Ranking every SmackDown vs Raw game

SmackDown vs Raw games have been a part of everyone's childhood as they defined how wrestling games should be. The series started in 2004 with the release of the first game, SmackDown vs Raw, which would soon become a franchise everyone knows and loves. Although the franchise took its baby steps a long time ago, everyone who played these games still fondly remembers the roster of every SmackDown vs Raw game by heart.

WWE 2K24 is the most recent wrestling game we have this year, but with nostalgia in the air and our PlayStation 2 consoles collecting dust, it's time to look back and rank every SmackDown vs Raw game from worst to best.

Note: This article is subjective, reflects the writer's opinions, and is ranked.

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These are all the SmackDown vs Raw games ranked from worst to best

7) SmackDown vs Raw 2009

SVR 2009 felt like a step down compared to its predecessors (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

SVR 2009 had a lot riding on its back because of the success of the previous few games in the series. However, the game managed to disappoint many of its fans with its main focus on the tag team division of the roster, which is quite visible on the cover art featuring Triple H and HBK.

SVR 2009 removed the beloved career mode to replace it with Road to Wrestlemania mode, where you played a storyline of Triple H, CM Punk, The Undertaker, John Cena, Chris Jericho Rey Mysterio, and Batista. While these stories were fun to play, they didn't give you the same experience as playing as your created character in career mode.

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6) SmackDown vs Raw 2008

SVR 2008 had a lot to live up to (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

Even though SVR 2008 is a decent game in the franchise, it usually gets overshadowed by the success of SVR 2007. The game introduced new character models, wrestlers, and lighting to increase the realism as the series moved forward but it all came at the cost of the removal of GM mode. SVR 2008 removed the mode to replace it with 24/7 mode which didn't sit right with fans.

This mode was a mash-up of GM mode and superstar mode, which lacked the depth to keep players around for a long time. SVR 2008 featured new animations and improved physics, gaving the game a different look. However, due to the match types and gameplay still feeling very similar to its predecessors and the glitches that plagued the game, SVR 2008 is often forgotten by players.

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5) SmackDown vs Raw

The first SVR was good for its time (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

The first SVR was very well received by players and critics alike because of its idea to evolve the wrestling game genre. The main theme of this new game revolved around the brand split where wrestlers from SmackDown would go against the wrestlers from Raw. SVR featured the same gameplay from the SmackDown series but made things a bit slower to add more realism.

We saw an upgrade in graphics, which made the character models and lighting better, however, it took the PlayStation 2 a long time to load all these assets. The game also introduced voice acting for characters in the season mode but the audio quality wasn't the best. Even though the roster and match types were plenty, sadly the commentary lines weren't enough as they felt repetitive after a while.

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4) Smack Down vs Raw 2010

SVR 2010 features a new camera angle (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

SVR 2010 became a completely new game as it was almost unrecognizable compared to its predecessors. This new SVR had a lot of new features like a story designer mode that allowed you to create your own stories to play, enhanced graphics that made the character models look realistic, and improvements to the gameplay system that allowed for a smooth experience.

These changes made the game one of the best wrestling games out there however, a few things held it back from reaching the number one spot. The AI in the game was inconsistent at times which made opponents feel unrealistic and the repetitive commentary ruined the gameplay experience. However, it improved the Road to Wrestlemania mode by having more realistic voice acting and cut scenes.

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3) SmackDown vs Raw 2006

SVR 2006 introduced the GM mode (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

SVR 2006 evolved the gameplay over the first game in the series and made it even more realistic with slower grapple animations and weapon physics. This time around, the game improved on the voice acting in the season mode and added the beloved GM mode. This mode allowed you to act as a general manager and manage your roster and budget to book shows.

This was seen as a very big addition to the franchise but this took away from the diversity of season mode as players found the storyline to be repetitive, unlike previous games where it branched into new scenarios. SVR 2006 also featured very few female wrestlers, which limited the women's matches we could do at the time. However, the gameplay was as fun as it always was.

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2) SmackDown vs Raw 2007

SVR 2007 was enhanced the create a wrestler mode (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

SVR 2007 introduced a new control scheme to the mix which involved using the analog stick to move around instead of the regular D-pad buttons players had been using for years. While this change was welcome and carried forward in future games, it also required the players to get used to the newly introduced system, which wasn't easy for hardcore fans of the series.

Here we also saw improvements in graphics, championship designs, and even the GM mode which returned with more polish than ever. However, exhausting load times ruined the game's pacing as they would interrupt your run in the season mode. Talking about the season mode, it featured one of the best storylines in the series that showed you slowly becoming a champion.

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1) SmackDown vs Raw 2011

SVR 2011 was the final game in the franchise (Image via THQ, WrestlinGifs/YouTube)

SmackDown vs Raw 2011 was the final game in the franchise and pulled off all the stops to impress the playerbase. The game featured the best version of Road to Wrestlemania where you could play as John Cena, Christian, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, or vs Undertaker, a storyline where you play a character of your choice to defeat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

Other than that, there were new additions like creating a top rope finisher, more scenes for the create a story mode, better character models, and the best weapon physics in the series. You also got a jam-packed roster with plenty of legends that you could unlock through Road to Wrestlemania whom you could later use to play in exhibition mode or the universe mode.