The WWE 2K26 Ringside Report is here, with match info and more

Just after the game officially debuted, WWE 2K26 has a whole lot more info. That came by way of the Ringside Report today.

WWE 2K26 takes fans ringside

The news is coming along fast and furious this week, as goes 2K and Visual Concepts’ WWE 2K26. So far, we know that the latest game in the series has a monster 400+ superstar roster, and will tout double the amount of creation slots. On top of that too, it’ll also add new match types.

Some of those were shown off the other day, and will include both Inferno and Dumpster matches. But past those, two more new matches were left undisclosed. If you’ve been waiting for those blanks to be filled in though, your time is now.

The news comes via the Ringside Report, the first in a series of video featurettes for WWE 2K26. The matches aren’t the only pieces of info to be gleaned either. The first episode of this special series also delves into the commentary crew and gameplay elements, plus shows off a bunch of grapplers in action.

Going deeper on matches

While Bad News Barrett was kind enough to highlight most of what’s new, 2K went deeper. Let’s kick things off with the match-types though, since those are probably the biggest news. We’re particularly interested in the Inferno, as the seldom seen match looks pretty neat.

And yes, we’ve seen the online comments about the flames not looking that great. The fact that they jump and get higher in response to big moves and impacts though, is undeniably cool.

The Dumpster Match is a no-holds-barred brawl in which a competitor must throw their opponent into a dumpster and close the lid before they can escape. The match is demonstrated by footage of Je’Von Evans taking on Ethan Page in a parking lot environment, slamming him into a car before tossing him into the dumpster.

The I Quit Match is a brutal contest in which the first combatant to make their opponent verbally submit claims victory. Competitors can use steel chairs and other objects to apply limb-crushing pressure and physical punishment, wearing down an opponent’s will until they are forced to utter “I quit” into the referee’s outstretched microphone. In this case, Bron Breakker pins Seth Rollins’ arm between the seat and back of a steel chair in an attempt to force the submission.

In Three Stages of Hell, competitors must face off in up to three, back-to-back matches, with the first opponent to claim two-out-of-three falls securing the victory. Three Stages of Hell match types include normal rules, Extreme Rules, Inferno, I Quit, Dumpster, Hell in a Cell, Steel Cage, Table, Ladder, TLC, Casket, and Ambulance matches. WWE Legends “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Triple H are shown doing battle in a normal match, followed by Extreme Rules and finally, a Steel Cage match.

The Inferno Match is a unique and sinister match type, wherein the ring is surrounded by a wall of flame, which burns higher and brighter as opponents slam one another onto the mat. Big impacts cause the flames to rise, adding to the risk and intensity as the match progresses. A classic matchup of Ministry of Darkness-era Undertaker vs Kane ‘98 (available as part of the Attitude Era Edition Pack) is shown in a match type the two know all too well. Undertaker claims the victory, as the referee rushes to douse the defeated Kane with a fire extinguisher.

2K press release

Fresh gameplay, and those interactive entrances

Fans will be able to do some wild stuff in the new Scrapyard section of WWE 2K26. It’s kind of reminiscent of the legacy WWE games, with launching opponents off of high up locations. Not that that’s all you can do. Fans will also be able to load foes into shopping carts, stack tables for even greater impacts, and dump bags of thumbtacks into the ring. We feel like that’s a first for the series, but if it’s been seen before, let us know.

There’s also set to be greater interaction with barricades. Players will be able to pull off additional moves from those, in addition to engaging in strikes and grapples while standing on top of them. Additionally, WWE 2K26 will allow for surprise attacks in certain instances, and you’ll even be able to grab the title belt off of the ringside podium to use it as a weapon, in title matchups.

But wait, there’s more, as a host of new options will be open to players during entrances and pre-match. Interactive entrances will now grant the ability to control “taunts, trigger pyro and play to the crowd” as wrestlers make their way to the ring. And once inside of it, there are even more possibilities.

Just like in the real thing, sometimes superstars just won’t be able to wait for the bell. According to 2K, that translates to being able to “shake hands, take cheap shots, draw energy from the crowd, and engage in other actions that add to the storytelling”.

Stay tuned fans, this is just the first of the Ringside Reports for WWE 2K26. We’ll have more for you as it’s released, including that release date, just as soon as 2K makes it official.