The WWE has had a long and illustrious career when it’s come to publishing excellent video games.
Starting way back in the ’80s there have been a variety of pro wrestling games that have allowed WWE fans to step in the ring against their favorite Superstars – so many, in fact, that it’s almost impossible to recount them all.
Almost.
In the below gallery, we have painstakingly compiled a list of every major WWE release (note: no spin-off titles such as WWE Crush Hour have made the cut) in history, showing how the company’s presence in the video game space has advanced over the years.
Check out a complete history of WWE games, from the past, to the present and the future:
A History of WWE Video Games Past, Present and Future
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WWF WrestleMania (1989)
While there had been wrestling games prior to the release of WWF WrestleMania, this 1989 NES game was the first to be officially licensed by the WWF and feature real-life wrestlers, with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant joining the brawl.
Unfortunately, the game didn't really break down any new ground in terms of gameplay and was a thoroughly average affair, though it did feature an 8-bit recreation of Macho Man Randy Savage's flying elbow.
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WWF Superstars (1989)
This is where the WWF kicked it into gear when it came to officially licensed games.
Benefiting from being releases in arcades, therefore boasting graphics that saw the game's sprites actually looking like their real-life counterparts.
It was also host to the first video game appearance of a WWF Diva, with Miss Elizabeth making her way into the fold.
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WWF Wrestlefest (1991)
This arcade favorite eventually made its way to App Store, adding current WWE Superstars to its roster alongside old favorites such as Big Boss Man and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
Back in the day WWF WrestleFest introduced the Royal Rumble as a gameplay mode, allowing four players to brawl in the ring simultaneously.
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WWF Super WrestleMania (1992)
Released on both the SNES and Sega Genesis, WWF Super WrestleMania granted wrestlers with their own sets of special moves, firmly differentiating each Superstar from their rivals.
It also boasted some nice-looking sprites, which were less cartoony than those featured in the game's predecessors.
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WWF Raw (1994)
Though the SmackDown! brand is more closely affiliated with video games, Raw was the first show to get its own officially licensed video game back in '94.
WWF Raw was the first game to recognize that the height and weight of wrestlers should impact upon their stats, with smaller competitors being more agile and larger fighters being stronger.
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WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game (1995)
This is where things got a little odd. While previous WWF games were straight-laced and tried to follow the action wrestling fans would see on TV, 1995's WrestleMania: The Arcade Game (it also appeared on home consoles) went completely off the wall with its action.
Its art style aped Mortal Kombat's 3D models and its action overlooked bodyslams and powerbombs in favor of moves you'd see in a regular fighting game, such as projectile demons and flaming headbutts. Surprisingly, this is only the second weirdest officially licensed WWE game ever.
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WWF War Zone (1998)
The first game released in the WWF's infamous Attitude Era, War Zone may look dated by today's standards but it introduced a mode that has proven to be a staple of WWE games ever since - Create-A-Wrestler.
Developers have since nailed the creation suite in WWE games, and while the options offered in War Zone were primitive, they certainly shaped what would become one of the series' greatest selling points in the future.
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WWF SmackDown! (2000)
Here's where the new breed of WWE games began. WWF SmackDown! for the PlayStation introduced a ton of new ideas, alongside a story mode that saw players actually able to play out a whole season of WWF TV, competing for titles and building rivalries with other Superstars.
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WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role (2000)
Released only a few months following the first SmackDown! game, SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role essentially improved upon the foundations laid by its predecessor and made for the greatest WWF game up until that point.
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WWF No Mercy (2000)
Many still regard this as the greatest wrestling game ever made, combining some stellar gameplay (for the time) with a number of new ideas that had never before been implemented in a WWF title.
One of its greatest assets was its dynamic story mode, which would alter depending upon the outcomes of matches.
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WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It (2001)
SmackDown! Just Bring It marked the series' first step onto the PlayStation 2, but it didn't change enough of the series' tried-and-tested formula to make it a very notable release in the SmackDown! franchise.
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WWF Raw (2002)
Though featuring some decent graphics thanks to its exclusive appearance on the original Xbox, the most powerful console on the market at the time, the much-anticipated WWF Raw failed to offer players enough incentive to pick it up.
With very few gameplay modes and rather stunted gameplay, despite being the WWE's flagship series Raw failed to produce a video game to top the SmackDown! series.
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WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth (2002)
The first wrestling game to feature the WWE logo over WWF, SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth was a ground-breaking release for the series, shifting from the over-the-top, arcade-esque action that it had became known for and attempting to incorporate more realistic grappling gameplay.
