Annual sports franchises are an interesting case in gaming, as they are just about the only game series besides Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed that you can count on to release year in and year out. This often leads to complaints that new entries are just new roster updates, which means the developers have to get creative with what new additions they make each year. After a bit of a backslide last year, Visual Concepts have managed to right the ship with NBA 2K25.
A Shot From Deep
The NBA 2K series has been the only name in the video game basketball scene for years now for better or worse, which means you can expect much of the same year to year. Two of the areas you know you can always count on regardless from 2K and Visual Concepts are the visuals and gameplay, and NBA 2K25 delivers in both of those departments once again. The visual upgrades aren’t that substantial, but that is largely due to the fact that the foundation already found in the game is so impressive. Bringing star players like reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and more to life to where they look as real as ever is still amazing to see in the game.
This is complemented by 9,000 new ProPLAY animations based on real-world NBA footage to make each player perform just as they would in real life. One major way this has been utilized in this year’s game is by pairing it with a brand-new dribble engine. By using ProPLAY animations with this, player motion is more authentic than it has ever been. While there are some gameplay upgrades each year where you really can’t tell a difference, there was no question that this part of the gameplay was enhanced as a result. Besides the dribbling, it may be hard to always tell exactly how this new engine has changed the gameplay, but the seamless nature of the animations continues to enhance the overall experience, whether that is on the court or off the court. The presentation in NBA 2K25 is as solid as ever too, including the halftime broadcast crew from TNT. From the players to the arenas and overall presentation, everything in NBA 2K25 is on par with what you expect from this long-running series, though it is without managing to break any major new ground in that area.
One of the most controversial changes in recent years was the new shot meter that relied on near-perfect shots at times by landing in the green part of the shot meter. NBA 2K25 has not abandoned this approach entirely but instead has pivoted to giving players two choices to choose from that are based on low risk or high risk through Shot Timing Profiles. Shot Timing Profiles allow you to adjust just how risky you want to be based on the rewards. For instance, a low-risk option is more based on player stats, openness, and more, while the high-risk option is based more on timing your shot correctly with the newer meter. As someone who is very used to meters with other sports titles like MLB The Show and even more recently College Football 25, I actually do like the meter at times, though I can certainly understand why someone would want to have another option.
Another new gameplay feature that I greatly appreciated being added is the shot canceling feature. This allows you to cancel any advanced shot at any time, allowing you to make a last-minute decision to not take what may have turned into a bad shot option in the end. There are plenty of times where I have looked to take a jumper but the court opened up as soon as I started, opening up a much better option to drive the lane. Being able to make this split second decision is a great addition that really allows you to save some possessions that may have been dead in the water otherwise.
The other major offensive gameplay addition in NBA 2K25 is the introduction of Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting. This adds a further level of strategy into your shot taking, as you can now try to time the player’s jump shot animation by holding down initially and then pressing up at just the right time to match it. Players still can play shooting with the shot button and everything, but this is just another option that can be utilized to take your skills to the next level. Even though it took me awhile to get the hang of the Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting, it was well worth learning and paid great dividends after I had a grip on how to use it properly.
Offense may have gotten a bigger focus in NBA 2K25, but the defensive side of the ball also had some useful upgrades to the gameplay as well. The new defensive cutoff system allows you to lock down opponents much more dynamically by using the right analog stick. By using this stick on defense, you can manage to slide into lanes and cutoff the opponent from making their shots as planned. It may lead to some blocking fouls occasionally, but it also can play a big role in stopping a player who is running towards the basket and forcing them to take a worse shot or pass the ball instead.
NBA 2K25 includes the game modes that you come to expect with the series, including Play Now, MyCareer, MyTeam, MyNBA, and WNBA. As in most years, the focus is on the game’s single-player story mode known as MyCareer where you start by creating your MyPlayer, even going by the name MP. When first creating your MyPlayer, you can build them completely from scratch, base them on existing players directly, or use the new Pro-Tuned Builds. The developers came up with 74 different Pro-Tuned Builds to choose from that strive to offer players an array of different play styles.
