The crowd is an important part of any WWE match, as not only do wrestlers pull from this energy in the ring, but the live audience can represent how viewers at home are feeling. A dead crowd hurts a match, a great crowd helps a match, and there have been times when the crowd has said what the home audience is thinking (the #WeWantCody movement is but one example). The most recent WWE PLEs, Backlash and King and Queen of the Ring, had excellent crowds that elevated each show, and the crowd itself is something that should find its home in WWE 2K25.

WWE 2K25 is basically a year away (and, of course, unconfirmed at this time) and it could look at any number of improvements, but a proper, immersive "Crowd Challenge" feature could really go a long way. The two PLEs showcase examples of how this could even work, to some degree. The main criticism of Backlash's crowd is perhaps they were too loud, but that's a good thing. Their reaction to Paul Heyman's entrance took him by surprise, they gave Jey Uso the fireflies, and they started the trend of singing Randy Orton's theme song. The French audience was on fire, and the Saudi Arabian audience didn't lag behind either, being incredibly vocal, loud, and present throughout its perspective show. This energy is something that could bring a lot to WWE 2K24's game modes and matches, in its next iteration at the least.

WWE 2K25: How Crowd Challenges Could Influence a Match

While there's nothing easy in game development, the concept of crowd challenges seems pretty straightforward. If the crowd seems to be dying down, perhaps there could be a challenge pop up on screen to perform some type of high-risk move to amp them up. Players could also be tasked with living up to crowd demands, beyond just the current match rating system. For example, if the crowd is chanting "We Want Tables," perhaps players could be tasked with finding a way to put their opponent through the announcer's table. The developers could even build on WWE 2K24's trading blows mini-game by introducing timed reactions to crowd chants. In most cases, it could be a generic chant, but it would be great to see a timed mini-game like trading blows where players must keep timing with Jey Uso's yeets. Another example would be appropriately responding to chants; for example, doing a "crowd taunt" as Heel Gable in response to You Suck chants.

These are but a couple of examples, but involving crowds in a standard match could elevate the gameplay of the WWE 2K franchise even more. Of course, doing so requires proper rewards. It could be as simple as additional charges for Finishers, but there could even be long-term rewards like special entrances - again, looking at what Backlash did for Jey Uso and Randy Orton. On paper, it sounds relatively simple, but it would add another fun layer to WWE 2K25.

How Crowd Challenges Could Influence WWE 2K25 Game Modes

WWE 2K25's MyGM Mode

Of course, the crowd is perhaps the most important in a match, but listening to the audience could make its way into other WWE 2K game modes too. For example, right now, many wrestling fans are hoping to see a custody match between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley over Dom Mysterio, and WWE seems to be teasing as much with Dom "liking" Liv's images, the two appearing together in hidden backstage shots, and so forth. If someone is playing WWE 2K25's MyGM Mode, perhaps the social media response after a show could be expanded to highlight "trends" among this audience that players can be tasked with accomplishing. Perhaps it's something like the AI not enjoying a current rivalry and wanting something to change about it, perhaps it could be suggesting special match types that players get bonuses for delivering on time, or perhaps it's wanting to see someone pushed more on the roster. Of course, this is still somewhat possible in the current iteration, but stronger support and more outlined mechanics could go a long way.

Another way it could be involved in WWE 2K25's MyGM Mode is some form of online promos. Not only has Drew McIntyre been killing it with his social media postings, but tasking a certain star with trolling the audience or something could be a fun management element. Perhaps someone has Dijak on their roster, and they have been tasked with ratio-ing wrestling content creators like MrSantiZap on social media in terms of good fun, with the specific wrestler and GM getting certain rewards for interacting with the crowd in matches, in response to online trends, and in interacting with the online community as well as the crowd.

WWE 2K25's MyRise Mode

There could be obvious parallels for this in WWE 2K25's MyRise mode as well. Not only could completing crowd challenges be tied to whatever storyline players are proceeding, but perhaps playing into the crowd as a face or challenging them as a heel could have similar rewards, comments, and responses. It would also work well if a couple of storylines were focused on the crowd and their reactions at PLEs, while players could perhaps get special rewards for interacting with fans on social media more. Social Media already has a big role in WWE 2K24's MyRise, so it would really be an extension of the underlying feature.

It's harder to imagine how interacting with the crowd could work in Showcase Mode, but it doesn't seem impossible. Really, there are numerous ways incorporating the crowd could work in WWE 2K25 beyond the ideas mentioned here, but regardless, it remains to be seen how developer Visual Concepts continues to push the WWE 2K brand further.