Pro wrestling promotion AEW has made its way into the realm of video games with AEW Fight Forever.
As with most facets of the wrestling industry, WWE had a monopoly when it came to video games. The WWE 2K series and its forerunner made by THQ were the only major wrestling games on the market, with the only competition being critically panned one-offs like Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring and Rumble Roses. Though the quality of the WWE 2K games has fluctuated over time, its market leader status has never been in question.
But as time went on, that started to change with various pro wrestling sim games and returning classics like Fire Pro Wrestling World. Now, AEW is set to directly challenge the WWE 2K franchise with its own big-budget wrestling games. Here’s what you need to know about the games and what the future holds for the franchise.
What is AEW Fight Forever?
AEW Fight Forever is a pro wrestling video game based on the All Elite Wrestling promotion. The game was released on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
Games like WWE 2K23 have aimed to accurately emulate the ebb and flow of WWE matches. By comparison, the Yukes-made competitor aims to go in a more arcade direction by drawing inspiration from classic wrestling games from the Nintendo 64.
Does AEW Fight Forever have DLC?
AEW Fight Forever will have a set of DLC packs that add new wrestlers to the roster alongside new mini-games. There are three packs scheduled, all of which are bundled together with the Season Pass.
Alongside these DLC packs was a pre-order bonus featuring a two-pack of Matt Hardy wrestlers. This includes both the Broken Matt Hardy of Impact Wrestling that eventually debuted in AEW, as well as the classic Matt Hardy of WWE. The Matt Hardy pack is now available as DLC for those who didn’t pre-order the game.
Is AEW Fight Forever cross-platform?
AEW Fight Forever does not have cross-play support.
While major competitive games like Fortnite have pulled out all the stops when it comes to supporting cross-platform multiplayer, sports games almost uniformly don’t. AEW Fight Forever has online multiplayer support, but each platform is segregated from one another. There also is no cross-progress between versions, meaning anyone that happens to purchase the game on multiple platforms will need to purchase DLC and unlock characters more than once.
Is AEW Fight Forever any good?
AEW Fight Forever received middling reviews on most platforms, and below-average reviews on the Nintendo Switch.
The game received praise for its accessible control scheme. While recent WWE titles have been packed with mini-games and precise inputs, AEW Fight Forever is designed to have a more arcade-like feel that allows anyone to immediately pick it up and play. It also received praise for having a unique aesthetic that still accurately captures the look of the wrestlers.
The major criticism of the game is its stripped-down content offering. Many sports games that have a brand-new game engine wind up lacking when it comes to bells and whistles. That’s seen here with simplistic menus, limited user-made content support, and a rudimentary story mode. The Nintendo Switch version was also criticized for graphical and performance issues, which isn’t unusual for Switch ports of games as the wait for a Switch 2 continues.
