NBA 2K25 has been officially announced, with 2K confirming that the game will hit the market on September 6. The publisher also revealed the next NBA 2K entry's editions, cover athletes, and first gameplay information, among other details.
Last year, the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant was the cover athlete of NBA 2K24, having adorned the covers of the game's Kobe Bryant and Black Mamba Editions. Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu was the cover athlete of the basketball sim's WNBA Edition.
Jayson Tatum, A'ja Wilson, and Vince Carter Are NBA 2K25 Cover Athletes
2K has opted for even more variety this time around; reigning NBA Champion Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics will hence be the cover athlete of NBA 2K25's Standard Edition, while he'll share the cover of the game's All-Star Edition with the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson. The back-to-back WNBA Champion and two-time WNBA MVP will also be featured on the cover of the game's WNBA Edition. Finally, NBA legend Vince Carter will be the cover athlete of the NBA 2K25 Hall of Fame Edition.
The NBA and WNBA dual global cover of the game's All-Star Edition is a first for the NBA 2K series. 2K says it opted to have Jayson Tatum and A'ja Wilson share a cover in a bid to celebrate the overall growth of basketball's popularity. NBA 2K25 will be priced in the range of $59.99 and $149.99, depending on the platform and edition. The All-Star Edition will include 100,000 Virtual Currency (VC) coins and a wide variety of MyTEAM content, including Player, Shoe, and Amethyst Coach cards. Takeover, Skill, and Gatorade Boosts will also be part of the steeply priced package, as will Jayson Tatum's cover jersey and Electric Skateboard Skin, among other cosmetics. The All-Star Edition will also come with a 12-month NBA League Pass subscription.
The upcoming game will expand the NBA 2K MyNBA mode with the addition of a sixth era, although this particular novelty won't be available on the Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Ditto for the NBA 2K25 multiplayer crossplay functionality, which has been confirmed as a current-generation console exclusive. 2K is also promising to deliver unprecedentedly realistic animations powered by the new and improved version of the proprietary ProPLAY technology, which will be supported by the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and select PC configurations.
One final current-gen improvement mentioned by the publisher is a brand-new Neighborhood metropolis. As was the case with the previous entry, this NBA 2K25 location will offer players a chance to complete quests and earn a variety of rewards.