Elevate your NBA 2K25 game on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with ProPLAY™*, the future of sports-sim technology. ProPLAY takes authentic movements from actual NBA footage and translates them into engaging, immersive gameplay. This year, we’re bringing you even closer to the action, and we can’t wait for you to experience it.

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Gameplay, Powered by ProPLAY™

NBA 2K24 welcomed new innovations and enhancements to the NBA 2K franchise, introducing the next generation of groundbreaking realism via ProPLAY™. For NBA 2K25, we expanded on ProPLAY’s animations, revamped the dribbling engine, and improved the gameplay on both offense and defense.

"2K25 is all about personalization, customization, and accessibility.”

ProPLAY™ Animation Expansion

ProPLAY™ is realized in an even greater way in NBA 2K25. Using new ProPLAY™ animations, which have been directly translated from real-world NBA footage, gameplay becomes even more authentic as we replace traditional motion-captured animations with ProPLAY™ animations.

We've added 9,000 new ProPLAY™ animations in NBA 2K25, including 1,500 dribbling animations, 1,100 signature shot animations covering most rostered players from the 2023-24 NBA season, and over 1,300 new off-the-ball animations, including 150 new signature motion styles.

"The Dribble Engine is the most amazing upgrade we've had to our gameplay engine in 15 years!"

All-New Dribble Engine

NBA 2K25 features an all-new dribble engine built from the ground up. This is the biggest change to our gameplay engine in many years and we’re eager for you to test it yourself. In every previous version of NBA 2K, dribble movement was managed by manually programmed, pre-scripted animation transitions from a library of motion-captured movements.

Now, with the power of ProPLAY™, NBA 2K25's dribble engine generates dynamic motion from real-world NBA footage to create a new and more authentic feel. It goes beyond animations, and turns movement with the ball into one holistic, dynamic piece of motion, one-to-one with how players dribble in real life. Stops are tighter, launches are more explosive, and probing the court looks and feels smoother, more lifelike, and more consistent than ever before. We can’t wait for you to experience this first-hand.

“NBA 2K25 provides more variety, accessibility, and freedom on offense for newcomers, seasoned players, and full-blown experts…

OFFENSE

NBA 2K25 provides more variety, accessibility, and freedom on offense for newcomers, seasoned players, and full-blown experts alike with all-new improvements like the Shot Canceling feature, Signature Go-To Shots, Shot Timing Profiles, Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting, and more.

Signature Go-To Shots

With NBA 2K24, we introduced Dribble Breakdowns to initiate a sequence of signature size-up moves that you can use to create separation and breakdown the defender. In NBA 2K25 we took this concept a bit further. Holding UP on the Pro Stick will trigger Signature Go-To Shots which feature some of the most exciting dribble-into-shot combos, directly translated from NBA footage—another feature driven by ProPLAY™ technology.

Shot Canceling Feature

We're also implementing a new Shot Canceling feature that lets you break out of any advanced shot at any time to transition into other moves, like a more robust hesi or shot fake. Coupled with Signature Go-To Shots, the ProPLAY™ Dribble Movement Engine, and expanded ProPLAY™ Animations, this free-flowing experience allows you to start a stepback jumper, cancel out of the shot, and move into a different dribble move, or take a driving lane to the basket.

These improvements give offensive players more tools to be creative.

Shot Timing Profiles

We received feedback from opposite ends of the spectrum on shooting this past year. Some players loved the added challenge, while others found shooting to be too difficult, especially for newcomers. In NBA 2K25, we've added a new setting called Shot Timing Profiles that allows you to customize the risk-versus-reward of your shot timing.

Choosing "Low Risk-Reward" will provide more forgiving shot timing that emphasizes ratings, openness, and taking smart shots over the release of the button or stick. A mistimed shot could still go in but the green make window will be smaller, making it more difficult to consistently have excellent-timed releases.

Choosing "High Risk-Reward" will offer more challenging shot timing with green-or-miss outcomes. If you're consistently good at timing your shot, you're sure to reap big rewards by choosing this option.

Custom Visual Cues

NBA 2K24 added the Shot Timing Visual Cue setting to select your ideal jump shot release point from Jump, Set Point, Push, or Release animation cues. In NBA 2K25’s MyPLAYER Jump Shot Creator, you are no longer limited to these four options. After selecting a base, release, and release speed for your custom jump shot, you can now set your Visual Cue to any point in the shot, giving you full customization over when to release the shot button or stick.

"Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting is one of my favorite features of the game, because it’s a new way to play"

Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting

While all shooting control methods from NBA 2K24 are returning, NBA 2K25 introduces a brand new way to shoot called Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting. Instead of simply pressing and releasing the shot button or stick, you first pull the shot stick DOWN to start the shot. Then, as you see your player's jump shot animation reach its Set Point, you push the shot stick UP and try to match the timing and speed of the player's Push motion. This intuitive DOWN-UP motion on the shot stick rewards you for accurately mimicking each player's signature shooting motion.

A player who masters Rhythm Shooting will raise their ceiling and outplay someone who uses traditional shooting, creating more possibilities to demonstrate your skills. Your selected Shot Timing Profile also applies to Rhythm Shooting, allowing you to choose a Low or High Risk-Reward experience as detailed further up. We encourage you to give it a try! When we first introduced Rhythm Shooting to the rest of the team here at Visual Concepts, many thought it was a bit too challenging. However, those of us who kept practicing grew to love it and now can't go back to traditional shooting. We've also seen our shooting percentages rise significantly as we've improved with the mechanic.

With Shot Timing Profiles, Custom Visual Cues, Signature Go-To Shots, and the new Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting, NBA 2K25 gives you ultimate customization over how you shoot the ball.

DEFENSE

Take advantage of all-new defensive measures that’ll impact your ability to lockdown opponents, and be sure to visit Learn 2K to improve on the fundamentals.

Defensive Movement System

NBA 2K25 features a brand new defensive cutoff system. Offensive players have long been able to dynamically change direction using the right stick, and savvy defensive players can now do the same.

By utilizing the right stick on defense, you can control your player and quickly slide laterally into position to cut off an offensive player’s attack. Successfully reading the ball handler and anticipating their drive with a successful cutoff can stonewall the offense or cause them to fumble the ball.

Contest System

For NBA 2K25, we made significant changes to the Contest System. We now use a dynamic weighting system, rather than a fixed one, that evaluates the impact of defense at the start of the shot versus the release and computes the proper coverage impact accordingly.

In addition, you’ll notice that perimeter and interior defensive ratings, as well as height differential, play a more important role in calculating defensive coverage. These changes better reflect what you see happening on screen and reward your strong defensive sequences to decrease the competition's chances of converting their shots.

AI GAMEPLAY

To make AI play a more complementary role in NBA 2K25, we made improvements to Court Spacing, Offense, Defense, Coaching, and the AI Difficulty to elevate your overall experience. Take a look at some of the key changes below:

COURT SPACING

• Our new spacing engine has over 20 adjustment locations from inside the 3-point line that feeds AI a constant stream of spacing information yielding life-like results.
• Individual freelance has also been redesigned to account for this new spacing engine.
• This extends to the tech that drives AI double team reactions to increase the priority of spacing during double teams.

OFFENSE

• We revamped our cut to basket logic for the AI to lessen untimely cuts to the rim in freelance by your AI teammates, leading to better driving lanes and drive and kick opportunities.

DEFENSE

• A redesign of our defensive help logic, allowing for better pursuit angles and rotations.

COACHING

• Players now have the ability to save and share their playbooks with the NBA 2K community!

AI DIFFICULTY

• AI difficulty is now based on more than just shooting percentages. Lower difficulties will experience less aggressive offense and defense, and make fewer strategy changes or adjustments.
• We scaled on-ball defensive delays per difficulty so attacking the basket on lower-level AI is easier, including increased body-up win resolutions for easier blow-bys.

"If you want to learn the game and get better at 2K, Learn 2K is the first place you should go."

LEARN 2K

Now that you’ve learned about all of the gameplay enhancements and expanded ProPLAY™ features, it’s time to get hands on and practice. Whether you want to try out the new Rhythm Shooting or learn the hundreds of moves in NBA 2K25, the new Learn 2K mode, accessible from the Main Menu, provides mini-games, drills, and practice scenarios to help you up your game. Playing NBA 2K on the sticks can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

CLOSING REMARKS

The Visual Concepts team worked tirelessly to make all of the gameplay changes in New Gen NBA 2K25 feel rewarding and intuitive for all experience levels, while keeping our passionate fanbase in mind. We’re so excited to see clips from the NBA 2K community utilizing all of the new enhancements and features available in NBA 2K25.

Be on the lookout for even more news and information in the coming weeks regarding all things NBA 2K25. For now, I’m Mike Wang—thanks for showing your support.

ProPLAY™ and related features are only available on NBA 2K25 for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.