NBA 2K25

NBA 2K25 shows just how deeply Visual Concepts cares about its IP and Basketball in general. Two years since the introduction of the ProPlay animation engine, NBA 2K series has now reached an unprecedented level of realism, offering insane details from the heart of the Basketball court as if you were right there.

After having explored the court and complained about VCs, we realize that NBA 2K25 remains the undisputed master of sports simulation.

Visual Concepts was able to make NBA 2K25 a player-friendly game for newcomers to the series by adding HoloHelp, that explains how to play each game mode. The WNBA has been reloaded, with more features than ever. ProPLAY improves the overall quality of the game and My NBA Eras is one of the most amazing modes in NBA 2K25, and many players will enjoy.

NBA 2K25’s array of entertaining modes and stunningly true-to-life visuals make shooting hoops feel better than ever.

While the on-court gameplay improvements from last year are incremental and subtle, NBA 2K25 is still the high-water mark for sports games. A more newcomer-friendly MyCAREER, and the addition of worthwhile game modes to MyTEAM make this one of the best entries in the series, even despite it constantly trying to reach deeper into your pocket.

All things considered, NBA 2K25 continues to improve what was already a top-notch sports simulation last year, mitigating the issues raised by the community and continuing to beef up an already substantial package. The structural innovations in both the offensive and defensive phases have fully convinced us and the new Era dedicated to Steph Curry and KD's Warriors has genuinely excited us. There are still some problems related to microtransactions (admittedly less pressing than last year) and to the Career mode dedicated to women's basketball, significantly less nourished than the men's one, but overall we are talking about a success almost across the board. 2K and Visual Concepts' basketball is in dazzling shape.

While we felt a real leap forward between the 2022 and 2023 installments, the progression is much less dazzling this season with NBA 2K25. Only the most regular players of the license will be able to see certain new animations and the fine new features of a gameplay that is not revolutionary. The fact remains that the title is largely at the level of its generation, and is finally progressing on its usually shaky matchmaking with a few parades (the online Proving Ground mode). For those discovering the game, NBA 2K25 is a real gold mine, with single-player content further expanded with the Curry era for the My NBA mode and other immersive additions. The shadow on the board remains the micro-transaction system (VC) in individual marking of the wallet, essential to progress properly.

NBA 2K25 shows that Visual Concepts has not stagnated in its comfort zone and the goal remains to grow, test new technologies and offer the greatest amount of content in a sports game. In terms of gameplay, new systems and experience customization, this year's installment is on another level and can easily look over its shoulder at other IPs. NBA 2K25 still offers a lot for the traditional gamer and the enthusiast. Now that the generation gap has become larger, we can say that NBA 2K25 is, truly, the first game of this Next-Gen that we have owed so much and that is enough to get lost in the court no matter what is happening around.

NBA 2K25 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, maintaining its stunning presentation, refined gameplay, and fun game modes. Notable improvements have been made to connectivity for Latin American players, especially in The City – the game’s standout mode. Now, with the new server for our region, we can finally enjoy it to the fullest.

NBA 2K25 has improved greatly on the court thanks to Pro Play and the new dribbling mechanics, with some nice tweaks to various modes.

NBA 2K25 radically improves gameplay and presents the most authentic NBA experience to date. It builds on systems introduced in last year’s version to give a more complete package for players to enjoy.

NBA2K25 is in a class of its own in terms of sports simulation, presentation and immersion. No other game makes you truly feel you’re a superstar like this series. Great game modes, solid gameplay improvements and breath-taking visuals and animations help seal this version as a vast improvement over last year’s game. Whilst the awful microtransactions continue to infect this beloved franchise like a disease, and goofy voice acting can affect the immersion, there is still more than enough to recommend this to both veterans and newcomers to the franchise.

Micro-transactions aside, NBA 2K25 is one of the best sports games to date. With its variety of game modes and stunning realism, it offers more than its predecessors. This game is a true delight for basketball fans, and if you're willing to overlook a couple of flaws, you're almost guaranteed to get hooked.

Every year, the NBA 2K saga is a great priestess of sports games simulations. It is difficult to imagine that the outcome will change this year, when the basic recipe remains the same. What was less predictable is that NBA 2K25 sows some seeds of improvement rather well come, notably in the accessibility of the game and its universe, in the approach to certain modes and especially, in the overall gameplay. NBA 2K25 is fun to play, more affordable than its predecessor, as long as you take the time to learn and set your gaming experience, and it gives players a little more freedom in how they live their Career or GM role. But we expect better for the women’s circuit, better in the pay-to-win balance. A margin of improvement to be sought next year, who knows?

NBA 2K25 is a big improvement on last year’s game. While the same VC woes remain, I’m convinced it’ll be remembered fondly in the annals of the franchise, thanks to its mode variety, flexible shooting options, and a big improvement to player animations.

NBA 2K25 is a solid entry for the series. It is a small move forward with a great feel on the court. Shot making felt reliable to me with only a couple of head-scratching defensive plays letting the experience slide. It is a refinement of what's came before it with MyNBAEras offering a wealth of teams throughout time to play with. It's not quite historically accurate but I enjoy seeing those teams battle it out in anger. MyPlayer feels streamlined with only a brief venture into high school with the main focus being on the big league. It's a very accomplished simulation with great polish.

NBA 2K25 is definitely a step up from its predecessor, with richer, more natural animations and an impressive amount of content that feels nearly endless.

