NBA 2K25 is just around the corner and we’ve got plenty to discuss ahead of its launch, including the MyPLAYER Builder, an all-new Takeover system, improved Badge progression, and the immersive MyCAREER mode. For the latest iteration of the franchise, we were adamant about making significant changes to each of the aforementioned areas for a more tailored experience. Whether you’re new to NBA 2K, a returning player, or a savvy veteran, there’s more than one way to play. Let’s get started!
MyPLAYER BUILDER
Every MyCAREER starts with building your MyPLAYER, which is possibly the most integral moment on your journey to creating a legacy for yourself. We understand the importance of this process, so we’ve spent a good deal of time ensuring you have the tools necessary to build just the right player for you.
NBA 2K25’s MyPLAYER Builder offers an array of customizations in the structure and archetype of your MyPLAYER, with over a hundred new possible archetypes you can create.
When you enter the MyPLAYER Builder, you’ll have the option to choose from:
1. Create-Your-Own Build
Whether you’re a build-making veteran who has mastered the MyPLAYER Builder, or just looking to experiment and create a unique build, anyone can use the world-class MyPLAYER Builder to create a build from scratch. You can choose your position and measurements, and meticulously adjust your individual Attribute Potential, all while seeing how these choices will affect the various benefits you can eventually be equipped with.
2. Community Build
First introduced in NBA 2K24, Community Builds spotlight creations from standout players in the community that you can use as a blueprint to build your MyPLAYER to compete at the highest levels. We saw 35 awesome templates last year from some of your favorite build makers, and this year we’ll be adding brand-new builds from new and returning build makers. The first Community Builds will be available in Season 2, with more becoming available each Season.
Through each of these MyPLAYER Builder paths, you’ll have access to more information than ever before. If you want to nerd out and dig deeper, you can preview all of the benefits you qualify for, including Badges, Takeovers in the New Takeover System, and Signature Animations.
Once you have a MyPLAYER Build you like, we suggest taking it for spin in the Build Tester. First, you’ll be presented with the Equip screen, where you can see all the Signature Animations your build has the potential to unlock, and other customization options like jump shots and dunk packages. Participate in 3v3 or 5v5 games, or play the new Freestyle practice option to experiment without teammates or opponents to hone your skills. We hope these improvements provide a better experience for New Gen players in The City.
This year’s MyPLAYER Builder is designed to cater to different playstyles and strategic preferences. Whether you’re creating your MyPLAYER from scratch or leveraging community wisdom, each option in NBA 2K25 is crafted to fit your style.
Attribute Refresh
In NBA 2K25, we refreshed a handful of physical attributes, as well as how you earn Stamina.
There are now five Physical attributes in the MyPLAYER Builder: Speed With Ball (in the Playmaking category), Speed, Agility, Strength, and Vertical.
Stamina is now earned through Gatorade Gym workouts. Each MyPLAYER starts off with an 85 Stamina attribute rating. Doing a workout adds 2 Stamina attribute points, regardless of your workout result, and you can do 4 workouts each week. Once any of your MyPLAYERs reaches a 99 Stamina attribute rating, it is permanent. As an added bonus for hitting the gym, if you get at least 3 stars on all 4 weekly workouts, you will receive a temporary Turbo Meter Boost and unlock a Body Type for your MyPLAYER.
Once you have done all 12 unique workouts in the Gatorade Gym, you will unlock Workout Warrior, which gives you 99 Stamina, a permanent Turbo Meter Boost, and all of your unlocked Body Types across all new and existing saves.
In NBA 2K24, the Acceleration attribute determined your dribble launching and off-ball movement. In contrast, NBA 2K25 dribble launching is now determined solely by the Speed With Ball attribute, while defensive lateral movement, off-ball launches, and off-ball cuts are determined by a new attribute called Agility.
TAKEOVERS
NBA 2K25 introduces a brand new Takeover system, with 72 Takeovers and 14 Takeover Abilities. Each Takeover targets different attributes and has five levels, ranging from Level 1 when you're just heating up, to Level 5 when you're red-hot. As you excel on the court, your Takeover Meter fills up, gradually boosting the targeted attributes as you rise up the five levels. This happens automatically, so you don't need to manually activate Takeover. But if you make mistakes and produce bad plays on the court, your Takeover Meter will drop.
At Level 5, you'll trigger a Takeover Ability that, when used effectively, can make you the most dominant player on the court for a short period of time. Initially, you will only have access to Levels 1-3. You will unlock Levels 4 and 5 each by activating its previous Level in 30 different games; Takeover Level unlocks do carry over between saves!
Each Takeover has attribute requirements, and you'll be able to see which Takeovers you have the potential to unlock within the MyPLAYER Builder, as well as how each one’s associated boosts will impact your attributes. You can change your Takeover at any time between games, selecting from any that you meet the attribute requirements for.
