NBA 2K25 on PC will be first to feature previously PS5 and Xbox Series X|S exclusive upgrades

When most sports gaming franchises expanded onto then next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms, one of the most common frustrations came from PC players who realized their copies would still have the past-gen or then "current-gen" feature set. With the announcement of NBA 2K25 including the release date and cover athletes, we've also learned a little bit about the features that will arrive. For the first time, PC players will get access to the same version of NBA 2K that PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players enjoy.

NBA 2K25 on PC to include all PS5 and Xbox Series X|S gameplay upgrades

The gaps between console generations tend to be most felt in sports gaming, as the annual release and development cycles of these franchises often signal where the industry as a whole is headed. This has been even more prevelent in the latest generation leap, as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S supplies were very scarce when they first arrived, an issue only exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NBA 2K, as well as fellow sports gaming juggernauts Madden and FIFA (now EA Sports FC), took the course of keeping PC copies of their games in "last-gen" during initial years. With the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 featuring hardware that many middle of the line PCs couldn't match at the time, they were reluctant to make the leap right away and potentially lock out PC players whose rigs couldn't run each new edition of their games.

However, we're now years into the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S generation, and NBA 2K25 will be the first in this series to bring PC up to speed with its modern console counterparts. With the announcement of the NBA 2K25 release date and cover athletes, they've also confirmed that PC players will get the "new-gen" version for the first time. That means gameplay upgrades and game modes will be making their debut on PC this year.

NBA 2K25 on PC is "powered by ehanced ProPLAYTM technology," and will get access to game modes MyNBA, The W, and The City. In previous years, NBA 2K on PC kept the predecessor modes of MyLEAGUE and The Neighborhood, and didn't have The W or a full WNBA option at all. Despite the leap for PC players, NBA 2K25 will still release on PS4 and Xbox One with the past-gen feature set, so players who don't mind those differences can still wait to upgrade to Xbox Series X|S and PS5.