Another year, another entry from the long-running NBA 2K basketball sports simulation franchise. For a while now, we haven’t seen major changes in the gameplay or graphics. Only a few touch-ups here and there that result in more prominent facial structure and muscular definition. However, the graphics have never been an issue, with decently rendered characters and matches.
Plus, 2K has been using the same engine for a while now, and with ports on both current and next-gen consoles, there’s hardly going to be a major jump in graphics. The gameplay, on the other hand, can always use more work. With NBA 2K25 on the horizon, you’re probably wondering how big of a jump in performance and quality the series will make. Well, let’s break down all you can expect in the NBA 2K24 vs NBA 2K25 comparison guide below.
What is NBA 2K24?
NBA 2K24 is a basketball sports simulation game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Games. It’s the 25th entry in the NBA 2K franchise, which is the official simulation video game series for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Players can take on single and multiplayer matches with several game modes, including MyCAREER, MyTEAM, MyNBA, and more.
What is NBA 2K25?
NBA 2K25 - Announce Trailer | PS5 & PS4 Games
NBA 2K25 is an upcoming basketball sports simulation game that will pick up where NBA 2K24 left off. It’ll be the 26th entry in the NBA 2k franchise, set to launch on September 6, 2024.
Gameplay
MyCAREER, MyTEAM and MyNBA will return in NBA 2K25. These have been long-running game modes that have held strong for years. The most popular MyCAREER mode will still retain the same The City format. You’ll still work your way up to become the greatest basketball player of all time, competing on street courts as part of the Streetball side quest. Streetball, in particular, will return, along with its 3v3 matches against AI opponents. It’s a less formal mode where you explore different venues in the parks and streets of New York. While the overall structure will remain the same, NBA 2K25 will add new venues to explore. Specifically, 2K Games promises a “more compact and interactive city.”
As for MyTEAM and King of the Court, they will be returning to NBA 2K25alongside MyNBA and The W. In NBA 2K24, you played through five Eras, namely the Bird Era, the Jordan Era, the Kobe Era, the Modern Era, and the LeBron Era. It’s a feature that was introduced in NBA 2K23 and will continue in the upcoming NBA 2K25. However, you can look forward to an all-new sixth Era where you’ll be free to travel through time and rewrite history. Meanwhile, The W game mode will add more preset builds that you can comb through. We’re looking forward to some new changes and quality-of-life improvements that reflect the rising popularity of the WNBA.
Graphics
One of the ways NBA 2K24 innovated on graphics is through ProPLAY technology. It allowed direct translation of real-life footage into matches, enhancing realism and authenticity. We still don’t know whether NBA 2K25 will further expand on the technology, but we sure do hope they push its full capabilities to the limits.
While Kobe Bryant is the cover athlete for NBA 2K24, Bolton Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will take the step forward to become the face of NBA 2K25’s standard edition. Meanwhile, Las Vegas centre A’ja Wilson and Atlanta Hawks guard Vince Carter will grace the WNBA and Hall-of-Fame editions, respectively. For the first time in the series, NBA player Jayson Tatum and WNBA player A’ja Wilson will share the cover of the All-Star edition.
The covers are already out, but the community already seems unenthusiastic about the designs, citing that they’re lacklustre. Graphics-wise, the covers don’t seem to have any major changes, save for better lighting. All in all, we have yet to receive in-game footage of NBA 2K25, as no trailer has been released yet. So, we might be making our minds up about the graphics prematurely.
Platforms
Both NBA 2K24 and NBA 2K25 feature on old and new-gen consoles, including PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch and PC. It’s likely that 2K’s persistence in porting new games on last-gen consoles is detracting them from making significant overhauls in the graphics and gameplay. If NBA 2K25 were launched on next-gen consoles exclusively and used to the full extent of its power, we could be looking at more notable improvements.
That said, NBA 2K25 does have some new changes. For the first time in the series, the PC version will be the newest gen. While long overdue, PC owners will not be able to compete with console owners as crossplay functionality will only be available to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. You could easily be waiting at the Park and Rec Center for forever before getting matches. However, PC owners will at least enjoy mode parity with other next-gen platforms. Meanwhile, let’s cross our fingers and hope the new game will be optimized to run on the Steam Deck smoothly.
Verdict
It’s nice that PC owners will finally be getting the newest-gen version of NBA 2K25, even though crossplay with console owners will still be disabled. Other than that, there don’t seem to be major jumps in gameplay or graphics. The developing team seems to be focusing on refining existing game modes, only adding all-new venues and a sixth Era to MyCAREER and MyNBA, respectively.
Moreover, NBA 2K25 promises to deliver a worthwhile experience that features historical and contemporary hoop culture. Now, whether the tweaks and updates are enough to please fans remains to be seen. For a long time, the franchise has taken a back seat to making huge jumps in gameplay and graphics. Is NBA 2K25 going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? You can preorder NBA 2K25 here.
So, what’s your take? Will you be grabbing a copy of NBA 2K25 when it drops? Let us know over on our socials here.
