WWE 2K26 will have an entirely different approach to post-launch content this year. While WWE 2K25 brought a deluge of post-launch content for players to grind to unlock either through The Island or MyFACTION, with paid DLCs releasing every few months to unlock several new wrestlers, WWE 2K26 will instead have only one DLC pack. For the rest of the year, players will be able to grind the new battle pass, called the Ringside Pass.
Releasing on March 13, 2026, for those who purchase the Standard Edition and March 6 for those who purchase any of the three premium editions, WWE 2K26 is set to become the biggest WWE 2K game yet. With over 400+ wrestlers at launch and a variety of new features that have become possible thanks to the game not releasing on legacy consoles, players can also look forward to even more playthings past launch by unlocking them in the Ringside Pass.
The Ringside Pass works like your typical Battle Pass, with striking similarities to the one featured in Visual Concepts' other 2K game, NBA 2K26. Playing any game mode aside from Online Matches will allow players to earn experience points. Earn enough experience points, and your Ringside Pass will level up. Each level will unlock new content, which may contain cosmetics, unlockable wrestlers, variants, and other stuff.
WWE 2K26 will have a total of six season passes throughout its life cycle, with Visual Concepts confirming during a developer roundtable that players will have all the time in the world to unlock everything in the season passes. That means none of the season passes expire, even when a new season comes around, and a new Ringside Pass gets released.
The Ringside Pass will have two tracks: a free track and a paid premium track. The free track will have 60 tiers, while the premium track will have 40 tiers. Playing matches in-game will progress both tiers simultaneously, but the premium track content can only be unlocked once purchased.
Ringside Pass Season 1 will be available at launch, featuring unlockable Superstars and Legends on the free tier. New Ringside Pass seasons will become available every few months, with each Ringside Pass's content revealed throughout the year.
Players who purchase the King of Kings Edition of the game will be able to unlock the Premium track of the Ringside Pass Season 1 for free. The Attitude Era Edition, meanwhile, gives players access to the Premium Track from Seasons 1 to 3, with the Monday Night War Edition giving access to the Premium Track from Seasons 1 to 6.
With this change, the primary way to unlock new content now would be by leveling up the Ringside Pass. There will be no DLC packs apart from the Joe Hendry Pack as part of the Pre-Order Bonus post-launch, and unlocking new Personas will no longer be reliant on playing The Island or MyFACTION.
Is this change for the better? What do you think? Do you prefer the old DLC packs, or do you think the Ringside Pass will be worth the grind? Let us know what you think, and we can all find out together when WWE 2K26 releases on March 13, 2026.
Game Daily