WWE 2K26 Patch 1.04 Nerfs RXP Earnings and Fans Aren't Happy

Ahead of the standard release of WWE 2K26, 2K has released another patch for this year's game, leaving many fans frustrated.

WWE 2K26 launched last Friday for those who pre-ordered the Monday Night War, Attitude Era, or King of Kings editions of the game. And while the core game itself has been more well-received than last year, it still has a fair share of issues.

Amid multiple glitches found in the Creation Suite, MyFACTION, and Community Creations, 2K chose to patch something fans were actually happy about instead.

WWE 2K26 Glass Shatter Logo | 2K Games

2K nerfs RXP earnings in latest WWE 2K26 patch

This year's edition of WWE 2K26 introduced the Ringside Pass. A Battle Pass-like feature that locks the DLC characters you have already paid for behind a progression bar. The community universally panned this move, but it seemingly fell upon deaf ears at 2K.

Since the early release of WWE 2K26, players had found an easier way to grind RXP by adjusting the gameplay sliders to make matches quicker and reducing the amount of time needed to secure the DLC characters they have already paid for.

Instead of tackling some of the bigger issues plaguing the game, 2K decided to immediately patch this method ahead of the game's standard release on Friday, March 13.

Patch 1.04 is here!

We have some Ringside Pass adjustments to share with you including Custom Matches now granting RXP and an increase in earn rates. Check out the full details at https://t.co/bKdicqZ22F. pic.twitter.com/cG99AUdvjt
— #WWE2K26 (@WWEgames) March 11, 2026

WWE 2K26 1.04 patch details

2K provided official details of the WWE 2K26 1.04 patch this afternoon, noting the changes that have been made to RXP earnings in the game.

"The Ringside Pass is a brand-new feature, so like anything new it’ll require some time and attention to get it just right. We have some adjustments to share with you as part of Patch 1.04*. So far we've seen the player experience not being exactly what's intended, so we're implementing some changes with Patch 1.04, including:

Custom Matches will now award RXP

RXP earn rates for matches increased by 20%
Match Complete: 25 (current) > 30
Match Win Bonus: 85 (current) > 105

Minimum match time requirement added for Match Win RXP rewards
If a match is completed faster than 60 seconds, players will receive completion RXP, but not additional win bonuses. We know you're enjoying making Eric Bischoff tap out but let's give poor "Eazy E" a breather.

Overall, we hope these changes support a wider variety of match types and playstyles and help keep the experience fun and rewarding for everyone. And as a thank you to those who jumped into the ring with us early, we’re providing Early Access players with the locker code MZFGCPCR for 32,500 VC, which can be redeemed in-game by 9 AM PT on March 12."

The community is not happy with this WWE 2K26 patch

The decision to patch something beneficial to the community rather than address the glitches and issues currently plaguing the game has left fans frustrated, and they have taken to social media to let their voices be heard.

Below is just a small sampling of the current reactions on social media. You can read some of the others (with much more colorful language) in the replies to WWE Games' current post on X (Twitter).

@Heel_Tyler: "Oh you fixed the easy way to earn RXP? Well then"

Oh you fixed the easy way to earn RXP? Well then pic.twitter.com/Ao6CTtibqv
— T̸Y̸L̸E̸R̸ 🎈 (@Heel_Tyler) March 11, 2026

@iamacarpenter_: "So y'all rushed to take away the easy way to get RXP but didn't fix community creations... ok"

@Broski132: "So essentially they're patching the easy way to get RXP bc they made it nearly impossible to get 40 tiers. Especially for somebody who works constantly and can't play games. Great job 2K. You're really listening to your community"

@frenchtkos: "Anything else patched other than you making it even harder for us to get content we PAID for???"

@CavemanGamer: "Oooooaaaahhhh Greedy 2K trying to force people into buying skips by patching out the most efficient method to earn xp which was not against the rules, I knew you'd come. Community Creations is a disjointed mess. Patch? Nope. You cannot upload Psycho Clown attires because Psycho is a banned word. Patched? Nope. Layers being counted as both the 60 and the 40. Patched? Nope. But let someone grind too fast? PATCHED IMMEDIATELY!"

Oooooaaaahhhh Greedy 2K trying to force people into buying skips by patching out the most efficient method to earn xp which was not against the rules, I knew you'd come. Community Creations is a disjointed mess. Patch? Nope. You cannot upload Psycho Clown attires because Psycho… pic.twitter.com/U8xKcimtSB
— 🦖Unfrozen Caveman Gamer🦕 (@CavemanGamer) March 11, 2026

@WheezyWarlock: "There’s no way you patched quick grinding to complete tiers like that. Wow. That is the most insane s--t ever lol. Definitely glad I didn’t pour money into this. You have passionate and amazing game developers, but whoever is in charge of monetizing the series needs to go."

@20MinPromo: "The system isn’t working you can patch things and adjust rates all you want, but the reality is people are going to stop playing this game because of this pass. Not everybody but a lot of people, more specifically the casual players that don’t have time to grind your game that just want to play as Kurt Angle or somebody they grew up watching. Battle pass systems in a free to play game make sense, not $150 full priced games. If this is the direction you guys want to go in then the game should be free to download. It’s unfortunate that corporate greed has taken us to this point."

@daniel270_: "Making the ringside pass more difficult to complete is a trash move."

@Badar_Tekken: "No fixes for Online? Seriously? Why don't we get RXP for playing couch co-op on exhibition mode? Very anti-consumer friendly decisions."

@JusRo86: "So y'all were quick to add a way to slowdown RXP to unlock items already PAID but told me nothing could be done about all my myrise and showcase rewards being lost after the previous update and I even showed y'all my achievements, proving I completed what I said I've completed."

While it's definitely believed that 2K will work on patching the other issues currently plaguing this game, the decision to patch something that benefits players even before the standard launch doesn't paint a picture of a company that cares about its player base's wants and needs.