2K20, but there are still a few facets to consider. Let’s take a look at the gameplay options:

Gameplay options 1.

Gameplay options 2.

The gameplay options in WWE 2K20 are the same as last year’s. Almost nothing has changed. You’ve got your settings for difficulty, blood, rope breaks, injuries, subtitles, and more.

Presentation options.

Here, you’ve got additional settings for your HUD, fatigue, reversal prompts, replays, and more.

Balancing options.

The balancing options are where you can tweak how often the AI will commit to certain actions. I usually leave these at their default settings.

Targeting options.

The same goes for targeting. I don’t really make any changes to these.

Well, here’s something new in WWE 2K20. It’s Assist Mode. As explained in the tweet below, this will allow the system to choose certain moves for you. I haven’t personally tested this since it seems more geared for casual players or newcomers.

The new "Assist Mode" option helps new players experience the variety of their character's move-set. When you perform a Strong Strike or Grapple, an A.I. system will choose a specific attack for you, sometimes sequencing a reposition before the move.

— #WWE2K20 (@WWEgames) October 15, 2019

Control Options

Now, here’s something that veterans might need to adjust to. It’s the brand new control scheme. Previously, reversals were bound to the shoulder button. In WWE 2K20, they use one of the face buttons (“Y” if you’re using an Xbox gamepad). It feels very weird. Do you know what else feels weirder? The fact that signatures and finishers now require two buttons to be pressed at the same time (“X” and “A”).

Gamepad controls.

You can’t change the control scheme at all when using a gamepad. If you’ve been used to the old control scheme, well, tough luck. Also, I want you to take a look at the buttons on the panel above. Notice how it shows Xbox buttons (and I am using an Xbox controller), but, for some odd reason, it’s labeled as a PS4 controller?

Yes, you’re actually going to encounter these problems from time to time. Even if the buttons clearly show the Xbox gamepad’s layout, the prompts can, at times, be for the PS4’s control scheme instead. Imagine seeing a pop-up asking you to press the “Share button” to view more details. Also, check out the screenshot of the main menu below and you’ll see that the button prompts are for the PS4:

For the record, here’s the controls panel in WWE 2K19. Notice how the game automatically detected that I was using an Xbox-style controller and all the buttons and prompts also matched:

Any WWE 2K vet will tell you that keyboard controls can be a bit clunky. Still, you’ll be able to change your binds here. That sounds like good news until you realize how ridiculous it gets. That’s because your binds won’t be saved if you exit the game. That’s right, anytime you launch the game, you’d have to remap your keybinds once more.

Keyboard controls.

Audio Options

Last but not least, we’ve got WWE 2K20‘s audio settings and they’re quite sparse. You’ve got a handful of volume settings and that’s it.

Audio/volume settings.

And, then there’s WWE 2K20‘s jukebox. You’ve got a dozen tracks from various artists (the same number as last year’s offering). Given that you’ve got almost 200 wrestlers to choose from, there are also a lot of entrance tracks for your superstars. Oddly enough, some are still missing. For instance, both Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan have unique entrances as singles competitors. But, the only track available is for their entrance as part of the Riott Squad.

WWE 2K20 Technical Review: The Man meets The Meh

I’ve criticized WWE 2K20 far too heavily in this technical review for the PC version, and with good reason. There are already a number of noticeable flaws from character expressions, wrestler models, bogus animations, wacky physics, and more. I’ll also have to mention several crashes I’ve encountered — twice after the end of matches, and once while relaunching the game. That’s just within the first couple of hours while writing this technical review.

However, I would add that there are flashes of brilliance at times (figuratively, but the pun is intended). The lightning is a lot better this time around. In fact, the lightning definitely helps superstar models look better by comparison depending on the wrestler and the camera angle. Apart from the lightning, the loading times are a tad bit faster this year. That’s about it, really, and the cons definitely outweigh the pros.

The funny thing about the explanations regarding streamlined controls and Assist Mode — to help out newcomers to the game — is that there are several issues that’ll already turn off veterans to the series. Maybe, instead of focusing on what might help out beginners, WWE 2K20 could’ve used more time “in developmental” rather than being rushed to the main roster. It could’ve become an offering that long-time fans would enjoy, something that builds upon the success of WWE 2K19 (which I actually became fond of as mentioned in last year’s review).

WWE 2K20 might have “The Man” as a cover athlete, but, at least based on our PC technical review, we’re seeing “The Meh” instead when it comes to the game’s options and presentation.

Update: As promised, after I was able to put in more time to check out various WWE 2K20 features such as create-a-wrestler (CAWs), MyCareer, 2K Showcase, exhibition matches, online play, and the like, we’ve got our official/scored review.

You can check out WWE 2K20‘s Steam store page. Be forewarned that it’s currently sitting at a “mostly negative” user review score. You can also head over to our guides and features hub for more info.