A personal favorite of Visual Concepts is the BBQ Chicken Takeover. Hoop heads know that BBQ Chicken means you’re about to cook your defender and serve up a highlight. As your Takeover Meter rises, your post game becomes stronger. The Takeover Ability it comes with is Deep Post Bag, which temporarily, and greatly, enhances all things post — from backdowns, to post moves, and post shots.
BADGES
There are 40 skill Badges in NBA 2K25 and, similar to Takeovers, each Badge has unique attribute requirements. When you're building your MyPLAYER, you'll be able to see which Badges you have the potential to unlock. These 40 Badges are split across two Tiers, determined by your MyPLAYER's height.
MyPLAYER Badges are progressed by activating each Badge in games. This means Badges you use the most will be earned more quickly, matching your playstyle on the court. This progression can only increase and does not drop even if you don't fire a Badge off. Tier 1 Badges are the most powerful Badges available to you, but are more difficult to progress compared to Tier 2 Badges. You can also work on your Badges in the Team Practice Facility.
Here's a full list of new and changed Badges in NBA 2K25:
Our goal was to make every Badge feel valuable and equally desirable. With fewer Badges, each is more all-encompassing, having a legitimate impact on the court. We ensured every area of basketball was complemented with useful Badges, so every play style has ways to stand out. This means there are fewer Badges that activate in only very specific situations. For example, Shifty Shooter covers all off-the-dribble shooting, and Set Shot Specialist covers all standing shooting.
There's also a brand new level of Badges—higher than Hall of Fame—called Legend! Legend Badges have the highest attribute requirements to unlock for your MyPLAYER but give you a huge boost on the court.
Badge Perks
There are three new Badge Perks that can modify progression of individual Badges. Each perk has two slots available to unlock: one for Tier 1 Badges and another for Tier 2 Badges.
- Max +1 - Boost a Badge 1 level above its max potential. You must progress a Badge to its max potential before equipping this perk. These are unlocked at Level 15 (Tier 2 Badge) and Level 30 (Tier 1 Badge) in each Season. At the end of the Season, your Badges equipped with Max +1 will revert to their original level.
- Participation - Badges equipped with this perk will earn a flat base amount of progression each game, regardless of how many times they are activated.
- Synergy - Badges equipped with this perk will receive progression when your teammates earn progression using the same Badge.
Participation, Synergy, and Overdrive (returning from 2K24) are earned through rotating Season rewards.
Performance Multipliers
Maximize your Badges in NBA 2K25 by taking advantage of Performance Multipliers. These in-game boosts can take your game to another level, but you’ll need to earn them separately via Quests. There are three Performance Multipliers in total:
- Up For The Challenge - Games played against tough opponents boosts badge progression for all badges that are used in the game.
- Grade A Student - Finishing games with an A-, A, or A+ boosts badge progression for all badges that are used in the game.
- Winner's Circle - Winning games boosts badge progression for all badges that are used in the game.
As you compete in different game types you’ll experience different versions of a Performance Multiplier based on the format.
Badge Elevators
New in NBA 2K25, Badge Elevators can permanently boost an individual Badge of your choice up to 3 levels within its max potential. For example, if your Badge is currently at Bronze but has a max potential of Legend, it can immediately be boosted up to three levels from Bronze, to Silver, to Gold, to Hall of Fame.
These will be available to unlock throughout the year from Season Level rewards. Badge Elevators earned in Seasons 1-4 can boost your Badges up to two levels, and those earned in Seasons 5-8 can boost your Badges up to three levels.
CAP BREAKERS
Last but not least, we are excited to introduce Cap Breakers in NBA 2K25.
We saw community feedback that players wanted a way to not only increase attribute ratings above their max potential ‘caps’ set at build creation, but also have those ratings contribute towards Animation, Badge, and Takeover attribute requirements. That’s exactly what Cap Breakers do.
For example, let’s say your Ball Handle attribute is maxed out at 85. You can apply two Cap Breakers to play with an 87 Ball Handle rating and also unlock access to any Animations, Badges, or Takeovers that require an 87 Ball Handle.
There’s a few restrictions to ensure a balanced gameplay experience:
- Each attribute can be increased a maximum of +5 above its cap.
- You can use a Cap Breaker on an attribute up to its max potential rating allowed by your build’s height, weight, and wingspan, which is shown in the MyPLAYER Builder while allocating your attribute potential.
- You must progress an attribute to its max potential rating before applying a Cap Breaker.
There are a total of 15 Cap Breakers available to earn through REP rewards. More on REP, Affiliations, and The City in a few weeks!
MyCAREER
Once you've built your "MP," it's time to start your MyCAREER.
