NBA 2K25 Gameplay Trailer, First Details

After revealing the cover players and opening up pre-orders in mid July, 2K are tipping off August with the gameplay trailer and blog for NBA 2K25. In addition to giving us our first look at the game, it’s also been revealed that Early Tip-Off is back, as gamers who pre-order will be able to play from September 4th, rather than the September 6th launch date.

In addition to giving us our first glimpse of on-court action from cinematic angles – as usual – the first NBA 2K25 trailer also spotlights some of the key features of gameplay this year. They include over 9000 new animations, an all-new dribble engine, signature go-to shots, shot timing profiles, a brand new defensive movement system, and an updated shot contest system.

The courtside report on gameplay in NBA 2K25 goes into more detail about these features. I’ve posted a summary of the key points below, which you can check out along with the trailer. The roadmap for the NBA 2K25 preview season has also been revealed. The next set of previews will be dropping on August 5th, and will cover MyCAREER and MyPLAYER. News on MyNBA and The W will be coming on August 12th, MyTEAM details on August 19th, previews of The City on August 26th, and then a look at Season 1 and 2K Beats will be posted on September 2nd.

Once again, see below for more details. Got any thoughts about the NBA 2K25 gameplay trailer and developer blog? Share them in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion our NBA 2K25 Forum.

NBA 2K25 Gameplay Trailer

NBA 2K25 Gameplay Blog Recap

• Year 2 of ProPLAY – which translates real NBA footage to in-game animations – has added 1,500 new dribbling animations, 1,100 new signature shot animations (covering most of the rostered players from the 2024 season), and 1,300 off-the-ball animations.
• The all-new dribble engine has been “built from the ground up”. It’s being touted as the biggest change to the gameplay engine in years, with dynamic motion driven by ProPLAY technology. In particular, it mentions tighter stops, more explosive launches, and movement that’s “smoother, more lifelike, and more consistent than ever before”.
• Holding up on the Pro Stick (right stick) will trigger Signature Go-To shots, featuring dribble-into-shot combos.
• A new shot cancelling feature will allow breaking out of any advanced shot into other moves, such as a hesi or shot fake. In this way, you can begin a move like a stepbacker jumper, cancel it, and smoothly transition into a different dribbling move, or go into a drive.
• The Shot Timing profiles are based on feedback from gamers regarding the level of challenge in shooting. Essentially, we’ll be able to customise the risk-reward factor of shot timing. “Low-Risk Reward” favours ratings, openness, and smart shots, with more forgiving shot timing but a smaller window for Green Releases. Conversely, “High Risk-Reward” is basically “green-or-miss”, but consistently good timing will be rewarded with great results.
• Visual Cues for the ideal release point can now be set to any point in the shot in the Jumpshot Creator. This is intended to provide full control over when to release the button/stick.
• All of the shooting methods from NBA 2K24 are returning, but NBA 2K25 also introduces Pro Stick Rhythm Shooting. This method involves pushing the Pro Stick down and then up in a way that mimics the shooter’s signature form, with higher accuracy yielding better results.
• Rhythm Shooting also takes into account Shot Timing profiles, and is being hyped as more skill-based, with the opportunity to outperform gamers using the traditional method.
• A new defensive cut-off system involves using the right stick on defense to slide into position and stonewall ballhandlers by accurately reading their movement and anticipating a drive.
• The new Shot Contest system is described as using a dynamic weighting system rather than a fixed one. It also evaluates the impact of the defense at the start of the shot rather than the release, calculating the coverage accordingly.
• Perimeter and interior defensive ratings will be more impactful, and height difference will also impact the level of coverage.
• Spacing has been enhanced with over 20 adjustment locations inside the three-point line. Freelance offense has been redesigned to account for these adjustments by the AI, and double team reactions also make spacing a priority.
• Improvements to AI mean smarter cuts to the basket, and thus better driving lanes and drive-and-kick opportunities.
• Defensive logic has also been improved, allowing for better pursuit angles and rotations.
• Custom playbooks can be shared with other gamers, similar to rosters, sliders, MyNBA Eras setups, and other settings.
• AI difficulty isn’t just about shooting percentages, but also aggressiveness and adjustments at both ends, to scale the challenge accordingly. Attacking the basket will be noticeably easier on lower difficulty settings.
• A new Learn 2K mode will provide more detailed onboarding this year.

NBA 2K25 Preview Season Roadmap

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