Here's How WWE 2K26's Version of The Island Looks to Improve

To call WWE 2K25's The Island divisive is putting it mildly.

In my review of the game, I talked about how the all-new game mode, exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, was hampered by microtransactions and a pay-to-win mentality.

Despite those widespread critiques, The Island is back again in WWE 2K26, and according to Andrea Listenberger, Writer and Narrative Designer for Visual Concepts, that was always the case. The Island was always envisioned as a long-term concept that would feature both short-term and long-term storytelling, mirroring the WWE product on television.

"We're not making a game just for one year," Listenberger told me during a recent hands-on preview event for WWE 2K26. "We're making the game for, you know, multiple years to see where it grows. And I think, even for this year, like, again,we're not done, we're not finished, but the progression from year one to year two is pretty substantial."

To give an idea of how far out the team has things mapped out, there was always the plan to introduce three factions on The Island this year, and CM Punk was always going to be the face of the Order of Anarchy. It was a pretty nice coincidence that he's also this year's cover athlete, too.

Visual Concepts Is Aware of the Public's Perception of The Island

The team made a big swing with The Island last year as a hallmark feature for WWE 2K25, fully aware of what they were getting into. Listenberger compared it to the training wheels for their long-term goals; they have a plan in place, last year served as an introduction, and this year they get to learn from what happened and move forward.

One thing that immediately stood out to me in my first impressions of The Island gameplay this year was that it felt more populated with recognizable WWE Superstars from the start. This isn't an accident, and it's a stark difference from last year's initial impressions of The Island asking you to swipe your credit card.

We wanted to front-load [things] right away, so that when people go in, when players go in, they go, "oh, this is different than last year." We're still, at its core, a wrestling game about WWE Superstars. We're based in that reality, which is a little bit removed and like that magical realism place, so we wanted to make sure that we put those Superstars still at the center

of our product. Just like in WWE, the superstars are the center and the core of the product.

Delivering a more authentic and immersive experience on The Island will go a long way to addressing the mode's issues from last year. Given the team's long-term plans for The Island, it's clear it's not going away. Thankfully, the team is, again, fully aware of the feedback they've been receiving, and is looking to implement that as they move forward with their

This makes it all the better that all platforms will have access to The Island. Unlike last year, PC and Nintendo Switch 2 players will be able to get up and running to see what's in store for them after the fall of The Bloodline and Roman Reigns.