Ultra Pro Wrestling: Release Date, Roster, Consoles & More To Know About The Game

• UPW launches late 2025 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.
• An early access demo featuring one-on-one matches is planned before release.
• Developers emphasize ongoing updates post-launch to enhance gameplay.

UPW is scheduled for release sometime in late 2025 and will be available on multiple platforms, including PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, with updates planned following release. A one-on-one early access demo is still planned to drop sometime between now and release.

TheSportster reached out for clarification on the demo, and Hyperfocus Director of Communication, Anthony Maurizio, provided us with a statement from their Chief Operating Officer:

"We’re working incredibly hard every day to get the first playable experience in players’ hands - we’re still cooking, but closer than ever. Whatever we release, it’s only the beginning."

- Paul Watson, Chief Operating Officer, Hyperfocus Games

Ultra Pro Wrestling Gameplay Features

A Nintendo 64 Wrestling Renaissance

• Emulates AKI's intuitive grapple system for accessible yet deep gameplay.
• Offers extensive customization of wrestlers, arenas, and promotions.
• It includes diverse match types like ladder, steel cage, and hardcore matches.

UPW seeks to emulate the intuitive grapple system popularized by the AKI series. It will offer gameplay that is easy to pick up and play, but a rewarding challenge to master, in a sandbox environment allowing extensive customization of wrestlers, arenas, and promotions. The game will feature various match types and modes in flavors both offline and online, including ladder matches, steel cage matches, hardcore matches and more. UPW will also follow modern trends in wrestling games, like allowing intergender matches, something they announced years ago. The team at Hyperfocus aims to faithfully recreate all the moves and animations from all the previous AKI wrestling games combined.

Hyperfocus Games has even gone so far as to purchase the trademarks and logo for "AKI", the original company that made the Nintendo 64 classics which inspired Ultra Pro Wrestling.

Ultra Pro Wrestling's Career Mode Is "The Wrestling Legacy"

UPW's Unique Approach To A Career Mode

• Embark on a journey from the 1980s, experiencing wrestling's evolution.
• Customize characters to mirror real wrestling legends within unique story arcs.
• Features a progression system tracking stats across thousands of matches.

In the revolutionary Legacy Career Mode, wrestling gamers will embark on a comprehensive journey through the evolving landscape of professional wrestling! Starting in the 1980s at release, players will navigate through their chosen wrestler's career across various eras, experiencing the industry's real shifts and challenges over several decades. The developers are going to tell real stories from wrestling history over the years with their own characters in the places of real wrestling legends. If gamers pick a character that may remind them of Ric Flair, then they could easily change his attire, information and move-set, so that it would match the story arcs in the career mode.

According to the Ultra Pro Wrestling website's section on Legacy Career Mode:

Unequalled depth, detail, customization and creation all at your fingertips with a progression system that keeps track of every little stat you could ever want (or not..) across thousands of matches and decades upon decades of a career. A ground-breaking system built from the ground up specifically for Ultra Pro Wrestling(tied to the one-of-a-kind Ultra Pro Engine that captures the feel of the classic N64 games) that will combine your in-ring and backstage actions with a progressive, engaging storyline with no dead ends and no Game Overs.

This is no short ride, believe me. You'll need to buckle up those boots and tape those fists because you're about to be tested by a gaming experience unlike any other - THIS is the career mode you've been waiting for.

Oh...and it doesn't end when you retire...

Online Career Mode & UPW Monday Riot Show

Players Could Wrestle On UPW's Weekly Streaming Show

• Compete in ranked online matches to climb global leaderboards.
• Earn shots at the "Global Internet Wrestling Championship," defended weekly.
• Participate in "UPW Monday Blast," a live-streamed event with commentary and news.

Hyperfocus' plans for online play are certainly going to rattle the cages of most wrestling gamers! The Online Career Mode introduces a competitive environment where players will engage in ranked matches to establish their standing within the global wrestling community.

Performance in ranked matches will affect ranking, and consistent success can earn gamers a shot at the "Global Internet Wrestling Championship." The championship will be defended weekly on "UPW Monday Blast," a live-streamed event with commentary, discussions, news, and fan feedback. The Online Career mode will offer seamless matchmaking and a robust ranking system, providing endless hours of action and a platform for gamers and streamers to showcase their skills worldwide. These features could open up new frontiers for wrestling game streamers!

The Customization Suite Will Be Massive

More Items, Models, And Features To Create And Edit

• Create and personalize wrestlers, attires, arenas, events, promotions, and titles.
• Utilize a texture edit system for detailed customization of clothing and gear.
• Share and download creations within the community for collaborative engagement.

Ultra Pro places a strong emphasis on customization, offering wrestling gamers an extensive suite of tools to create and personalize their wrestling experience. The creation suite is built with the customization principles of the AKI as a foundation, with tons more options and new creation modes to expand on the groundwork laid out in the original Nintendo 64 classics.

Announced Creation Modes:

• Create a Wrestler: Design and customize your own wrestler, adjusting physical appearance, attire, move sets, and entrance styles to match your vision.
• Create an Attire: Utilize a texture edit system that allows for detailed customization of clothing and gear, enabling you to craft unique looks for your wrestlers.
• Create an Arena: Build and personalize wrestling arenas, selecting from various stage designs, ring styles, and environmental elements to set the stage for your matches.
• Create an Event (PPV): Organize and customize your own wrestling events, including match cards, themes, and promotional materials.
• Create a Promotion: Establish and manage your own wrestling promotion, defining its branding, roster, championships, and overall identity.
• Create a Championship: Design custom championship belts, specifying their appearance, prestige, and the criteria for contenders.

Community engagement is also a cornerstone of UPW's development philosophy. Players will have the ability to share and download creations with each other, fostering a collaborative environment where content can be exchanged and enjoyed collectively. It will be interesting to see how this stacks up against WWE 2K25 and prior WWE titles' Community Creations. While communities have been built on 2K's version of this platform, it can be a real roller coaster for creators and users with each release changing every year. Hopefully, UPW will have plenty of hindsight to learn from any mistakes made by other developers.

Ultra Pro Wrestling Base Roster & Factions

The Fictional Roster Will Be Split Between Seven Factions

• Features over 100 original characters representing various wrestling archetypes.
• Roster is divided into several factions, each with unique themes and styles.
• Characters designed by illustrator Hal Haney.

The base Ultra Pro Wrestling game will include over 100 original characters, designed by comic Hal Haney, each designed to represent archetypes of wrestlers rather than actual real-life personas. The base roster will be split into seven distinct factions, according to the game's website.

Free Agent DLC Packs Announced So Far

Tons Of Real Pro Wrestlers Spanning The Decades

• Over 30 real wrestlers and legends available as DLC, supporting them or their estates.
• DLC split into five packs: Hardcore Hall of Fame, Generational Stars, The Golden Age, General Free Agents, and FMW.
• Some wrestlers may appear in multiple packs under different personas.

Additionally, more than 30 real wrestlers and legends will be available as DLC, including a bunch of wrestlers from the original AKI WCW and WWE games on Nintendo 64! Proceeds set aside from these packs go directly to the wrestlers or their estates.

The Free Agent DLC will be split between what appear to be five different packs. It would appear duplicate free agents in multiple packs will have multiple releases in different versions of their personas. Ultra Pro Wrestling posts all of their roster updates to Patreon before any other platforms.