NBA 2K25 is an immensely fun simulator inside the court with a huge amount of modes to keep players engaged. Unfortunately, its microtransactions still are a major negative point in a package that, despite not revolutionizing the game, continues to deliver everything a basketball fan needs.

Most importantly, NBA 2K25 is a lot of fun and a great basketball experience to play with friends and experience the current and past NBA.

If it works, don't change it. However, given the price, fans have the right to expect bigger changes. NBA 2K25 brings refined gameplay, improved MyNBA and MyGM modes, and minor updates in The City mode. The quality has improved compared to last year, and it remains a top-tier basketball simulation.

Pay-to-win issues notwithstanding, Visual Concepts' NBA 2K25 is the premier basketball title, packed with enjoyable content and notable improvements.

As an entire basketball package, there is no denying that NBA 2K25 is something to be savored by fans of the sport. With its great selection of game modes and the various improvements made in all areas, this makes it more of an obvious choice compared to last year's offering, and when Visual Concepts and 2K Games finally cut the cord with the previous generation, there will surely be even more amazing things to look forward to for a championship-caliber franchise.

Expectations for annual releases are often low, so NBA 2K25 is a pleasant surprise in that regard. The game feels like a notable improvement on NBA 2K24. It’s hard to say players absolutely have to buy it if they already have last year’s game, but players who buy the NBA 2K games annually regardless will be pleased with this year’s offering.

NBA 2K25 improves over last year game with new gameplay additions, that have real impact on the court, and a good amount of content in modes, which is only marred by the same old mistakes in terms of micropayments and presentation.

Looks like NBA 2K finally gets back on track: While problem like the microtransactions remain omnipresent, the overall gameplay was been refined. Once you got used to the changes, NBA 2K25 is a damn good basketball-simulation.

NBA 2K25 is once again one of the best sports videogame in the market, but also presents the most agressive business model in the genre. It delivers greatness on the court, but it fails in the front office.

NBA 2K25 offers a very complete experience that comes from presenting an overwhelming amount of content that is fused with truly advanced RPG elements for a basketball simulator. Essentially, it is a very good video game that is limited by a recurring problem: the weight of microtransactions.

An updated version of last year’s edition does not offer enough content to justify its full price. But as ever, if you want to play the newest edition, you have but one choice. Sure, it’s better, more realistic and updated with new events and data, but the fans of basketball deserve more than an annual recycle and sadly, this is just that and a bit more.

Some decent changes help elevate NBA 2K25 from last year's release, such as a more consolidated experience in The City as well as even more gameplay animations to enhance the gameplay experience. Learn 2K even helps you get back into the swing of things. However, menu input lag, incessant microtransactions, and clunky standard movement show how much room this franchise has to grow, even after all this time.

On a pure gameplay level, NBA 2K25 is "The" basketball simulation. Too bad about 2 K's "vampire" attitude that sucks money in online modes. Like it or not, you must make in-game purchases to compete; the gameplay and graphics innovations convinced us, somewhat less so those related to game modes: the Steph Era is cute, and The W has unexpressed potential. The rest has not changed much from last year.

NBA 2K25 still carries a lot of the standards for how sports games should reflect and celebrate their sport of choice. I just wish it didn't have this odd economic quandary hanging over it. If it were to somehow address that problem and leave it on the cutting room floor, we'd really be onto something.

NBA 2K25 remains a great game for basketball enthusiasts and makes strides compared to its predecessor, but it doesn’t hide the fact that it knows it can rest comfortably on its throne, especially since no one is even trying to challenge it.

From 2K Games, we have a little better basketball here than last time. It brings smoother and more realistic gameplay, but don't expect miracles.

By daring to downscale some of the fluff, NBA 2K25 brings its focus back to basketball in a positive way. Improvements to the series’ dribbling system and ProPLAY make this the best feeling hoops sim Visual Concepts has made, while the sheer density of different modes and features means you could play nothing else all year – and still never get bored. But the borderline insulting emphasis on microtransactions remain a thorn in this series’ side, and something you simply have to accept if you want to enjoy everything else on offer here.

Quotation forthcoming.

NBA 2K25 is both a great and a frustrating experience. Beneath the layers of VC and the slow grind is a very good basketball game. The presentation is top notch and MyGM is the best mode to play to get the full NBA experience. MyCareer can be fun and it is a shame it is so bogged down where players have to choose to grind very slowly to improve, or to spend quite a bit of additional money to improve their players.

NBA 2K25 from developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K has a lot of intriguing and fun modes it offers from MyCareer to MyTeam, and MyGM, if you love that sort of control. It seems to have a nice spread of goods that caters to almost every basketball interest out there. Sadly, its need to stay online for single-player experiences and its need for smoother less animation-locked gameplay mechanics hurts the experience considerably.

To put it plainly, NBA 2K25 isn’t quite on the level of the splashy return of Michael Jordan in 1995. Instead, it feels more like his late-career stint with the Washington Wizards; you know what you’re getting at this point, but it still has a few tricks up its sleeves that longtime fans like me can be pleasantly surprised by even as we gripe about long-term issues.

NBA 2K25 shines with its impressive performance, visuals, and gameplay but suffers from its annual release cycle, leaving little room for innovation. While updates like Pro Builds and Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting improve the experience, modes like MyGM and MyCareer fall short. The increasing reliance on microtransactions, particularly with VC, takes away from what could otherwise be an outstanding game.