NBA 2K25’s MyCAREER centers around constructing the greatest dynasty in NBA history, challenging you to surpass Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, the ‘80s Showtime Lakers, the ‘Big 3’ Celtics starring Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, the dynamic duo of Kobe and Shaq, the high-powered Golden State Warriors featuring Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, and so on.
Heart of a Dynasty
At the start of your MyCAREER, you can experience MP's backstory by playing through a flashback story called Heart of a Dynasty, where you’ll relive the four most pivotal games from your path to the NBA. These include a Club League Showcase Game, your high school championship game, the FIBA u19 World Cup, and an open run with NBA players (where one of those players isn’t too happy MP got an invite).
Completing these games unlocks the MyPOINTS Accelerator, which increases your MyPOINTS progression by 5% to help you unlock new attribute upgrades more quickly. You can also choose to skip this backstory and complete it later while progressing through your NBA career.
Dynasty Rankings
The GOAT Rankings system returns to track your ascent through the ranks of NBA legends, but we’ve added a Dynasty component on top of that where the focus is less on your individual accomplishments and more on how far you can take your team. We’ve ranked the nine greatest dynasties in NBA history, and as you make deep playoff runs and win championships, you’ll see your team climb the Dynasty Rankings until you reach the #1 spot, dethroning Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
This year’s MyPLAYER doesn’t come in with GOAT hype, so you’ll have to earn your spot in the starting lineup. The better the player in front of you is, the harder it’ll be to take his spot. But that’s just the first obstacle you’ll face as you try to build your dynasty.
Improved Key Games
Key Games are back and we’re really excited about the improvements we’ve made to this feature!
This year you’ve got a ton of control over what Key Games you play. We’ve split the season into two halves, and each half you’ll set Personal Goals with your Coach and GM. Choosing different Personal Goals will give you a different set of Key Games.
If you like trying to outperform your matchups, you can do that. We’ve tiered it so if you have a low Overall Rating you’ll go up against other NBA players with similar ratings. If you’re a 99 Overall, you’ll go up against the best of the best. You can try to win the NBA Cup, focus on winning road games, prove you’re one of the top rookies in your class, and much more. We’ve even got a set of Key Games that revolves around posterizing guys.
You’ll have different Key Games available to you depending on your MyPLAYER Build, how good your team is, and how high your Overall Rating is. There’s content for all kinds of play styles and scenarios.
When you successfully complete your Key Games, you’ll earn Dynasty Badges that you can use to help your teammates play better in different ways. For example, Taking Over allows your team to start the game with Takeover against rival teams. Altogether, there are 18 Dynasty Badges available, with Bronze, Silver, and Gold rarities for you to unlock. Take a look below at the full list:
- Rapid Boil
- Dime Droppers
- Up and Coming
- Home Court Advantage
- Interior Menace
- King of the Hill
- Up and Coming
- Taking Over
- Road Heroes
- Helping Hand
- Thou Shall Not Pass
- Board Beasts
- Everybody Eats
- Finishing Touch
- Paint Protectors
- Get After It
- The Postmen
- Flame Throwers
Overall, NBA 2K25 MyCAREER stays true to basketball, while a variety of new Quests allow you to focus on whichever aspects you find most interesting on your path to stardom. Between games, you'll meet with your agent on endorsement opportunities, participate in press conferences and podcasts to build yourself and your dynasty up, and more.
CLOSING REMARKS
NBA 2K25 is filled with surprises, and we don’t want to spoil them all, but we do want to share a few of our favorites before we let you go.
- FIBA games are available via Heart of Dynasty, and they’ve also been added as part of the revamped Offseason flow, where you can play friendlies, qualifiers, and a full FIBA Tournament that you can recruit other NBA stars for.
- Swap jerseys with some of your favorite NBA superstars! Through optional Highlight Games, you can earn a jersey swap with players like Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama if you complete in-game challenges against their teams. You’re going to want to earn these jerseys—not only will you be able to wear them around The City, but you can also display them in your MyCOURT (more on that in a few weeks!).
- After a long and storied Hall-of-Fame career, you’ll receive the coveted Naismith Hall of Fame Orange Jacket for your MyPLAYER, which you can take to The City to flex your legendary career.
- Finally, we are excited to announce that Season XP can now be earned from NBA career games, so you can level up and earn rewards for The City and MyTEAM! Stay tuned for more information on NBA 2K25 Seasons & Season Pass.
NBA 2K25 boasts exciting new features, enhancements to your favorite modes and gameplay elements, and more. To learn more about the various gameplay improvements and expanded ProPLAY animations, visit the official Courtside Report. In the coming weeks, stay tuned for more Courtside Reports, news, and updates regarding NBA 2K25’s competitive modes!