2K Games Announces New Additions to Universe Mode In WWE 2K26

2K Games released a new Ringside Report for their upcoming WWE 2K26 video game focusing on this year’s Universe mode.

It was announced that several new additions to this year’s game mode includes the addition of the WWE Draft. It was also announced that several improvements and changes have been made for Money in the Bank cash-ins and promos.

2K Games’ official website:

WWE 2K26 Ringside Report – Universe and Creations

Welcome back to another edition of our Ringside Report, where we bring fans all the latest details about WWE 2K26.

In this latest edition, we’re going to cover both Universe and Creations, and we’ve enlisted the help of WWE Superstar Bayley, to drop all the juicy details in this deep dive video:

As seen in the video, there’s plenty to be excited about in both modes, so let’s get into some additional details.

Universe
When starting a new Classic Mode save file, players can go straight into the Universe’s main menu or customize the experience first.  This new Universe Wizard will allow players to choose which weekly shows and PLEs will be featured, assign Superstars for each show, as well as their champions, and then decide which month the calendar will start on.
When choosing which weekly shows to feature, players can use the Add New Show option to import an already downloaded or created show or create one from scratch.  For default shows like Raw and SmackDown, players can edit other details like the Superstars on those rosters, championships, divisions supported, and more.

Each show can support up to 8 titles from the men’s and women’s divisions, inclusive of tag team titles and intergender-supported championships, along with two MITB briefcases.

WWE Draft

One of the biggest new features of this year’s Universe is the addition of the WWE Draft.  It’s something our fans have been asking for, and we’re happy to finally have it available for WWE 2K26.
Drafts are events where participating shows will be able to trade Superstars from their rosters over an entire week.  Players can also create, edit, or remove drafts from their Universe.

To create a Draft (or when editing an existing Draft on the calendar), players will be able to give it a name and attach a logo to it before selecting which two shows will participate.

Supplemental shows can also be set up as an optional roster, such as NXT, making their roster one you can draft from Raw or SmackDown. The Draft rounds, which can be adjusted in the settings, will take place during the respective show’s match cards. A round takes the slot of a match on a card, and rules for draft picks, such as who can or cannot be drafted, can be set.

The maximum number of Drafts is 8.

MITB Cash-Ins

In WWE 2K26, we’ve made some updates to how Money in the Bank cash-ins works.  For starters, no more target championships, meaning MITB briefcases can be cashed in on any eligible title on a given show.

As you can see in the image below, you push a button to cash-in during matches and then choose either to do it mid-match or post-match to keep things interesting!

Promos

In our deep dive video, we mention that we have improved Promos, so we wanted to provide a few more details on that.

Improvements:
* Self-Promos: Superstars can now make announcements that affect their immediate future, such as turning heel or face, changing their division, and even switching over to a new show.
* Call-Out / Interrupt: Superstar options have been expanded to allow challengers to choose their match type or to challenge for a title while champions can accept title challenges for the next PLE.
* Open Challenges: These have been expanded to feature spontaneous title defenses.

New Promo:
* Post-Match Interview: The winner of a match will have the option to announce a division change, discuss a #1 contender’s match, or a title challenge.  For the loser of the match, they can interrupt the winner’s interview and either shake their hand, engage in a brawl, or get into a staredown.

Sliders

WWE 2K26 brings even more options for match setup this year in Universe, with the addition of our new settings and sliders.  Players will find a selection of matchmaking sliders that allow for the modification of values for match card sorting and scoring.

Matchmaking bonuses can also be tweaked for title matches, rivalries, specific match types, and more as seen below.

For those who want to start from scratch, we’ve included options for clearing the default data such as Superstar Relationships, Divisions, Rivalries, and more!

WWE 2K26 is currently scheduled to be released on March 13th for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC (Steam).