NBA 2K25 Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, & PC)

Since NBA 2K21 transitioned to current-gen consoles, the NBA 2K franchise has looked stunning, with realistic animations and fluid gameplay. Indeed, the franchise stands tall among all other annual releases, with its slick visuals and drop-dead gorgeous graphics. Characters have looked closer and closer to their real-life counterparts. With the recently launched ProPLAY technology, you can feel as close to steamrolling in Michael Jordan’s shoes as possible. 

However, gorgeous visuals alone cannot save the franchise from redundancy. At the end of the day, gamers still value the on-court action above all else. And so, with the newest addition to the franchise, NBA 2K25, gamers are looking at how big of a difference the gameplay has evolved. Are we still dealing with the same old issues from the past, or is the franchise shaping up to deliver the best on-court action yet? Cue the NBA 2K25 review.

MyNBA

MyNBA remains the top-notch game mode you can play among all annual franchises. It simply offers the best on-court action you can expect from the series. Yes, NBA 2K25 indeed delivers on its promise, which we remain thankful for, as all the marketing about improved gameplay has indeed been brought to life. You’ll notice how fluid the superstars are driving to the basket. The animations are as realistic as ever before, with each superstar behaving and performing exactly like you would expect them to. 

Each superstar has a unique way of shooting hoops. Some take shots with a snap of the finger, while others are more deliberate. As a result, you really take into consideration each player’s strengths, weaknesses, and nuances. Playing MyNBA isn’t just about scoring points but also assessing your team’s individual skills and mastering their perks on-court.

And so, you’ll probably spend a great deal of time in MyNBA, fine-tuning and polishing your dream team. You’ll climb up the ranks; I am glad to have put in the effort it takes to compete with the best of the best. On-court action has simply never felt this good, and that’s majorly thanks to NBA 2K25’s commitment to emulating real-life basketball as closely as can be. 

MyCAREER

Now, MyCAREER is somewhat of a different story. This is where the grind really shows its true face. You’re essentially starting from the bottom of the barrel and tasked with climbing your way to the top. And that process takes place in the pits of basketball culture, in the streets where stars are born. But because you’re only just getting started, you’ll need to put in the work and really grind your way up to earn VC in-game currency to unlock upgrades and boost your way up to the top. 

As a rookie, you’re not as attractive to basketballers out there, at least in the sense that they may want to play with you and increase your experience. So, you’re forced to take on meager jobs, or mini-games as it were, like spinning the wheel or kart racing. Yup, kart racing has a place in NBA 2K25, and while we’re not expecting anything fully fledged like Mario Kart, it still is a nice change of pace to take a break from all the grinding simply.

And yet, even with all the effort you put into earning VC, you still will find it takes hundreds of hours just to scale up to the level that can compete with online players. Online players, who mind you, will most likely have cut corners and bought their way to the top. At the end of the day, NBA 2K25 is still very much micro-transactions-focused and often entices you with goodies you can use to essentially pay-to-win.

MyGM

The whining aside, you can switch over to MyGM, which, well, let’s face it, isn’t anywhere as excellent as MyNBA. It’s still in its infancy, and I bet adding voice acting could go a long way toward building interest in the game mode. Otherwise, you have to sit through tons of dialogue, none of which is intriguing. And still, you cannot skip them because they are necessary to remain in the good graces of your manager.

MyTEAM

Things get a little bit more interesting when you hop on over to MyTEAM. Now, settle down, folks: Auction House is back. It’s nonsensical that it was removed from NBA 2K24 in the first place. Other than that, most of the gameplay remains the same, and that’s fine: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But pay-to-win strikes again, smacking you in the face. Locked cards can be accessed by simply parting with a couple of dollars. 

And while it’s sometimes fun to unlock new features, it still remains a feature that can easily put a gap between gamers who choose honest work and those comfortable with cutting corners. Yet it’s unlikely the microtransactions trend will stop anytime soon, at least not when gamers are really buying into the MyCAREER and MyTEAM modes and spending a whopping amount of time competing in them.

W

To play the Women’s NBA League, you can jump into the returning W game mode. W obviously has a long way to go before it can catch up to the in-depth and incredibly profound MyNBA, MyCAREER, and MyTEAM game modes. Still, there is a healthy amount of competitive sport you can dive into here, with a whopping roster of fan-favorite superstars to choose from. And can we take a moment to appreciate the attention to detail that NBA 2K25 achieves?

Presentation

I mean, look at the faces, the bone structure, the muscle mass, the hair, and all the other nitty-gritty of actual players. They all look incredibly realistic, evidently having come from far back when colored players’ hair looked all wrong. Now, even facial expressions ignite emotion, and celebratory dances make you want to get your groove on alongside, too. 

Presentation-wise, NBA 2K25 manages to achieve a slick and fine polish on nearly all the courts. Wandering around the city truly feels at home as you pass by functional shops and parks crammed full of people. Perhaps my only gripe is that the city can sometimes feel too vast, with lots of ground to cover. Yet, on the other hand, that provides for constant engagement with almost always things to do.

Meanwhile, some courts can give you a splitting headache with their questionable art that fights your eyes. It’s commendable that the street courts have distinct designs and art that bring to life a sense of the personality of the area and the people playing on it. But not if the design contrasts too heavily with the on-court action, so much so that you lose track of your players and pay for it. 

While on presentation, the courts do appear to be zoomed out more, allowing for more room to maneuver around the field. You can easily spot each player and keep track of them more easily, providing for an overall smoother, more fluid gaming experience.

New Features

So, what does NBA 2K25 do differently? Well, it adds many new features: some game-changing, others easily forgettable. Overall, you enjoy a revamped dribble system, tighter on-court controls, more customization options, some all-new features like Rythym Shooting, and the most significant: the new Triple Threat Rivet Park.

Verdict

It’s no secret that NBA 2K25 has outdone itself in terms of gameplay. You simply enjoy a smoother and more fluid gaming experience. Character animations are as realistic as ever before, thanks to ProPLAY technology, no doubt. Meanwhile, you enjoy a more nuanced gameplay system that uniquely ties to each character’s play style in real life. 

NBA 2K25 has never been as immersive as you navigate the MyNBA Eras that bring to life some of the most popular superstars of all time. You truly feel what it’s like to drive to the basket in Michael Jordan’s shoes. And in the moments when the simulation is a little shaky, it’s never too troublesome to detract you from the game.

But the frustration of microtransactions stream rolls in, and you’re left sticking around only for the best parts. It makes you wonder if the gameplay wasn’t that great, would you have struck around for longer than need be? NBA 2K25 treads a very fine line here that requires that the gameplay continue to remain top shelf. Otherwise, a competitor may steal the crown of the best basketball simulator out from under them.

It’s interesting that I mention a competitor because it feels like the franchise has grown comfortable in providing the same graphics and visuals since NBA 2K21 launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. Very few tweaks have been made to the presentation to provide a superior experience to the predecessor, and that’s worrisome when features remain constant for too long.

Overall, NBA 2K25 offers a worthwhile gaming experience for every gamer. It’s smooth, fluid, and offers a wealth of content to tinker around with. So long as you don’t mind putting in the work in MyNBA and MyCAREER, you should be good to go.