2K unveiled that five-time NBA All-Star Boston Celtics Forward and reigning NBA Champion Jayson Tatum will be the cover athlete for the NBA 2K25 Standard Edition.

Tatum will be featured alongside the back-to-back WNBA Champion, two-time WNBA MVP and six-time WNBA All-Star Las Vegas Aces Forward, A’ja Wilson as dual cover athletes for the NBA 2K25 All-Star Edition. Wilson will also grace the cover of the NBA 2K25 WNBA Edition, a GameStop Exclusive Physical Edition available in the US and Canada.

The 2024 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee, eight-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Team and NBA dunk contest legend, Vince Carter, will be featured on the cover of the NBA 2K25 Hall of Fame Edition.

2K unveiled updates coming to The City in NBA 2K25 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and, for the first time, The City arrives on PC.

Drawing on player feedback, NBA 2K25 welcomes players with a whole new revamped interactive City designed to feel more connected and intimate, a competitive hub on the Boulevard of Stars, a larger-than-life arena to house Proving Grounds, the return of MyCOURT and iconic 2K15 MyPARKS and much more.

"The City for NBA 2K25 has been redesigned with community feedback at the forefront," said Erick Boenisch, VP of NBA Development at Visual Concepts. “We’ve built a completely new City that is significantly more intimate and accessible, brought back nostalgic fan-favorite experiences, and created new ways to compete for all skill levels. The City in NBA 2K25 provides a greater focus on basketball and a quicker entry into the experience allowing players to seamlessly connect and compete.”

The City offers a variety of improvements this year, including:

• A Whole New Interactive City: NBA 2K25 features an all-new vibrant City with basketball at its core. Featuring a more condensed map where empty spaces have been eliminated and every building has a purpose, The City has been designed to be more intimate and feel more dynamic. Centrally located in the heart of The City is the Boulevard of the Stars, an upscale street with easy access to all of the game modes and experiences such as refreshed Pro-AM, The REC and Ante-Up. The street is also lined with a Walk of Fame, which showcases every NBA championship team and leaves spots yet to be filled. As players win championships of their own in MyCAREER, their dynasties will be memorialized alongside NBA history.
• MyCOURT: Answering the community’s call to bring it back, NBA 2K25 reintroduces MyCOURT. The apartment and basketball court combo at the center of The City is a player’s private hub to practice and experiment on the court and a central location for NBA 2K25's basketball-focused MyCAREER. Players can hone their skills and practice solo, or invite friends and MyCAREER teammates to join them for 1v1, 3v3, HORSE, and more game types. Players can personalize their MyCOURT with new wall mural art earned through Quests and Season rewards.
• Proving Grounds: Proving Grounds is the new home for heightened competition in The City. The colosseum-inspired arena is the go-to for ranked play across intense 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 or 5v5 games with comp-level difficulty sliders and Shot Meters turned off for everyone. Proving Grounds will highlight who the very best NBA 2K25 players are with leaderboards that update daily to track the top-ranked players per game type. The Top 5 players each Season will earn the exclusive rewards while all who compete in Proving Grounds can tier up and earn the best REP in The City.
• RISE and ELITE Affiliations: The ELITE vs. RISE rivalry continues into NBA 2K25 with brand new parks for each affiliation. ELITE players will set up shop in the remains of an old fort that once served as a bustling center for seafaring pirate trade showcasing a pirate ship with playable courts on deck and inside. Those who join RISE will experience a futuristic and bustling robot manufacturing factory, featuring massive mechs actively being assembled all around. Based on community feedback, courts within each Affiliation park have been designed to be closer together and easy to hop between so players can get in on the action faster.
• Iconic MyPARK Integrations: NBA 2K25 dials up the nostalgia and celebrates a decade since NBA 2K15 by bringing back all four MyPARKs as events in the Event Center. From the sun-drenched Sunset Beach park, to the industrial Rivet City, the urban setting of the Old Town, and of course, the upgraded Old Town MyPARK on the aircraft carrier, all MyPARKs are getting remastered down to the last detail while incorporating new gen tech and lighting. A new remaster will be unveiled during each of the first four Seasons.
• Co-Op Streetball: Streeball returns with more over-top-rewards and three entirely new locations. Co-Op mode for Streetball is introduced in NBA 2K25, allowing players to join forces with up to two other friends in 3v3 games to take down a new set of bosses and complete Streetball Quests together.
• New Features for Beginners: Several new features have been added to NBA 2K25 to make The City more welcoming to beginners. Outside of every game mode building or activity, the new HoloHelp Info kiosks provide players a breakdown of how each mode works and the target skill level for the experience. Meanwhile, new novice-friendly Casual Courts with easier difficulty can be found in ELITE & RISE parks allowing players to learn how to play alongside other beginners.

