NBA 2K25 Release Date & Features: 10 Things to Know

Here’s what you need to know right now about NBA 2K25 based on traditions, rumors, confirmed information, and what we expect from the annual release.

NBA 2K24 is still the flagship game, but that will change later this year when 2K Sports and Visual Concepts release a new entry in the series.

We don’t have much in the way of official NBA 2K25 news, but we’ll learn a lot more about the game in the coming weeks as development progresses behind the scenes.

While it’s early, we know a lot of gamers have questions about NBA 2K25 so we’re going to outline everything you can expect in this guide.

Here’s a closer look at what you can expect from NBA 2K25’s features, release date, editions, demo, and more.

NBA 2K25 Announcement

If traditions hold, the official NBA 2K25 announcement will likely come in June or July.

The company is already teasing the game, soliciting opinions about the game’s soundtrack on X. And while that confirms plans to release the game, there will be a much bigger announcement this summer.

Last year, 2K confirmed a flurry of NBA 2K24 details in early July. Those announcements coincided with the start of the NBA Summer League.

While the company may not use the same exact timing in 2024, it’s safe to assume we’ll see an NBA 2K25 announcement land in and around then.

NBA Summer League 2024 kicks off on July 12th.

NBA 2K25 Release Date

We obviously don’t have an official NBA 2K25 release date and we won’t get one until the companies are ready to start talking about the game.

That being said, you can expect the NBA 2K25 release date to land sometime in September ahead of the 2024-2025 NBA season. The season should start in October.

We also didn’t see early access for NBA 2K24 so there may not be a way to play the full version of the game ahead of its official release date.

In the past, 2K has offered an early tipoff release date.

NBA 2K25 Consoles

NBA 2K25 will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows, and Nintendo Switch.

We could also see a release on Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox One S, PS4, PS4 Slim, and PS4 Pro, but that’s not guaranteed. In fact, rumors suggest the game may skip the previous generation this year.

Some companies have shifted away from prior generation consoles and there’s always a chance this is the year these platforms get left behind.

NBA 2K25 Cover

NBA 2K24 features two cover athletes.

Kobe Bryant, the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, appears on two versions of the game and New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu appears on the WNBA edition.

The game’s other bundle, the 25th Anniversary edition, doesn’t have an athlete on the front cover and instead features a ring.

2K changes tends to shake things up a little bit every year so we almost certainly won’t see the same cover athletes for NBA 2K25.

We don’t know who will appear on the NBA 2K25 cover just yet, but you can expect multiple star players and an announcement well ahead of the game’s release date.

NBA 2K25 Editions

You can expect multiple versions of NBA 2K25 though we don’t expect them to mirror the NBA 2K24 editions on the market right now.

There are four NBA 2K23 editions:

• Kobe Bryant edition/Standard edition (Kobe Bryant)
• WNBA Edition (Sabrina Ionescu)
• Black Mamba Edition (Kobe Bryant)
• 25th Anniversary Edition

Both the Standard edition and WNBA edition are staples so you can expect those options for NBA 2K25. However, we’ll likely see the company switch up the other bundles given that we’ll probably see different cover athletes.

The bundles typically come with Virtual Currency (VC), MyTEAM bonuses, and cosmetic items for the game’s popular MyPLAYER mode.

We’ve also seen 2K throw in a free NBA League Pass subscription.

NBA 2K25 Pre-Orders

Don’t expect NBA 2K25 to go on sale until the summer. NBA 2K25 pre-orders will start when the publisher announces the game and the editions.

Make sure you don’t buy any NBA 2K25 pre-orders from eBay or other services promising early access to the game early in the year. They’re scams.

You can expect 2K to provide pre-order bonuses to entice shoppers. These bonuses typically include VC, MyTeam points, packs, and boosts.

NBA 2K25 Price

The standard edition usually retails for $59.99 for older platforms like the Xbox One and PS4 and $69.99 for the Xbox Series X and PS5. Other bundles will cost more at launch.

We could see NBA 2K25 deals emerge in the early going, but most deals will probably arrive around Black Friday in November, the holidays in December, and in 2025 as we push toward the inevitable release of NBA 2K26.

NBA 2K25 Features

As of right now, we know almost nothing about the game. That said, you can expect numerous improvements and changes with a particular focus on newer platforms like the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5.

You can also expect a very robust soundtrack and various partnerships with clothing companies.

It’s also worth noting that not all features will be available on day one. 2K and Visual Concepts keep the game fresh with changes throughout its life span so we’ll see a steady drip of features roll out in late 2024 and beyond.

NBA 2K25 Demo

We used to get a short NBA 2K demo ahead of the game’s official release date. The demo would let players try a portion of the game early.

The demo was great because it gave rabid fans of the series a way to satiate their hunger. It also gave those on the fence about an upgrade a way to make a well-informed decision.

Unfortunately, after many years of providing a demo, the company has stopped releasing the NBA 2K Prelude and you shouldn’t expect an NBA 2K25 demo.

NBA 2K25 PC Requirements

If you plan to play NBA 2K25 on a Windows PC, you’ll need to take note of the game’s minimum and recommended requirements.

Unfortunately, those details won’t arrive until we get much closer to the game’s release date.