NBA 2K25 has revealed its gameplay enhancements

Much like every other year, the team behind the NBA 2K series are kicking off the lead up to this years entry, with a number of blogs, that dive into various aspects of the game. The first blog is live and is all about the new gameplay experience for those on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 or PC.

If you only have a few moments, check out the video to get the run down of the news direct from Mike Wang, the gameplay director for the NBA 2K series.

One of the major updates to NBA 2K25 is that of the ProPLAY system, which was introduced back in NBA 2K24. This time around the team have plussed it up, meaning it has more animations, a refined dribbling engine and gameplay updates no matter which side of the court you are on.

The new animations are not small in number, there are over 1,500 new dribbling animations, another 1,100 shot animations and over 1,300 off the ball animations. In fact the total count of new animations in the system is over 9,000, so it is a big update.

NBA 2K25 introduces a revolutionary dribble engine, completely reimagined from the ground up. Marking the most significant overhaul of the gameplay engine in years, the team behind NBA 2K25 invites players to experience this transformation firsthand. Historically, the series relied on a combination of manually programmed animations derived from motion-capture technology to simulate dribbling.

The introduction of ProPLAY technology in NBA 2K25 changes the game. This advanced dribble engine synthesizes dynamic motion from actual NBA play footage, offering an unprecedented level of authenticity. This innovation transcends traditional animations, creating seamless, holistic movement that mirrors the real-life actions of NBA players. The result is a more responsive and realistic gameplay experience, with tighter stops, more explosive starts, and a court presence that feels smoother and more natural than ever.

In NBA 2K25, a new feature called Shot Timing Profiles has been introduced, this lets players tailor the risk-reward aspect of your shot timing. It is a direct contribution to the game, inspired by player feedback based on the system from NBA 2K24.

Opting for "Low Risk-Reward" will yield more lenient shot timing that prioritizes ratings, openness, and intelligent shot selection over precise button or stick release. Even if your timing is off, your shot may still succeed, though the green make window will be reduced, making it harder to achieve consistently perfect releases.

On the other hand, "High Risk-Reward" provides a more demanding shot timing that results in green-or-miss scenarios. If you excel at timing your shots, selecting this option will grant you significant rewards.

The full blog can be found here and it is worth taking a look at, they dive into a lot more detail to the updates around offense and defense and you have to remember that these are only updates to the ‘next’ gen version of the game. There is still a city to be revealed and plenty more updates.

In fact you can see the roadmap below for when these updates are going to arrive. Basically, there will be news each week between now and release, sometimes twice a week. So if you are ready to play ball, you will have a lot to look forward too.