Yet another WWE 2K game is shutting down its online services, something fans of the franchise have come to expect on an annualized basis. It’s worth noting that this is not the first WWE 2K game to shut down this year, with WWE 2K24 shutting down its online services on March 31, 2026. And 2K Games has already confirmed that WWE 2K25 will lose online services on March 31, 2027, next year.
Typically, WWE 2K games shut down on March 31—this is not a new pattern. A second game hitting later in the year is relatively new, but fans shouldn’t expect this one to be an annualized issue, at least no more than the core WWE 2K series. At the same time, it’s reflective of online sentiments toward digital ownership, namely that no one truly owns anything if a company can shut down something that fans paid for, regardless of rationale.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds Shuts Down Permanently on August 20
WWE 2K Battlegrounds, developed by Saber Interactive and published by 2K in 2020, has already been delisted (meaning no one can buy it), and its final days of online activity come to an end on August 20, per official 2K Support. As fans may be aware, WWE 2K Battlegrounds stepped away from the core simulation gameplay and was instead adapted into fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay similar to NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is also shutting down on August 20, finding itself in the exact same boat as WWE 2K Battlegrounds.
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WWE 2K Battlegrounds was a more impromptu release, as far as video games can be at least, because of the cancellation of WWE 2K21. WWE 2K20‘s disastrous launch, low sales, and known development issues saw the series take a hiatus, with WWE 2K21 never coming to fruition, and 2K Battlegrounds was a “filler” game of sorts for that. Still, it received mixed-to-average reviews, with fans appreciating its art and co-op game modes, but criticizing its bare-bones features and heavy reliance on microtransactions.
In this case, it’s worth noting that WWE 2K Battlegrounds (and NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 at that) will both still be playable for anyone who already owns them in their digital libraries. Some modes will be inaccessible, but WWE 2K Battlegrounds‘ Campaign and offline Exhibition Matches will still work, and NBA Playgrounds 2 will still have Exhibition, Exhibition 3 pt Contest, NBA Season, and Court Editor. Any online services, ultimately, end on August 20.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Interestingly, August 20 was not the initial shutdown date for these two titles. They were originally going to be shut down on July 9 until 2K decided to push the date back to August 20. No reason was ever given, nor is it likely some notion of saving either game, since both dates were announced back in February. The most likely scenario is that another factor came into play that made it easier or necessitated pushing the shutdown back by a few weeks. As of this writing, fans have less than a month to enjoy these two 2K games.
- Released
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September 18, 2020
- ESRB
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T For Teen due to Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes