Although the release ofWWE 2K22is now mere hours away for those living in Australia and Asia, North American players still have almost a full day’s wait ahead of them. What many WWE fans might not realize, however, is that it’s actually possible to playWWE 2K22early, and relatively simple to do so at that.
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The concept ofearly accessis a fairly new one in the grand scheme of things, with the recent rise in the number of digital pre-orders allowing publishers to unlock games early for certain players. This usually involves a fee of some kind, thoughWWE 2K22handles things a little differently. Rather than paying a one-off fee, players can instead secure early access by pre-ordering certain versions of the game.
How to Play WWE 2K22 Early
In order to playWWE 2K22before midnight on the eleventh, players will need to have pre-ordered either the Deluxe Edition or the nWo 4-Life Edition of the game. After doing so, they’ll be able to download the title onto their PC or console and then start playing right away. This has actually been possible since 6 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, thoughthere have been a few server issues here and there.
As for those who pre-ordered physical copies of the game, it really depends on the store or marketplace they ordered through and the shipping service used. Most online retailers aim to get pre-orders out to customers on the day of release, thoughit’s not at all uncommon for pre-ordered games to arrive a day or two early, or, in some cases, a couple of days late. There’s also no telling what time the delivery person will arrive, meaning that those who want to start playing bright and early may need to keep their fingers crossed.
When Will The Standard Edition of WWE 2K22 Go Live?
For players who only sprung forthe regular edition ofWWE 2K22, when exactly they’ll be able to play it will depend on the country that the account they pre-ordered with is registered to. In most countries,the game is scheduled to go live at midnight on the eleventh local time, though North American players can expect to start playing at midnight Eastern regardless of what timezone they’re in.
So far, the general reception from critics and those with early access has been largely positive, with most agreeing that it’s a huge improvement over the series' previous installment.Game Rant’s review ofWWE 2K22praised the massive amount of content as well as the well-polished visuals, but was a lot less positive about the implementation of the game’s revamped MyGM and Showcase modes.
WWE 2K22is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
