NBA 2K25 Reviews
This is about as close to a slam dunk the series has been in recent years. NBA 2K25 delivers on the court where it counts, while bringing meaningful changes to the staple MyCareer and MyTeam modes, in particular. MyNBA Eras remains a major highlight, too, sure to please ardent NBA fans and nostalgics alike.
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.
NBA 2K25 is a good game when you can find it. The mechanics are solid, even if you do need to be retrained to understand the changes and play the game in the way it wants you to play. However, NBA 2K25 is so bogged down with microtransaction bullshit that it spoils any goodwill that the game comes to the court with. 2K has shown that they care more about pushing Pro Passes and VC purchases rather than giving gamers value for money.
Just as with NBA 2K24, the omnipresence of microtransactions within the MyCareer and MyTeam modes render the grind of improving your created player and assembling a team of top-tier cards especially frustrating for the no money spent crowd. The MyGM mode is lacking in direction and polish, failing to enhance the experience of helming a franchise in an engaging way.
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
NBA 2K25 is a step in the right direction. The changes are definitely for the better, and I have no hesitation in writing that this is the best and most polished in terms of gameplay in recent years.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.
The gameplay is much more fluid and the visuals are much closer to reality. Visual Concepts has done a great job in terms of presentation and once again declared that NBA 2K25 is the only address for a satisfying and long-lasting basketball experience.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
NBA 2K25 delivers everything you expect from a basketball game, plethora of game modes, Impressive visuals and great gameplay. that being said heavy microtransactions are still present and you may encounter inconsistency in defensive play.
Review in Persian | Read full review
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.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
NBA 2K25 is an improvement from last year, but still suffers from most of the same self-inflicted issues. The over-bearing presence of microtransactions does the great on-court gameplay a disservice.
NBA 2K25's array of entertaining modes and stunningly true-to-life visuals make shooting hoops feel better than ever.
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.
Review in Persian | Read full review
NBA 2K25 is an immensely fun on-court simulator with a vast amount of modes to hook the player. Unfortunately, its microtransactions remain a major negative point in a package that, despite not revolutionizing the wheel, continues to deliver everything a basketball fan needs.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
NBA 2K25 shows that Visual Concepts has not been stunned in its comfort zone and the goal is still to grow, test new technologies and offer the most content in a sports game. In terms of gameplay, new systems and customization of the experience, this year's installment is on another level and can easily look over the shoulder of other IPs. The gaming experience is rewarding and playing one game, and another, and another becomes addictive as this is one of the best controls ever created.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Even though NBA 2k25 offers the best gameplay in the series' history, it will still be overshadowed by the huge amount of microtransactions and slow in game progress which might push newcomers away
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Overall, NBA 2K25 delivers a solid gaming experience for all players, both in quality and content. It’s smooth and offers a range of modes to explore various facets of American basketball. While NBA 2K25 doesn’t introduce radical changes to the legendary franchise, the new mechanics and minor enhancements raise the bar for the experience, especially regarding control and in-game possibilities. The persistent “shadow” of microtransactions still makes the online experience somewhat burdensome, though it remains one of the most advanced available.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, NBA 2K25 is a nice improvement over its predecessor, thanks to an excellent job of correcting several of the previous iteration's flaws. The gameplay is very solid (starting from the movement on offense, through the contestation of the opponent's shot, to the greater impact that the defense has and the very good AI). All the modes work with the exception of the one dedicated to the WNBA (which will hopefully get the right treatment in the future). However, the biggest flaw of the franchise has not yet been solved, and we refer to the microtransactions and the considerable amount of VC needed to improve your player's build; if you don't have a lot of time to devote to it, it is practically impossible not to use cash, which - in our view - is really an unacceptable constraint. That aside, NBA 2K25 is one of the best titles in the series, if not the best in years!
Review in Italian | Read full review
As always 2K Games have created an incredible homage to basketball. If you are a fan of the series then you will no doubt be picking this one up to add to your collection and I don’t blame you for doing so. With so many modes to get stuck into you will likely focus on one or two for the entirety of your gaming sessions. Again, I don’t blame you for doing so. My only concern for newcomers to the series is that there is too much to do. Too much that may cause a bit of gaming paralysis for some and they may turn off and go back to another game.
I will commend NBA 2K25 for being more accessible than basically any other modern iteration of the franchise I can think of, making this more of an interesting purchase for newcomers to the franchise. Veterans and/or fans will still buy this in droves, no matter what, so for them, this is just business (in more than one sense of the word) as usual.