The NBA 2K franchise is what you would call a juggernaut when it comes to sports video gaming. Regardless of the way you feel about Visual Concepts use of unscrupulous gameplay mechanics that practically force people into buying virtual currency in order to get the best out of a game that they have already shelled out a large sum of money for, you would have to admit that NBA 2K is one of the better sports game franchises that have existed over the past couple of decades. Visual Concepts and 2K constantly push innovations into their basketball product year after year, even if you would be right in saying that not all the innovations prove to be popular. This year as per every previous year 2K are hyping up their product claiming its bigger and better than ever and having watched all of the Courtside Report videos on NBA 2K25 it’s hard not to get hyped by all of the new features added to the game, sometimes hype raises expectations only to make your disappointment feel just that much worse when it sinks in that you have been bamboozled by buzzwords and marketing jargon after you have parted with your hard earned money to purchase the game.

In my previous reviews of the NBA 2K franchise I have written several mini rants that span the course of many paragraphs about relating to my feelings on the increased micro transactions and pay to progress/win mechanics that have started to be baked into the game over the last few years, I am not going to go over that ground again this year as it gets tedious repeating the same things over and over again. This doesn’t mean my position on the issue has changed it just means that I am getting bored of writing about it every year, go check out my past reviews of the game if you are really that interested in my opinion, it’s not that riveting or original it’s basically old man yells at cloud type stuff. Now that we have got that out of the way I am actually happy to say that NBA 2K25 is one of the best entries in the series in the past 5 years, PC players can also rejoice as this is the first year they get access to the new and improved current gen console version of NBA 2K, which quite frankly shits all over the last gen version.

Gameplay Powered By ProPLAY, All-New Dribble Engine, Offensive Innovations, these are some of the new buzzwords Visual Concepts have used to describe what has been added to the game this year, more on these later, but one of the most important of these especially because of its importance to new players is ‘Learn 2K.’ Basketball may not seem like a complicated game, run down the court, pass the ball around a bit and shoot or dunk the ball through the hoop, do this more times than your opponent and you win the game, if you have never played basketball at a high level and only watched the game on TV then it would be fair to say that this is how most people see the game. In reality basketball is a lot more complicated than this, it is a game of set plays, offensive and defensive rotations and matching up the correct players on each other to ensure that both your offense and defence is as effective as possible, it is a game where you as a player need to know how and when to get open to take shots and when passing off the ball to an open team mate is the higher percentage option.

All these things can be very overwhelming to players jumping into NBA2K for the first time, especially when it comes to the online modes of the game. Learn 2K is a fantastic addition to the series and is my recommended starting point for both new players to the game and seasoned vets, the tutorials provided here cover dribbling, shooting, dunking and post play amongst many others, there is a lot to learn here regardless of your knowledge of the game of basketball or even NBA 2K itself. You can play mini games, run through practice scenarios and drills all of which help to make you a better player, I found Learn 2K to be an invaluable place to try out all of the new in game mechanics, especially the new rhythm shooting option which takes a lot of time to master but once you do you will never go back to button shooting.

9,000 is a big number but it’s the number of new animations that have been added to NBA 2K25, thanks to ProPLAY which uses real life NBA footage to seamlessly translate actual NBA moments into authentic gameplay. Featuring 1,500 dribbling animations, 1,100 signature shot animations from most rostered players from the 2023-24 NBA season, and more than 1,300 new off-the-ball animations, including 150 new signature motion styles. ProPLAY not only adds to the animations of the game it also features in the all-new dribble engine which generates dynamic motion from real-world NBA footage to create a new and more authentic feel to the game. One of the biggest new features in my opinion is the new pro stick rhythm shooting system, shooting the ball using this new method involves pulling back on the right stick to start your shot and then pushing forward on it when your player reaches their release point, the success of your shot revolves around not only releasing the ball at the right point but also the timing and smoothness of moving the stick back and forward, it is incredibly frustrating at first but the more you practice with it the more intuitive and natural it feels, give it a go, you may end up never going back to button shooting like myself. The game feels fantastic this year from shooting and dribbling all the way through to playing defence, the amount of customisation and options you can choose from when designing your players jump shot is staggering and allows new players to step into the game using a low risk low reward style of gameplay and then ramp up the difficulty as they progress and get better at the game.

MyPlayer is the career mode of the NBA 2K series and I would hazard a guess that this is the most popular mode of the series. For those who are new to NBA 2K the mod basically involves creating a player and exploring The City to see where your basketball journey takes you, you can strictly play NBA games for the team you have been drafted by or choose to also take part in street ball games in some of the many outside courts scattered throughout The City, there are also a bunch of indoor courts like The Rec or The Theatre to try your luck in, as well as the many RPG like quests you can embark on. Doing all of these activities will net you Virtual Currency that you can use to update your players stats or buy clothes and shoes from the many in game shops featuring real life brands such as Jordan, Nike, Puma and many others. A lot of work has been put into the player builder this year which will ensure a larger amount of build diversity in NBA 2K25 than in previous editions and the builder is broken up into 3 sections to make it even easier for newcomers to the series to build the type of player they want. Pro Tuned builds give 74 well balanced developer curated builds based on position and best skill and ensure players have a simplified and accessible avenue to play the game the way they want without creating a build from scratch, of course you can also do just that if you want or you can choose a current NBA player as a template and build your player around that, there will even be downloadable community created builds available starting shortly after launch in season 2.

