WWE 2K24: Early Release Date and 'Nightmare Family Pack' Pre-Order Bonus

Cody Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 40 but The American Nightmare has other reasons to celebrate on this road to Philadelphia, most notably his role as cover athlete for the latest entry in the popular WWE and 2K Games franchise.

Fans will have the opportunity to finish Rhodes' story in a series of new game modes and features and those who catch the early release can even compete with different versions of the future champion.

Release Dates

• March 5, 2024: Deluxe and 40 Years of WrestleMania editions (digital; early release)
  
• March 8, 2024: Standard edition, wide physical release

The Nightmare Family Pack

Those pre-ordering the game will have the opportunity to battle opposition with two different incarnations of Rhodes from over the years, as well as his legendary father, and one of The American Dream's greatest rivals.

Included with the pre-order bonus are:

• Dusty Rhodes '76 (with bonus MyFACTION card)
• Stardust
• "Undashing" Cody Rhodes
• "Superstar" Billy Graham
• Mattel Cody Rhodes (bruised) playable character (with bonus MyFACTION)
• Pharaoh Manager MyFACTION Card

Stardust is arguably the most memorable version of Rhodes outside of his current form, for better or worse. A take on his brother Dustin's iconic Goldust character, it was the persona he filled prior to his departure from WWE in 2016.

Considering how outspoken Rhodes has been about his disdain for that particular character and the time he spent under the silver face paint, it is somewhat surprising to see its inclusion in the game.

Something tells me his status as the face of WWE and the cover athlete of the game makes up for that dark period of his career.

The game's "Finish Your Story" tagline represents itself well here in the form of Dusty and Graham. It was their epic encounter in Madison Square Garden that saw The American Dream think he had captured the WWE Championship, only to have it taken away from him via technicality.

It was that instance that fueled his son's journey to the top of WWE and his determination to finish not only his story, but that of his legendary father.

Rhodes is not the only cover athlete in this year's game.

Reigning Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair make history as the first set of women to star as co-cover stars in the game's history as part of the Deluxe Edition while icons of WrestleMania's first 40 years, such as Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and The Rock, are cover stars of that special edition.

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