The badge system is back once again in NBA 2K25 and is something your player strives to earn across the various game modes, but that is not all. NBA 2K25 introduces the new Takeover System, with 72 Takeovers and 14 Takeover Abilities to choose from in the game. As you play each individual game, there will be a five level Takeover meter at the top right of the screen to keep up with. The better you perform on the court, the higher your takeover meter will climb, unlocking temporary attribute bonuses for each subsequent level depending on which Takeover you have chosen. Performing poorly can cause your meter to dwindle, so you have to be very careful. By actually filling up all five levels of the meter, you will unlock your chosen Takeover Ability.
Takeover Abilities include options such as Blur, which allows you to drive by defenders much more easily on the way to the rim, See the Future, which lets you see where missed shots will land ahead of time, and Spoiler, which increases your efficiency at getting on-ball and pass steals. Between the 14 Takeover Abilities available, there are so many interesting options to choose from and use in the game. The only downside is that you have to level up a few times before you have full access to these, but you will unlock them pretty quickly.
There is not really anything game changing in this year’s MyCareer as you go into the City and start your career as MP. As per usual, you get to pick your team that you get drafted by and then play through your player’s career to try and become the greatest of all time. Not only are you trying to become the best by yourself, but a big focus in MyCareer this year is to build the next dynasty in the NBA. This corresponds with the return of the G.O.A.T. Rankings system, this time having a Dynasty part to see how your team lives up to the other nine greatest dynasties throughout NBA history. Another neat inclusion this year is a flashback story of MP prior to the NBA that you get to play through known as Heart of a Dynasty. I really enjoyed getting to play these as well as a way to separate from the monotony of the regular NBA season.
The NBA 2K series’ City was beginning to get a little unruly in size and scale for a few years there, with it seeming like it would take forever just to travel between quests and often finding yourself lost. Thankfully, NBA 2K25 features a more scaled-back City that is jampacked with plenty to do all without a few city blocks rather than a much larger version. I greatly appreciated this change, as the massive size for a few years was not only daunting, but really took away from the overall experience after a while. I do still wish the game had a much better method of quick selecting locations and such from the map regardless.
Reducing the scale of NBA 2K25’s City doesn’t mean it’s a major downgrade either, as there is still plenty to see and explore in this smaller area. There are more than 20 shops that you can visit and purchase cosmetics including clothing, vehicles to travel around the City in, and even accessories such as durags and glasses.
Also of note, while we reviewed the version on PlayStation 5, this year finally brings the next-gen version of the City to PC as well. This is obviously something that PC gamers have been asking for over the last many years, having felt left behind with the last-gen version still. After seeing how the City performed this year, I can say I’m glad that PC gamers are also getting to experience this finally.
As is always the largest complaint with the NBA 2K series are the microtransactions, and yes, they are present once again this year. Not only are they pretty necessary if you want to buy any of the good items in the City as mentioned above, and some are really pricy, you’re also going to need it if you want to level up your MyPlayer at all. You can still earn the games’ Virtual Currency, aka VC, by playing through the game and playing well. However, the amount of VC you earn for the time you spend is so minimal that it takes forever to earn what feels like still not very much VC. If it wasn’t for the free 100,000 VC in the Hall of Fame edition, my MyPlayer would have been even harder to use in these modes to start with. Even with it, I was only able to improve them to a 75 overall, so there’s still a lot of work to do.
Speaking of microtransactions, MyTeam is back again as the game’s variation of ultimate team that essentially ever sports game has now. This has long been a very popular mode in the game, as you get to put together your own roster of players by collecting cards, albeit at the mercy of card packs and microtransactions. This mode also has an additional in-game currency besides VC with MTP (MyTeam Points), which makes things get confusing at times. The equivalent of MyTeam is often pretty stagnant in a lot of franchises, but MyTeam this year actually got a lot of attention and love.