For the first time, The City is coming to PC. Players with compatible hardware will experience enhanced realism in The City through ray tracing technology. 

The City

Welcome to NBA 2K25’s vibrant environment, The City, where you can play anywhere and win everywhere. Here, you can interact with your surroundings and explore new opportunities as you live out your hoop dreams on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC. This year, we’ve designed the environment to feel more connected and accessible, with a competitive hub on the Boulevard of Stars, a larger-than-life arena to house Proving Grounds, the return of MyCOURT, and much more! Learn more about each of the key features and what else you can expect.

BOULEVARD OF THE STARS

NBA 2K25 features an all-new living, breathing City with basketball at its core. Centrally located in the heart of The City is the Boulevard of the Stars, an upscale street with easy access to all of the game modes, shops featuring iconic global brands, and—returning in NBA 2K25—your MyCOURT (more on that later). Everywhere you look in The City ties into basketball, even the light poles draw inspiration from perfect green releases; the surrounding buildings prominently display colorful murals featuring many of the league’s biggest stars, including cover athlete Jayson Tatum in front of your MyCOURT.

The street is also lined with a Walk of Fame, which showcases every NBA championship team and leaves spots yet to be filled. Win championships of your own in MyCAREER to memorialize your dynasty alongside NBA history.

Navigating this hoopers haven is a breeze, thanks to a more condensed map and intimate environment that was created with community feedback in mind, and designed to maximize accessibility. Nearly every building can be interacted with, eliminating empty spaces and making The City feel more dynamic.

PROVING GROUNDS

Proving Grounds is the new home for heightened competition in The City. This colosseum-inspired arena is the go-to for ranked play to see how you stack up against everyone else in intense 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or 5v5 games with comp-level difficulty sliders and Shot Meters turned off for everyone. Battle it out for bragging rights in this ultimate who's who destination, where you can also earn the best REP in the City!

There are five Proving Grounds tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Play well and move up, but play poorly and you may drop a tier. The amount of progress you make is based on your level of play and the strength of your opponents, and matchmaking in Proving Grounds prioritizes pitting you against other players who are in a similar tier and team structure as you to ensure more balanced and competitive games.

Your tier is unique per game type per Season, but your best rank across all Seasons in each of the four game types is saved. Once you reach Silver, your tier will be displayed on your MyPLAYER gamerplate. Continue playing well to activate increasing REP multipliers and VC win bonuses at Gold, Platinum, and Diamond tiers for that game type.

Leaderboards that update daily track the top-ranked players per game type and if you are in the Top 100 for any Proving Grounds game mode, your rank will also be shown off on your gamerplate. The top five ultimate competitors who hold Top Ranked status will receive 2XREP in that game type and a Top Ranked Logo that displays their rank so long as they are in the Top 5, along with a special Animated Player Banner. In NBA 2K25, there are prizes for the Top 5 finishers in each game type and each Season this year.

Proving Grounds is the true place to compete in The City, and we can't wait to see the winning legacies you build.

PLAY ANYWHERE, WIN EVERYWHERE

While Proving Grounds offers a more battle-tested environment, The REC, Theater, Pro-Am, Starting 5, and Ante-Up provide the same competitive fun without the risk of losing your ranking. Chase wins in any of these game modes to gain REP, XP, and earn rewards.

