Like most WWE games up to this point, this game does have microtransactions. Also, the game allows you to create your own battleground, which is a nice move. This basically adds some variety to the gameplay. While we do have some arenas based on actual WWE events, the game also offers fictionalized arenas (or battlegrounds, as they are called), each one having a hazard or two (the Everglades battlegrouns allowing you to throw your opponent into the jaws of a alligator, and the Mexico battleground allowing you to take control of a remote-controlled ram for a while). To take the concept of the Campaign mode further, arenas have been redone. The game is more of an arcade-like gameplay in the vein of WWE All-Stars, as it has the wrestlers doing ridiculous jumps and slams. Another main mode is Battlegrounds Challenge, which allows you take a custom superstar you made and take them through various challenges, with rewards being skills that vary from decreasing damage from certain attacks to getting more of a certain thing. The mode has branching paths leading to fights that can lead to rewards like power-ups, customization items, and even new Superstars to play as. From New York cyclist Bolo Reynolds to the alligator wrestler Billy Huggins, the story is told by comic pages before and after each match. One of the main modes this game has to offer is Campaign, a single-player mode where the player controls seven characters made exclusively for this game as Paul Heyman and Stone Cold Steve Austin team up to bring a new era to World Wrestling Entertainment. Created by Saber Interactive, the same team behind the NBA 2K Playground games, WWE 2K Battlegrounds takes a more arcade-style approach from WWE 2K's realistic style.
So, with WWE 2K21 cancelled because of it and the pandemic, WWE 2K Battlegrounds would take its place. WWE 2K Battlegrounds is the 2020 WWE video game, made in place of WWE 2K21 due to the massive backlash WWE 2K20 received (and rightfully so, as it was revealed to be a horrid glitchfest among release, causing it to be known as one of the worst video games of 2019).