NBA 2K25: Release date, special editions, new features — everything you need to know so far

As one of sports video gaming’s best-in-class franchises for 15 years, if not longer, NBA 2K developer Visual Concepts seems constantly tasked with outdoing its big swings year-to-year-to-year. NBA 2K25 presents no less of an obligation, especially two years after a transformative historical mode called MyNBA Eras, and the rebirth of fan-favorite challenge series starring Michael Jordan in 2022 and Kobe Bryant last year.

So what is NBA 2K25 going to do for an encore? This year’s edition will lean into core gameplay like never before, Visual Concepts promises, while bolstering the game’s WNBA career suite and bringing back the MyGM role-playing/management mode that was last seen four years ago in NBA 2K21.

With all that in mind, here’s everything we know so far about what’s on deck for NBA 2K25, plus all the options players have in acquiring it when it launches less than a month from now.

NBA 2K25 will launch Sept. 6. Those who pre-order the game before then can get into the game beginning Sept. 4. If you’ve already pre-ordered the game, this benefit will be applied to that purchase. This applies to online purchases and downloads of the game. For early access with a disc-based edition, see the retailer you’re ordering it from for more information.

The standard edition of NBA 2K25 will cost $69.99 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam), and Xbox Series X as well as for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game does not yet have a listing on the Nintendo eShop, but NBA 2K24 on Nintendo Switch was $59.99 and there’s no reason to expect it would be different this year.

The ones listed above. Xbox Series X and PS5 are NBA 2K25’s lead platforms, but this year, the Windows PC version will be upgraded to the new-generation version with all of the features that Xbox Series X and PS5 players get. That includes play within The City, the My NBA Eras career mode, and The W, the game’s WNBA mode. The PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions have a more limited feature set.

It’s already gotten several. Here’s the official gameplay trailer, featuring cover star Jayson Tatum of the world champion Boston Celtics, and dozens of other superstars.

2K Sports has also published several “Courtside Report” trailers taking a deeper look at NBA 2K25’s modes and components. In order, they are:

(This the franchise mode, including the time-traveling MyNBA Eras)

(The WNBA suite of modes)

NBA 2K25’s first announcement concerned an overhaul to core gameplay, including new physics that are applied down to the level of ball-dribbling, even. This “all-new Dribble Engine” has been built from scratch, developer Visual Concepts says, and it will break the series away from scripted animations drawn from a motion-capture library. In essence, it will render a core element of ball-handling in real time.

The Dribble Engine “turns movement with the ball into one holistic, dynamic piece of motion, one-to-one with how players dribble in real life,” 2K Sports says. “Stops are tighter, launches are more explosive, and probing the court looks and feels smoother.”

Once again, the game’s shooting gets a tweak, to help players appreciate the different, and authentic, shot releases while still coping with different release timing player-to-player. One of these tools is a new setting called Shot Timing Profiles, including a “low-risk reward” setting that favors players who get open and take smart shots, rather than punish those fundamentals with a demanding and variable release window. For those who prefer a more determinative, skills-based shooting game, a new down-up shooting motion is available on the right stick, where the player tries to match the in-game player’s motion.

In MyCareer, NBA 2K25’s player-build system gets another coat of paint, as much to offer MyCareer obsessives even more unique hybrid player types while improving the balance and still posing a challenge to those who try to min-max their attributes. There’s a dizzying number of new options in the game’s Takeover and Badge system, too. See the Courtside Report for more.

Of note for longtime franchise-mode fans, MyGM — which was basically a front-office role-playing counterpart to MyCareer — returns in NBA 2K25. It had been on a quiet hiatus leading into NBA 2K23 and NBA 2K24’s introduction and development of the groundbreaking MyNBA Eras franchise mode (which also returns). Virtual GMs will have even more role-playing options, to include creating an origin story for your executive that will come with perks helping them to create a winning team.

And The W will introduce a storyline mode called Pursuit of Greatness, which can only be helped by the debut of real-life breakout talents Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Deepening the role-playing experience, your WNBA superstar will take questions in post-game news conferences, with answers promised to shape not only the arc of the player’s career, “but also the league as a whole.” No pressure, superstar!

The W Online, in a first, also gets its first online multiplayer outdoor court (created players in The W do not have access to MyCareer’s The City). This is where WNBA fans can play smaller-sized, 3-on-3 matchups in casual gear. The new court is set in a shady redwood forest for a nice visual backdrop.

Of course. In addition to the Standard Edition, fans may choose from:

A GameStop-exclusive WNBA Edition, still only $69.99, but on a disc and with a case featuring the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson hoisting the 2023 WNBA championship trophy.

An All-Star Edition for $99.99, which comes with a slew of additional boosts and content for the MyTeam and MyCareer modes. The most important inclusion is 100,000 Virtual Currency, which most players use to boost their created player beyond the 65 overall rating everyone starts with.

A Hall of Fame Edition for $149.99 includes all of the content of the All-Star Edition, plus a one-year subscription to the NBA League Pass streaming service, as well as a Season Pass that layers on more unlocks and premium content into NBA 2K25’s season-based live service offerings.

The Standard Edition, All-Star Edition, and Hall of Fame Edition also add incentives in the form of extra VC and MyCareer and MyTeam content. This “Limited-Time Trendsetter Award” is available to those who purchase the game through Oct. 17. There is also a PlayStation Store pre-order bonus for those three editions that adds a modest amount of content and VC for those who buy the game before its launch date.

Featured images via 2K Sports

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