Like many things in NBA 2K25, we’ve updated the look and feel of some of these locations—The REC, Pro-Am, and Ante-Up—with a fresh aesthetic. Ante-Up boasts a brand-new all-marble location to complement its risk-versus-reward format; Pro-Am boasts a new full-sized arena that can be unlocked once your team reaches Platinum tier; and last but not least, make a splash in The REC’s new environment with a multitude of enthusiastic fans celebrating your every move.

MyCOURT

MyCOURT is back! This apartment and basketball court combo at the center of The City is your private hub to practice and experiment on the court, and also a central location for NBA 2K25's basketball-focused MyCAREER.

This is the best place to hone your skills and learn game mechanics between your adventures in The City. You can work on your shooting and dribbling in a freestyle environment on your own or with a ball machine, or invite friends and MyCAREER teammates to join you for various games, like 1v1, 3v3, HORSE, and more. In addition, MyCOURT now has new Difficulty Settings so that you can practice within the same sliders as your favorite game modes to fine-tune your game before you are ready to compete.

You can personalize your MyCOURT with new wall mural art earned through Quests and Season rewards, as well as game-worn jerseys you get from swapping jerseys with other NBA stars in the league. There is also easy access to the Learn 2K mode and the optional Heart of a Dynasty flashback MyCAREER story.

RISE & ELITE AFFILIATIONS

We are keeping the ELITE vs. RISE rivalry going this year and both affiliations will continue to battle it out in NBA 2K25 for the title of City champions each Season in brand new parks!

If you join ELITE, led by LD2K, you’ll be camped out in an old, dilapidated fort that was once home to a bustling pirate trade. The centerpiece of the park is an incredibly-detailed pirate ship that you can play both inside and on top of. You can even use a pulley system to travel from the ground to the top deck and a hop on a zipline to return to the ground.

If you join RISE, led by ShakeDown, you’ll play in the heart of a bustling robot factory where 75-foot-tall mechs are being forged around you. You’ll see mech bodies being carried and transported overhead as they are constructed into their final form.

Based on community feedback, we designed the courts within each Affiliation park to be close together and easy to hop between to get you in the action faster.

WELCOME TO THE CITY

In NBA 2K25, we are enhancing the experience for beginners with several new features designed to make The City more welcoming.

As you explore The City, you’ll be greeted by your Affiliation leads LD2K & ShakeDown at HoloHelp info kiosks in front of every game mode building and activity. They will break down how each mode works and what skill level the experience is targeted for to familiarize you with all the different places and ways you can play.

To help sharpen your skills, you can jump straight into the new Learn 2K hub directly from your MyCOURT apartment. It’s packed with mini-games, drills, and practice scenarios, all tailored to help you master the basics and elevate your game to the next level.

As you start your competitive journey, we recommend visiting the RISE & ELITE Affiliation parks—each with two new novice-friendly Casual Courts with easier difficulty. These 2v2 and 3v3 courts do not allow Squads and are restricted to the lowest Performance meter status, offering a more casual environment without the pressure of facing seasoned veterans. Here, you can learn how to play alongside others like you while still earning progress. Once you graduate to Hooper status, you won't be able to get next on these courts anymore and will be ready to move on to more challenging competition around The City.

We’ve also added a new Squad Finder feature that assists with finding your perfect team. You can select your preference of squad size, playstyle, microphone status, overall rating range, performance range, and affiliation to be connected with other like-minded players looking for a squad to run with. It’s a great way to establish new connections, build chemistry, and compete together.

Mastering NBA 2K takes lots of practice to hone your skills, but we hope these features improve accessibility and help you start strong on your path to becoming one of the best in The City.

STREETBALL

Streetball was a community favorite in NBA 2K24 and our team wanted to go bigger and better with it this year.

Streetball has been upgraded with more over-the-top rewards for your MyPLAYER to show off. There are three entirely new locations: on a building rooftop overlooking The City; on the beach surrounded by sand dunes; and inside The Temple.

