WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 for PlayStation 2 is a 2005 professional-wrestling game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ. It follows the first WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw and brings WWE's Raw and SmackDown! brands, contemporary arenas, championships, and a large lineup of Superstars into a PS2 wrestling package. Released in North America in November 2005, it also appeared in other regions under the same annualized title, while the Japanese release was titled Exciting Pro Wrestling 7: SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006.

At its center, the game is about working a wrestling match from the opening bell to a pinfall, submission, count-out, or another stipulated finish. Players select a WWE Superstar or a created wrestler, then use strikes, grapples, running attacks, reversals, Irish whips, taunts, and signature offense to wear down an opponent. A momentum display tracks the flow of the contest, while an optional stamina system asks players to consider how much energy is spent on sustained attacks and elaborate moves. Wrestlers also have distinct styles and move sets, giving power, technical, high-flying, brawling, submission, and other approaches a more individual feel.

Exhibition offers a broad set of ways to stage WWE bouts. Standard singles and tag matches sit alongside multi-person contests, Royal Rumbles, specialty rules, steel-cage matches, backstage fights, and title defenses. Two notable additions are the Buried Alive match and the Fulfill Your Fantasy match. The PS2 game also expands the cage format by allowing escape through its door. Its presentation uses WWE television-show venues and pay-per-view arenas drawn from the 2004-05 period, with WrestleMania IX included as a classic unlockable setting, helping players recreate the promotion's changing calendar or set up their own cards.

Season mode builds a longer single-player path around the Raw and SmackDown! brands. Choosing an eligible Superstar or created character leads through scripted rivalries, match assignments, championship pursuits, and cinematic scenes across the game's two in-game years. The mode's locker-room hub can be customized with items bought using SmackDown! Dollars, which are also used for selected unlockables and creation-related content. That progression gives individual matches a place within an ongoing WWE-style career rather than treating every bout as a separate exhibition.

General Manager mode makes its series debut on PS2 and shifts the focus from competing in the ring to running one of WWE's brands. The player drafts a roster for Raw or SmackDown!, assigns championships, books weekly cards and promotional slots, manages talent concerns, and competes with the opposing brand for audience interest over a season. Matches can still be played directly or simulated, so the mode connects booking decisions with in-ring action. Success through the WrestleMania period can earn the General Manager of the Year award and additional unlockable material.

Creation tools remain an important part of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 on PlayStation 2. Players can make Superstars, adjust move sets, organize stables, design championships including tag-team belts, and use Create-An-Entrance to combine music, lighting, camera choices, and pyrotechnics. The game also supports local multiplayer for up to six players and online matches through PlayStation 2 network hardware. It was the final installment in this branch of the SmackDown! series to remain PlayStation-exclusive before WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 expanded the franchise to new hardware.