Throwing down with the Superstars of the wrestling world is no easy feat in WWE 2K24, especially if you don’t even know what the controls do!
Pulling off moves, Finishers, combo, and even just basic movement can be harder than you imagine. After all, this brand of wrestling game always has a very in-depth control system.
In this guide, we’ll tell you all the important controls and basics you’ll need to enter the ring!
WWE 2K24: Controls Guide
All Controls By Category
- Basics | Strikes, Movement, and More
- Beat Them While They’re Down
- Learn to Use the Ropes
- Special Moves | Signatures and Finishers
Basics | Strikes, Movement, and More
- Walk – Push the Left Stick. The further you push, the faster you move.
- Run – Hold LT (Xbox) or L2 (PlayStation), then push the Left Stick.
- Dodge – Push the Left Stick and then press RB (Xbox) or R1 (PlayStation) to dodge in that direction.
- Block – Hold down Y (Xbox) or Triangle (PlayStation) to assume a blocking stance.
- Light Strike – X on Xbox, Square on PlayStation. Moving the Left Stick will alter your strikes depending on directions.
- Heavy Strike – A on Xbox, X on PlayStation. Just like Light Strikes, pushing the Left Stick will alter the attack depending on what direction you push.
- Grapple – B on Xbox, Circle on PlayStation. Press the Light or Heavy Strike buttons to perform follow-up attacks. Pushing the Left Stick will also alter the attacks you do.
- Carry or Drag – After a successful grapple, press RB (Xbox) or R1 (PlayStation). You can end the carry by pressing Light Strike or Heavy Strike to do an attack.
- Escape Carry – If you’re the unfortunate soul being carried, you’ll need to mash the Grapple button to escape.
- Running Strike – Press either the Light Strike, Heavy Strike, or Grapple button while you’re running.
- Pick Up Object – Press LB (Xbox) or L1 (PlayStation) while you’re near a weapon or object.
- Throw Object – While holding an object or weapon, push the Left Stick in a direction and press the Grapple button to throw it.
- Taunt – Press Left, Up, or Right on the Directional Pad to perform different taunts. Flaunt your style before you beat your opponent!
Beat Them While They’re Down
- Grounded Attacks – You can beat down a downed opponent by pressing Light Strike, Heavy Strike, or Grapple. Which button you press alters the attack type, based on what position the opponent is in.
- Flip Downed Opponent – Push the Right Stick to the left or right near a downed opponent to give them a kick and make them flip over to the other side.
- Pin – Push the Right Stick down when you’re close to a downed opponent to attempt a pin.
- Lift Opponent – Press the Right Stick up when you’re close to a downed opponent to force them to stand up.
- Submission – Hold RT + B (Xbox) or R2 + Circle (PlayStation) near a downed opponent to try to force them into submission.
Learn to Use the Ropes
- Enter and Exit Ring – Push the Left Stick towards the ropes and press RB (Xbox) or R1 (PlayStation). Press the button once to get on the apron, hold it to fully exit the ring.
- Apron Moves – You can do a lot of different moves while you’re on the apron by pressing Light Strike, Heavy Strike, or Grapple. These vary drastically based on your opponent’s positioning.
- Climb the Corner – Run towards the corner you want to climb to climb it automatically.
- Dive Strike – Press Light Strike or Heavy Strike while you stand on a corner.
- Springboard – Approach the ropes, push the Left Stick toward them and press LB (Xbox) or L1 (PlayStation). Then, press the Light Strike button.
- You can also do Springboard moves by simply pressing LB + X (Xbox) or L1 + Square (PlayStation) while on the Apron.
- Dive Attack – Run toward the ropes and press the Light Strike button to do a dive attack while exiting the ring.
- Irish Whip – Grab an opponent with a Grapple then push the Left Stick in the direction you want and press the Grapple button again. Hold the Grapple button for a stronger Irish Whip.
- Pull Back Strike – As soon as you perform an Irish Whip, press either Light Strike or Heavy Strike before you throw your opponent. You’ll pull them back for a smackdown instead!
- Rebound Strike – Make your opponent bounce off the ropes with an Irish Whip, then press either Light Strike, Heavy Strike, or Grapple as they bounce toward you.
Special Moves | Signatures and Finishers
Signature Move – First, make sure your Special Gauge is full. It’s the blue gauge below your character’s Health. If it is, press RT + X (Xbox) or R2 + Square (PlayStation) when your opponent is in the right position.
Now, the “right position” is going to depend heavily on who you’re playing as. You can check the conditions by pausing the game and going into “Moves”, though!
Payback Moves – These highly customizable moves can be pulled off by pressing RT + Y (Xbox) or R2 + Triangle (PlayStation) in the right conditions.
You can see your current Payback Moves and their conditions from the Moves screen in the pause menu.
Finisher Move – To use these, you need at least one Finisher Charge. These are the yellow bars below your character’s Health. If you have one, press RT + A (Xbox) or R2 + X (PlayStation).
Just like with Signature Moves, the exact conditions to trigger these moves vary a lot. As always, though, you can see them in the “Moves” section of the pause menu.
Some Finishers can also be charged to make them stronger. Just hold the input when you land the Finisher instead of just pressing it.
Some characters also have Super Finisher Moves, which work pretty much the same. The only difference is that you’ll need three Finisher Charges to use them!
Speaking of Finishers, that’s the end of our Controls guide for WWE 2K24! You should now be able to bring the smackdown into the ring with ease.
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