Control the virtual WWE experience from a career-driven point of view, with individual decisions dynamically affecting alliances, rivalries, matches and unpredictable moments along the path toward WWE Championship glory. WWE Universe mode now features a new Rivalry Manager, new PPV themes, new belts and a variety of other tweaks to the mode to make it even more fun to play.
- New to the game's Universe Mode is the Rivalry Manager, which allows you to create rivalries with any characters (singles and tag teams). The rivalry can last as long or as short as you wish (from 4 to 12 weeks). The game will also set up rivalries by itself if you choose not to use the manager. Rivalries will generate cutscenes before/during/after matches.
- The default attire in use for each character inside the Universe Mode can be customized inside the Edit Superstar menu.
- King of the Ring tournaments can now be added to pay-per-views in Universe Mode. The tournament will show up as the main event of a pay-per-view that it is added to. Winning King of the Ring will result in a Superstar carrying the title of King of the Ring for the rest of the year.
- You can now make an "all-Diva" Show if you wish, with the show's major championship being a title only Divas can hold.
- The News section has now been replaced with a WWE.com section that keeps track of current rivalries and statistics throughout Universe Mode.
- The NXT Championship will be a playable title in the game.
- You can now edit how many matches will be on each show, in order to make minor shows shorter, or major shows longer.