2K has just dropped the latest instalment in their highly held NBA 2K series, so lace up your digital Air Jordans and lets hit the digital court to see if NBA 2K25 is another slam dunk for 2K and stalwart developers Visual Concepts or if this year’s baller is heading for an early shower.

From the throw-in, it’s clear that NBA 2K25 knows why it’s the best basketball series in gaming. The drum tight core gameplay is still the star of the show, refined that little bit more and rolled into some novel and engaging game modes.

Career Goals

Career mode wastes no time throwing you right into the action. To start, you find yourself fighting along with your chosen team to take the NBA crown in the finals, but this quickly becomes a ‘what if’ dream of what you want to achieve.

Meaning when you come back around from the opening dream, you’re right bang at that bottom of the ladder and having to forge your career to get to those dizzy heights all over again.

Firstly, you will pick what position, team and style you want to play as and then its game time, as your journey to the top really beings.

Playing games and training on the court and then exploring the open world city, where you can buy kit, find new courts or just play street ball. And on the whole, it’s a fair step up on last year’s offering.

Although it’s still extremely heavy on the product placement at times as you do interviews with press, talk to the coach or just hit the gym to get that little bit better. It’s a beefy undertaking with lots of elements that go beyond just the court side action.

On the Other Side

Beyond the career side of things there is a wealth of other modes and options to get lost in. From grinding badges or doing a bit of history hopping and seeing the sports greats in action like Steph Curry and Michael Jordan.

This all may seem a bit overwhelming if you’re a newcomer and that is understandable to the point there is now a Learn2K mode.

And this does what it says on the tin and teaches you all the core elements of the game and fundamentals of the sport too. A very nice and welcome addition.

NBA 2K25 also includes MyCourt. This is a practice area where you can throw balls about till you’re a well drilled three-point scoring machine.

Built on Solid Foundations

The gameplay core around which all of NBA 2K25‘s mode are based, as we said at the beginning, is drum tight. It’s been tweaked, rebalanced, and some new animations and transitions add to the flow.

There is also a new rhythm shooting option, which will take time to understand. Timing can be unintuitive so practice is needed. You can tweak the shot timer but you’ll still have to learn how it works.

Defending is also challenging this time around. And sometimes, oddly enough, defending can feel very unrewarding. The animations are mostly nice as you shadow the player in possession’s movement. But, from time to time, you also get some bugged-out animation in defence

YourMoney

The MyTeam mode also returns. You can build a dream team from cards you get in packs earned, or bought with real money. It’s just like Ultimate Team in EA football games. However, if that’s not your thing, there’s enough here to keep you busy without even having to touch it.

You’ll have to grind it out to earn VC to improve your team, or worse, pay real money to speed up the process. The multiplayer side of NBA 2K25 is pay-to-win really, no matter how you cut it.

Selling the Game

NBA 2K25 is visually stunning. Every moment on the court is packed with pleasing detail. Stuff like sweat running down the players’ brows, or how the crowd reacts to the perfect three-pointer sell the illusion.

NBA 2K25 achieves an (almost) television broadcast standard throughout core play. However, off court, things can be hit or miss.

Commentors are top tier. And, along with the sounds of a packed arena, create a soundscape that truly frames the action. Additionally, voice acting away from the court is solid all around, and helps to sell the journey to the top.

NBA 2K25 is packed with modes and options that fans will love. The core game has been tweaked just enough while presenting new and meaningful additions for newcomers. Is there enough here for the die hard to part with their cash? I don’t really know, but for everyone else 2K have shown again with its NBA series. And show why they are truly the G.O.A.T.