Best Wrestling Games On The PS2

During the late 90s and early 2000s, the Monday Night Wars between the WWE and WCW took wrestling entertainment to a new level of mainstream popularity. With two big brand wrestling promotions, gamers were spoiled for choice with WCW and WWE games.

There were the AKI-developed wrestling games that covered both WCW and WWE games, and then there was the rise of the Smackdown! S eries on the PlayStation to take up the mantle for the WWE wrestling franchise going forward.

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Unfortunately, with the collapse of WCW, WWE started to dominate the wrestling games market too, leading to a degree of complacency. This meant that the PS2-owning wrestling fans arguably didn't have the same level of quality that the N64 and PS1 enjoyed in their prime, but the console was still home to some great titles. Here are the best PS2 wrestling games.

Updated on February 25, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The specifications of each mentioned PS2 wrestling game have been added.

11 Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle

Metascore: 61

Released in 2003, Galactic Wrestling: Featuring Ultimate Muscle is an over-the-top wrestling title from the same studio that created WWF No Mercy and the Def Jam series. Being based on the Ultimate Muscle anime series, the character have special moves and superpowers.

It doesn't come close to No Mercy or Def Jam, but with one of the most robust fighting systems under the hood, Galatic Wrestling is still a solid title. However, it's hard to shake the feeling that AKI's talents would have been put to better use in a proper wrestling game.

10 Rumble Roses

Metascore: 66

Developed by the same studio that created the WWE Smackdown series Rumble Roses is an all-female wrestling game using the same engine as the much loved Smackdown Here Comes the Pain. This means that it's using one of the most popular engines in wrestling game history and offers a good alternative to fans tired of the WWE brand.

Mechanically, the game performs very well and is one of the better-looking PS2 titles. However, its themes which put it more in line with the Dead or Alive series complete with jiggle physics and ridiculous costumes will certainly frustrate some players. If one can look past that, then Rumble Roses remains a solid wrestling title offering something different from the WWE wrestling games on the PS2 system.

9 WWE All Stars

Metascore: 70 (PSP)

WWE All Stars was released by THQ on the PlayStation 2, PSP, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii in 2011. Despite being a scaled-down port of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, the PS2 version of All Stars fared very well in the visuals department and was nearly comparable to the Wii version.

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By  Mark Sammut

It lacked the online element of the more powerful consoles and players weren’t able to download any of the future DLC. However, gamers looking for an entertaining beat-'em-up with characters that resembled WWE action figures from the 1990s need to look no further than WWE All Stars.

8 WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007

Metascore: 80

WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 was developed by Yuke’s under the THQ label in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and PSP. Despite not having the power of its more powerful counterparts, the PS2 port's presentation remained intact and was one of the better-looking games on the older machine.

Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 introduced a new control method that implemented the analog stick for grappling instead of the face buttons. It was a tricky system to learn for long-time players of the franchise but the game had a more natural flow to it than previous games.

7 Def Jam Vendetta

Metascore: 80

Def Jam Vendetta was developed by the same team behind the popular Nintendo 64 wrestling games, ranging from WCW vs. NWo to WWF No Mercy. Instead of wrestlers, Def Jam Vendetta featured famous hip-hop artists under the Def Jam label like DMX, Method Man, Ludacris, and more.

Despite the slightly ridiculous notion of street-fighting rap stars, the excellent wrestling and grappling system were very similar to AKI’s licensed titles, albeit with some added brutality. As such, the gameplay was and still is addictive, and the story mode was pretty good by the genre's standards at the time.

6 WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010

Metascore: 78 (Wii)

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 was developed by Yukes and released by THQ in 2009, so the PS2 was well outdated by this point. While among the worst ways to experience this entry, the version of Sony's aging console was still a fun wrestling sim that offered a decent single-player experience. If nothing else, it permitted fans who had yet to make the job the opportunity to experience a limited but still enjoyable new version.

The PS2 version lacked several features found in the more powerful consoles like Create a Finisher and Superstar Threads. However, the Story Designer remained intact and offered players an incredible amount of depth to create their own WWE storylines and feuds.

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4 Def Jam: Fight For NY

Metascore: 83

Def Jam: Fight For NY was once again developed by wrestling game veterans AKI. The game featured more rap stars than its predecessor and included the likes of Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul, and Ice-T.

The game retains its AKI momentum-based gameplay but adds in more fighting styles like wrestling, street fighting, martial arts, kickboxing, and submissions. In addition, the game had a good story mode, which was hardly the standard for fighting games at the time, even if the wrestling subgenre fared generally better in this area.

3 WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006

Metascore: 84

Released in 2005 on the PlayStation 2 and PSP, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 remains a favorite among wrestling fans. The game wasn’t a downgraded port of the more advanced console version, instead being designed from the ground up to make use of every resource the PS2 had available.

However, the game’s biggest feature is the General Manager mode. For the first time, the series player could now take on the role of an authority figure in the WWE and compete against the opposing brand whether that is Raw or Smackdown. It was very deep and as a management sim felt like another game that was entirely separate from everything else in the series. To this day, the GM mode is still the most requested feature that fans want to see make a return in the WWE 2K series.

2 Fire Pro Wrestling: Returns

Metascore: 78

Instead of the 3D graphics that were popular at the time, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns used 2D visuals, and they have aged fairly well all things considered . While unlicensed, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns features over 320 recreations of real-life wrestlers, including the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, albeit with amusing alternate names to avoid a lawsuit.

Furthermore, the game was a true wrestling simulation that required timing and skill and the matches were more about building drama than the fast-paced arcade action seen in the WWE games. Adding to the simulation was the requirement of booking the most exciting matches in advance to achieve the best possible grading based on audience excitement. It's still a game that's loved and played to this day thanks to its replay value and brilliant wrestling engine with stunning animations that transcend its 2D visual style.