The badge system has also been majorly improved ensuring they are more impactful and all-encompassing than ever before. With the list refined to 40 Badges, each one now feels equally valuable and desirable. Badge progression is designed to match a player’s on-court actions - the more a player uses a Badge the faster it will progress and NBA 2K25 introduces a new level of Badge higher than Hall of Fame called Legend. Also new this year are Badge Elevators that can boost individual badges to higher levels and Cap Breakers to increase attribute ratings above max potential “caps” set at build creation. Badge Perks and Performance Multipliers will also receive updated perks. There is also a newly redesigned takeover system in 2K25 which allows you to choose from 72 takeovers and 14 takeover abilities to target different attributes and improve your player on the fly during gameplay. Takeovers now have five levels which you can gradually boost with outstanding performances on the court.  Thankfully the badge regression system implemented last year has been fully taken out of the game in NBA 2K25, this was one of the community’s biggest gripes with the game last year so it’s good to see 2K and Visual Concepts are actively listening to the community and making changes. Another good change is that the cut scenes and story have been kept to a minimum this year, the story elements are usually an absolute cringe fest that add no value to the game, I did have one weird moment though where I was called into the manager’s office because one of the players on my team was unhappy that they were not getting to see the ball much and that I needed to get them the ball more, which seemed fair enough until the coach mentioned that getting the player involved in the game will stop our losing streak, I was 7-0 on the season so this made absolutely no sense.

The City this year is a lot smaller than in previous years which is great and proves yet again that community feedback is being listened to, there are also a lot less ridiculous quests relating to fashion shows and becoming a rapper and most of the quests are now strictly related to basketball which is another change in the right direction. The City and courts throughout are really well designed especially the ones relating to the games two factions Rise and Elite with one court area being a pirate ship and the other a giant mech factory. There is also a go kart course to drive around on if you get the itch to play Mario Kart while also playing a basketball game. There are a new series of courts called ‘The Proving Grounds’ where the sweatiest players can go up against each other in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 5v5 games that take place inside a massive Colosseum inspired arena to prove who really is the king of basketball. MyCourt is also back and gives you your own court to customise and invite your friends over to play on and there also several HoloHelp kiosks scattered throughout The City to help new players navigate through the many different activities they can partake in. The City feels so much more alive now that it is smaller and it feels like there is a lot more variation in activities to undertake.

The W (WNBA) is back this year, and it is honestly one of my favourite modes in the game when it comes to just kicking back and playing some fun and stress-free ball. This year sees an array of new features and improvements where you can create player and try to become the GOAT by playing against WNBA great from the past and present, including the 2024 rookie class. Press conferences have also been integrated into The W for the first time which will allows you to shape the narrative of your career and the league itself. The W Online also has a neat new mentorship feature where you can take another player under your wing and challenge them to complete community goals, the new online court is set in a forest grove amidst a gorgeous backdrop of redwood trees, it is an absolutely stunning place to play basketball.

MyTeam also returns for those people into card collecting and pitting your squad against other players online, without a doubt NBA 2K25 is leagues ahead where this type of game mode is concerned and leaves MLB The Show and Madden in the dust. There are so many ways to earn free cards and put together a good squad that you really don’t have to spend money in this mode if you are prepared to put in the grind to earn rewards. In one of the biggest upgrades in MyTeam history four new modes have been added to the game Triple Threat Park, Breakout, Showdown and King Of The Court, of these new modes I found Breakout to be the most interesting it involves you starting at the center of a game board and playing through varying game modes to reach the edge and break out and win a prize, it’s a great way to get new players acquainted with all the various types of games in MyTeam mode, there is also a tutorial that is part of the new Learn2K mode that helps new players become further acquainted with the mode. The auction house is also back which is sure to please those players who love playing the market and wheeling and dealing and trading cards. 

Offline players haven’t been forgotten as both MyNBA and MyGM modes are back in full effect, both of these modes serve as the games franchise or dynasty modes and are absolutely leagues ahead of the competition in regards to how in depth they get, the great thing is you can make these modes as easy or as complicated as you like, don’t want to handle budgets or scout or draft new players? Then you can assign those tasks to the AI, it really is staggering the number of options you can customise to shape the league the way you want. MyGM this year allows you to become the general manager of a team of your choosing and features a full-fledged role-playing experience complete with dynamic conversations. MyNBA sees the introduction of the ‘Steph Era’ where fans can relive or rewrite the championship-studded legacy of Stephen Curry and the 2017 Golden State Warriors. Other additions include the Emirates NBA Cup and adjustments to league expansions and contracts, giving players full control on how to shape their team and the league over time. Both of these modes are so deep you could drown in them and I am sure a lot of NBA fans are looking forward to taking a dive in.

NBA 2K25 is a massive improvement over its predecessor from the way the action on the court feels through to the vast array of new additions across the games many modes. If you are a fan of basketball I can guarantee that there will be several game modes here that will become heavily engrossed in throughout the season. The only thing that constantly holds the game back from being one of the greatest franchises of all time is its predatory micro-transactions in the MyPlayer mode, while you can grind to upgrade your player and become competitive it is a really tedious process to do so and people that have been playing this game mode for years have become accustomed to having to shell out some extra money to buy VC to improve their player on top of the purchase price, this is something to bear in mind if you are thinking of playing this mode.