For many wrestling game fans, WWE 2K26, at least gameplay-wise, is the best WWE game since the nostalgic Smackdown vs. Raw days. However, as good as the gameplay is, if there’s one thing that had fans infuriated, it was how WWE 2K26 handled its DLC, shifting towards a battle pass style format that requires hefty grinding long after the microtransaction has cleared.
Now, following significant backlash, which included low reviews on Steam, as well as a significant debate with a developer over whether developers should police how players engage with them, 2K has announced some sweeping changes to the Ringside Pass format.
Ragdoll Physics Are The Best Thing To Happen To WWE 2K In Decades
WWE 2K26 is delightfully violent in the most video game way possible.
The changes should make it easier for fans to meet the requirements and get back to, well, playing the game however they please. Prior to these changes, players often spent hours fighting the CPU on maxed out sliders to gain as much XP as possible to advance through the tiers and unlock the content that they had paid for.
It Took A Bit, But WWE 2K26 Did Finally Give Fans A Break On The Grind
In a new post shared on the 2K website, it was revealed that, beginning today, Monday, March 30, “all current and future players will be granted enough RXP (Ringside Pass XP) for Ringside Pass Season 1 to unlock 20 tiers.”
That should give players enough to get the majority of the rewards, and leave just enough grinding to finish the first battle pass.
As an added bonus, those who’ve been playing WWE 2K26 since the beginning will receive “enough RXP for Ringside Pass Season 2 to unlock 20 tiers when Season 2 launches.” Again, same deal as the above, a huge bump towards the majority of the rewards and little grinding for the remainder.
That’s not all, though. Beginning with Season 2, the amount of XP to complete each tier is being reduced from 800 to 625. That required amount will not increase in future seasons, either. Boosts will also have their values increased, too.
The changes don’t stop there, as also in Season 2, the four DLC characters per pass will be available in Tier 1, and those with the Premium Pass upgrade will be able to auto-unlock the characters without needing to grind endlessly for things they already paid for.
“We appreciate the passion, time, and feedback you continue to share with us,” the post concluded.
The changes serve as yet another example of how fan backlash can lead to a positive end result.
- Released
-
March 12, 2026
- ESRB
-
Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
-
Visual Concepts
WWE Doesn’t Have Ad Breaks Anymore, Commercials Have Wrestling Breaks
Tuning into WWE Raw and Smackdown every week has never felt this exhausting.
