NBA 2K25 Review

The NBA may be in its off-season right now, but fans around the world have NBA 2K25 to rely on for their basketball fix. The game continues to build on its legacy as the premier basketball simulation game, making improvements, albeit incremental, year after year and boasting best-in-class gameplay that puts other titles to shame.

While its foundation is rock-solid, there’s only so much to improve every year, and with NBA 2K25, the pressure is mounting as players clamor for a worthwhile installment and not just a roster refresh that costs the full price of admission.

This year, the game brings several promising enhancements and new features, so let’s see how it stacks up!

Career Downfall

Anybody who knows me will always say that I’m a MyCareer type of guy, as I enjoy the cheesy stories and the guided way of progression over more free-for-all modes. In NBA 2K25 though, I feel like it’s been giving me fewer reasons to play the mode, mostly due to a lackluster story that sours the experience.

Despite the detailed character customization, which is something that the series has been doing a good job at maintaining, grinding returns as a more noticeable mechanic here, arguably more so than before. Previous installments required grinding too, but it was fun because of a catchy story and interesting characters. However, that all seemed to go out of the window, making grinding your low-rating player to a hall of famer an actual chore unless you’re willing to shell out some cash.

This is quite disappointing, and it feels like NBA 2K25 has focused on the wrong things, like adding a kart racing activity and other distractions to keep me from playing. While I appreciate the variety of activities, it just feels like this mode is now a shadow of its former self, pushing players to earn and spend VC in an endless and tiring loop that’s more glaring now compared to past installments. I would gladly trade away this kart racing activity for another shot at NBA 2K20’s story, or at least something close to that level of production.

Leave it to the Pro’s

NBA 2K25 has a couple of banner improvements that aim to improve gameplay – ProPlay and Signature Shot.

ProPlay translates real-life NBA footage into the game, improving authenticity and overall realism. Thousands of dribbling, shot, and off-the-ball animations have been added, and the results are pretty impressive. Actions look and feel more fluid, and there’s a certain weight and heft to movements depending on the player you are controlling. Playing is believing, of course, but it does feel noticeable if you pay attention.

Signature Shot is a personal favorite, and it basically gives your favorite players like Steph Curry, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and more their, aptly named, signature shots that are very reminiscent of what they would do in a real basketball game. See that move where Lebron takes it between the legs and then steps back for a three? Or that lovely and silky smooth Durant jumper off the dribble? Seeing these in action is fantastic, and the action required to do them isn’t too hard at all!

There’s even a new way to shoot the ball called “Rhythm Shooting,” which requires the players to hold the right stick down and then guide it back up to match the speed of the jump shot. It’s quite the departure from what we’ve been accustomed to, but it feels natural and something that gets easier to do after a few games.

These features aren’t what I would call game changers, nor do they do something revolutionary, but they do improve the overall experience of NBA 2K25, and the game is definitely better for it. They affect the foundations of the game, strengthening it further, and I do hope they continue to improve on it in future installments!

The overall presentation is also stellar in NBA 2K25 as it was before. Character models look lifelike, and the audio of the game is top-notch, but at a certain point, these updates are quite incremental and there’s only so much graphical improvement that the game can do every year before diminishing returns kick in. A quick glance putting 2K24 and 2K25 side by side and you probably won’t be able to tell the difference.

W’s in the Chat

Other modes like MyTeam and MyNBA are back as well in NBA 2K25. If you like your card collecting, then you’ll surely get your fix here in MyTeam, but like MyCareer, you’ll slowly be pushed to spend some cash on VC. While it’s hard to argue about being pay to win when there are ways to grind it out, but at the rate of earning VC, it feels like a huge mountain to climb.

MyNBA has added the Steph Era to NBA 2K25, and it’s quite an entertaining era, to say the least. Fresh from memory, this era relives the dominance of the Warriors as they simply manhandled every team out there. I’ve been slowly slipping from MyCareer into MyNBA, and it’s proven to be more entertaining than expected.

NBA 2K25 includes the Magic vs. Bird Era, Jordan Era, Kobe Era, LeBron Era, and the new Steph Era, which puts a spotlight on the 2016-2017 season that includes the infamous roster of Steph, Klay, Draymond, and KD. You’ll take control of this season and either run with it or try to take it down, which is definitely a challenge. However, the era has some glaring roster omissions. For some reason, players like Serge Ibaka, Blake Griffin, and more are not available. You’d think that the Warriors would have a complete roster in the Curry era, but Iggy isn’t even there.

Once an afterthought, the WNBA mode has slowly been gaining traction, and in NBA 2K25, it hits a breaking point as players like Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Caitlin Clark have reinvigorated the league with their charisma and game sense. That’s directly reflected in the game, and while it took some time to get here, it’s the best the WNBA has ever been with the likes of A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart. Whether you’re a fan of the mode or not, it’s certainly very viable because of the injection of talent that makes playing it more fun.

Verdict: Wait for it…

NBA 2K25 is still the premiere basketball game, which is an undeniable fact. With best-in-class gameplay and stellar visuals rooted in extremely strong foundations, basketball fans and aspiring rookies need not look elsewhere for their hoop fix.

Sadly, the game’s reliance on VC is more noticeable this time around, and with MyCareer still a middling mode, players are offered a package that’s less enticing than before, despite fantastic additions like ProPlay and Signature Shots.

That’s not to say that NBA 2K25 is bad; it is far from that, but it is getting harder year after year to justify the cost of entry without anything revolutionary or game-changing to turn the tide. Gameplay is tight and the action is still intense, but there’s always the option of a roster update.

*NBA 2K25 was reviewed on a PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.