New in NBA 2K25, we’re introducing an optional Co-Op mode for Streetball! You can join forces with up to 2 other friends in these 3v3 games to take down a new set of bosses and complete Streetball Quests together.

ICONIC NBA 2K15 MyPARKs

We are excited to announce that NBA 2K25 will celebrate NBA 2K15 by bringing back all 4 MyPARKs as events in the Event Center!

This includes the sun-drenched Sunset Beach park, the industrial Rivet City, the urban setting of the Old Town, and of course, the upgraded Old Town MyPARK on the aircraft carrier that the affiliation won by winning the MyPARK Championship back in 2K15.

These are all getting remasters down to the last detail while incorporating new gen tech and lighting. They look absolutely breathtaking and we can’t wait for our community to experience these all over again, or for the first time—it’s been over 10 years and a whole generation hasn’t had a chance to yet!

We’ll be unveiling a new remaster during each of the first four Seasons. The events will feature 2XP and 2XREP for the entire duration. We didn’t want these to be about sweating for prizes on leaderboards; this is all about having a tremendous time and revisiting these beloved MyPARKs with your friends.

The first event, coming at the end of Season 1, will take you back to the NBA 2K15 Old Town Flyers’ original MyPARK! Stay tuned for more info after NBA 2K25 launches.

REP & LEGEND

We enjoyed watching the community’s dedication and REP grinds this past year, along with the intense competition that came with it.

In NBA 2K25, the year-long REP system is divided into four categories, each with five tiers: Rookie 1-5, Starter 1-5, Veteran 1-5, and Legend 1-5.

At each tier, you’ll unlock rewards such as the new Cap Breakers, with 15 total available to earn as you advance through the REP tiers. These can not only increase your attribute ratings beyond their max potential ‘caps’, but also contribute toward meeting the attribute requirements needed to unlock new Animations, Badges, and Takeovers, and can even unlock special archetype names for your MyPLAYER.

Once you reach Legend 1, you become eligible for a spot on the Top 10 leaderboard. Top 10 status and the rewards that come with it are updated daily. But the journey doesn’t end there. There are additional rewards to be earned from Legend 2-5. For the truly devoted, a special reward awaits the first 100 players to reach Legend 4 on each platform (PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC).

At the end of the Boulevard of the Stars, we commemorate the first player to reach Legend each year from NBA 2K15 to NBA 2K24—some of the most dedicated players in NBA 2K history. We are excited to see who the first Legends will be in NBA 2K25.

AND SO MUCH MORE

There's a ton going on in The City! Here are some more tidbits about what to expect in NBA 2K25:

• Take a trip to the new Triple Threat Park using the fast travel subway and revisit NBA 2K16’s iconic Rivet City Championship MyPARK, where you can play Triple Threat Online and Triple Threat Online: Co-Op multiplayer games using a lineup of NBA players.
• We are debuting a new shop called Limited Edition, where clothing drops from an ever-revolving list of fashion brands will be available first.
• Gatorade Gym is now an open-area workout platform on the beach. Nearby, there are two Gatorade courts where Gatorade Boosts that temporarily increase your physical attributes are activated for the duration of games played there. Further along the beach, there are also two courts that give a 25% REP bonus.
• We’re also improving the way Rebirth works in NBA 2K25. Now, anytime you use Rebirth to create a new build, you instantly unlock the maximum potential of your new MyPLAYERs to the highest overall rating you’ve previously reached. On top of that, your Silver-level Badges will still be automatically unlocked once attribute requirements are met, and you’ll receive a Badge level progression accelerator. The MyCAREER Quest to unlock Rebirth becomes available once you have reached 90 OVR on a save.
• The Track is a new indoor karting warehouse that features elaborate tracks and bike and go-kart driving mechanics, developed by the team behind the vehicle physics in LEGO 2K Drive. As you race, you'll see ghosts of the target time, your best time, and the #1 player on the leaderboard’s best time racing alongside you. Each week, 1 Million VC will be awarded to the first-place finisher. This is a great time whenever you need a change of pace and we encourage everyone to try it out. Be on the lookout for new races released every week!
• Earn new Teammote dances that you and your squad perform in perfect sync with music. Use Teammotes to show off your moves during pre-game intros, around The City, during matchmaking screens, and more.

