TopSpin 2K25

TopSpin 2K25 is a solid return to the court for the veteran franchise. It's a bit lacking in content, from the limited roster to the repetitive modes, but the excellent gameplay mechanics offer a lot of hope for the future.

Regardless of the drawbacks, fans should welcome Top Spin back into their lives thanks to the largely enjoyable 2K25. With some visual and audio enhancement, and maybe a slightly more accessible learning curve, this series could find a new generation of fans. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another 13 years to do it.

I’m so glad that Top Spin has made a return after such a long hiatus, but I wish it had come back in a more polished and rounded-out form. The game feels rushed to market and comes up short of its full $70 price tag (up to $120 for the Grand Slam edition that includes the Centre Court passes and some other cosmetics). It’s saved by its excellent on-court gameplay that stands among the peak sim tennis games and the amount of fun you can have playing local multiplayer with friends. If you’re a huge tennis fan, you’re going to have a blast smacking backhand winners and lobbing shots over charging players’ heads. A solid foundation has been laid here for a future release that expands the mode selections and puts some more meat on the bone. As it stands, all but the most hardcore should probably wait for a sale.

TopSpin 2K25’s chunky career mode may occasionally be marred by periods of grind amidst its Grand Slams, its licensed player roster is a little slight compared to its impressive stable of stadiums, and its implementation of virtual currency attributes bafflingly unrealistic values to goods and services as though they were appraised by a kindergartner with no understanding of money. In spite of these drawbacks, though, TopSpin 2K25 is an absolute blast on court, and one that I’m struggling to put down. Claiming this is the best tennis simulation since Top Spin 4 may be a bit of a backhanded compliment since there haven't exactly been any other genuine serve-and-volley contenders released in recent years, but there’s little doubt that despite its rough edges this is still the most enjoyable way to get a realistic rally going in your own home without building an actual court in your backyard.

Despite its fun gameplay, which is very reminiscent of the fourth game in the series, Top Spin 2K25 has evolved little in terms of movement mechanics and the physics of the tennis players' strokes in almost 15 years. To make matters worse, the poor visuals, especially in the textures of the characters, really detract from the experience, as the game often looks like it was made for the end of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation. Top Spin 2K25 even hits some commendable winners, but the large number of unforced errors prevents it from dreaming of a Grand Slam title in sports simulators.

TopSpin is challenging in many intentional and unintentional ways – the control system is tough to master but there is a great sense of reward to even getting the ball to land where you want it. The online requirements, and some of the more befuddling systems make it much harder to get to the core of the experience.

TopSpin 2K25 is a striking return of a decades-old series. The tennis action is exciting and balanced, but all the peripheral issues ruin a significant part of the gaming experience.