The shift to less fast and frenetic gameplay would usher the series into a new era, where the games would try to match the style of the action that appeared on TV.
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WWE Raw 2 (2003)
Improving on its predecessor just a touch, WWE Raw 2 was still a thoroughly underwhelming release. However, it did boast Goldberg on its front cover, the only WWE game the former WCW legend would be the cover star of, so it does make its way into the history books in some capacity.
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WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (2003)
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain! would introduce a new gameplay mechanic to the series which would see wrestlers being given a "body meter," which would allow rivals to target specific parts of their body to inflict more damage. As such, gameplay became more tactical than ever.
It was also the first SmackDown! Game to not feature The Rock on the cover, as Brock Lesnar took over the role.
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WWE SmackDown vs. Raw (2004)
The SmackDown! series transformed into WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw in 2004, a series which would last for many years and host some of WWE's best games.
It was also the first WWE game to go online, taking advantage of the PlayStation 2's online compatibility with mixed results.
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WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006
SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 attracted some of the best review scores in the series' history, and was also the very first game to feature John Cena as its cover star.
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WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007
The first WWE game to be released on the Xbox 360, SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 marked the WWE's transition into making SmackDown! its only video game series.
It wasn't as beloved as the previous entry in the series, and a planned PS3 version of the game was canceled much to the chagrin of owners of the console.
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WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008
The first WWE game to make its way to all seventh generation consoles (that's Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii), SmackDown! vs. Raw saw the tagline "Featuring ECW" make its way to the front of the box, as the WWE brought more and more former ECW stars into its roster.
While the WWE's positioning of ECW as a new TV show to sit alongside Raw and SmackDown! was ill-fated, seeing a whole host of ECW stars make their way into a WWE video game was a joy. It also featured CM Punk in a WWE title for the very first time.
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WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009
The SmackDown vs. Raw series started to become stale in 2009, attracting mixed reviews and only a moderate fan reception.
The series would continue to struggle over the next couple of years as the game franchise went through an identity crisis of sorts.
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WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2010
SmackDown! vs. Raw 2010 failed to add many refinements to the series' gameplay along with featuring some seriously lengthy loading times.
However, the create modes were more pronounced than ever, with it bearing the tagline "It's Your World Now" to emphasise the depth of its creation suite.
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WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2011
The last entry in the SmackDown! vs. Raw series, SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 introduced the WWE Universe mode which would later become a mainstay of the franchise.
WWE Universe allowed players to take the Vince McMahon role of controlling WWE programming, adding yet more creative features to a franchise well-known for them.
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WWE All Stars (2011)
The weirdest WWE game ever released, WWE All Stars saw hugely exaggerated recreations of WWE Superstars past and present go at it with combos and over-the-top finishers.
Essentially a throwback to the days of the arcade, WWE All Stars took the ludicrous magic of Wrestlefest and multiplied it by 1000. Fun stuff.
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WWE '12
With the SmackDown! series officially ending with SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, WWE '12 was the first entry in a new direction for WWE games.
Building upon the analog control system steadily being introduced in the previous games, but also failing to deliver a compelling story mode, WWE '12 was a mixed bag.
However, it did build the foundations for one of the most beloved wrestling games ever...
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WWE '13
WWE '13 was a true labor of love that was a must-own title for wrestling fans both young and old.
With a story mode that detailed all the twists and turns from the Attitude Era, allowing players to re-enact classic matches from the time period which were neatly wrapped up with original video packages and realistic commentary, along with serving up one of the best rosters of any WWE title, WWE '13 earned a huge amount of praise upon its release and it's not hard to see why.
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WWE 2K14
Following the bankruptcy of the series' previous publisher THQ, 2K Games picked up the rights to the WWE license and followed through with delivering longtime WWE game developer Yuke's WWE '14, rebranding it WWE 2K14.
The end result was a great wrestling game that, similarly to WWE '13's Attitude Era mode, allowed players to relive classic WrestleMania moments from WWE history.
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WWE 2K15
The next WWE game marks a huge visual leap for the series, with incredibly realistic graphics that look to perfectly replicate the likenesses of the John Cena, Randy Orton & co.
It also boasts two story modes that will be sure to get WWE fans' tongues wagging, including 2K Showcase mode which will allow players to relive historic rivalries from WWE's past, and a career mode that will allow players to take their created wrestlers through the developmental training ground, to NXT and finally to the WWE itself.
We can't wait.