CLOSING REMARKS

This year, we’ve focused our efforts on giving the community what it wants in The City, and we’re grateful for all of the tremendous support and feedback. We’re proud of what we’ve created this year and we can’t wait for you to experience all of the City’s new features, from Proving Grounds to 2K15 Events, and beyond.

With NBA 2K25, players will forge a dynasty in MyCAREER, compete in new MyTEAM modes, and, for those on New-Gen platforms, players will also experience an added sixth era in MyNBA, a more compact and interactive City, along with the chance to cement their G.O.A.T. status in The W. In addition to new updates in MyCAREER and MyTEAM, players on Current-Gen will experience an all new Neighborhood metropolis to explore where they will complete quests, earn rewards and eclipse their rivals. 

The New-Gen version of NBA 2K25 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and now supported on PC. Powered by enhanced ProPLAYTM technology, New-Gen NBA 2K25 delivers the franchise’s most true-to-life basketball experience yet, offering players the ultimate control in how they dominate the competition. Players on PC with compatible specs will now benefit from the enhanced realism of ProPLAYTM technology, and the ability to compete in modes such as MyNBA, The W and in The City. Crossplay will only be available on New-Gen consoles.

“In a year that showcases competition at the highest level - and in a play style that is uniquely one’s own - we’re thrilled to share Jayson, A’ja and Vince as the NBA 2K25 cover athletes” said Greg Thomas, President at Visual Concepts. “The development team has delivered another innovative experience for basketball lovers, setting up NBA 2K25 to be the next icon in this long-standing dynasty.” 

NBA 2K25 will offer four editions of the game in various digital and physical formats: Standard Edition, a GameStop exclusive WNBA Edition that is available as a physical edition in the US and Canada, All-Star Edition, and a Hall of Fame Edition that is only on-sale through September 8 and includes a 12-month subscription to NBA League Pass*. All editions of NBA 2K25 are available for pre-order** now and will release worldwide on September 6: 

• The Standard Edition will be available for $69.99 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC, and $59.99 on Nintendo Switch. 
• The WNBA Edition, a GameStop exclusive, will be available for $69.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and only available in North America (physical only).
• The All-Star Edition will be available for $99.99 on PS5 & PS4, Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. This edition includes 100,000 VC and MyTEAM content, including 10 MyTEAM Player Cards (3 guaranteed to be 89 OVR), 3 Diamond Shoe Cards, 3 Takeover Boosts, and 1 Amethyst Coach Card; as well as MyCAREER content, including 150x Skill Boosts (25 Games), 75x Gatorade Boosts (25 Games), Jayson Tatum Cover Jersey, Jayson Tatum Electric Skateboard Skin, and a 2K25 Cover Stars Design T-Shirt.
• The limited availability Hall of Fame Edition will be offered through September 8th for $149.99 on PS5 & PS4, Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One, and PC. The special Hall of Fame Edition includes everything in the All-Star Edition plus a MyCAREER Vince Carter Cover Jersey, a Season 1 Pro Pass with 4 upfront Pro Pass rewards and a 12-Month NBA League Pass Subscription*.

NBA 2K25 is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC on September 6, 2024.

*NBA 2K25 Hall of Fame Edition (Digital) only available through September 8, 2024. Includes 12-Month NBA League Pass Subscription. NBA League Pass valid for 12 months from redemption and auto-renews monthly unless canceled prior to the renewal date at the then-current published MSRP for NBA League Pass in your territory. Availability restrictions apply. Not available on Nintendo Switch. See https://nba.2k.com/2K25/league-pass-faq/ for full terms, availability, redemption, and cancellation instructions

** Prices based on 2K’s suggested retail price. Actual retail price may vary. See local retailers for more info and availability.