Compared to many of these similar modes in other games, MyTeam is very heavy on content for you to enjoy. This includes modes like Showdown, Breakout, Triple Threat Park, King of the Court, Salary Cap, and Domination, four of which are new in this game. Triple Threat Park is easily the most impressive of the bunch, where you can meet new friends to team-up with or paly against in the new Triple Threat Park, which is remake of NBA 2K16’s Rivet City Championship MyPark. With nine courts to play on, get ready to line up and ball out. There is also the passive Exhibitions mode that can get you prizes, but I never was too interested in that one. You can also play some of these against friends within MyTeam as well. On top of these game modes, you can take on the numerous challenges offered in the mode that can keep you pretty busy.
Just like in MyCareer, Seasons play a big part in MyTeam in NBA 2K25. The ongoing Season 1 features Jayson Tatum, with more coming in the future with different rewards for you to earn by completing the season pass. Unfortunately, this is where microtransactions come into play again where you have to buy the higher level passes to get the best rewards or purchase level skips. MyTeam also added a MyTeam REP ranking that you will keep throughout the entire year, but this will not reset every season unlike the passes.
One of the biggest complaints about MyTeam recently was the removal of the Auction House. Thankfully, the development team listened and the Auction House is back yet again in NBA 2K25. This allows you to auction off or purchase cards using MTP, with the Auction House itself being much more streamlined than ever before.
MyNBA serves as the game’s franchise mode yet again in NBA 2K25, with there being quite a few options including a fan favorite return of a game mode. The general MyNBA option let’s you take control of your favorite team in a season or multi-year franchise mode offline or online. Over the last few years, the series has integrated past eras into MyNBA and that has expanded again this year. Besides the Modern Era option, players previously had the option to select the Magic vs. Bird Era, the Jordan Era, the Kobe Era, and the LeBron Era, but NBA 2K25 introduces the all new Steph Era. As the most recent dominant dynasty in the NBA, this era was a no brainer to add in and can really give you a challenge here.
The previously mentioned fan favorite feature in MyNBA mode that has finally made its triumphant return for the first time on next-gen consoles is MyGM mode within MyNBA. While you are limited to the Modern Era, you can build up your team as the GM through RPG-infused gameplay that adds many more layers than you would find in MyNBA proper. Like in most sports games, the GM-style mode is not for everyone, but I had a lot of fun with it here after missing it for a number of years.
Last but certainly not least is the growingly popular WNBA mode. Thanks to rookie phenoms such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, as well as veteran stars like A’ja Wilson, the WNBA has the largest spotlight on it that it has ever had and that spotlight is likely to just keep growing. This is where The W mode comes into play, as you get to build a MyPlayer and play through their career, though not at the level of the regular MyCareer. You also have the option for a franchise mode that can be offline or online like in MyNBA, though it’s separated here in the WNBA part of the game. After experiencing the hype of the Women’s NCAA Basketball season that then led right into the Olympics and WNBA season, I had to at least try out the WNBA game modes and I really enjoyed my time with them. While it probably couldn’t support it’s own game quite yet, I could easily see the WNBA mode getting even more attention in future years, but we’ll have to wait and see about that.
Verdict
The NBA 2K series has been a bit of a roller coaster over the last few years, with last year’s entry being one of the lower points. Rather than continuing that downward trajectory, NBA 2K25 has course corrected and given us one of the better entries of this generation. There still may not be any drastic changes this years, but the new gameplay mechanics and upgrades to each game mode come together to create a very authentic and satisfying experience in NBA 2K25.
Score: 8.5/10
Pros:
- Visuals and gameplay are top notch as always
- New takeover system
- Scaling down of the City
- Return of MyGM mode and the Auction House
Cons:
- Nothing is overly groundbreaking
- Too microtransaction heavy
NBA 2K25 review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
