NBA 2K25 Release Date Window, Latest Cover Star News

While some players continue to grind last year's MyCAREER, others are already looking ahead to the potential NBA 2K25 release date window. Annual franchises like this follow fairly regular launch patterns, but things can shift somewhat from year to year.

Players may still have several months to wait, but we already know the NBA 2K25 release date window to expect. With past years in mind and a look at when the official reveals are likely to arrive, you'll find our NBA 2K25 release date prediction below.

Update June 24: A new trademark filing could have tipped off the NBA 2K25 cover athlete, and we've got more here on who looks poised to get the honor. 

NBA 2K25 Release Date Prediction

Whether you're still buried in MyNBA Eras creating a new version of history or haven't even bothered with last year's release, basketball fans everywhere are looking ahead to the potential NBA 2K25 release date. As of now, 2K Sports shows no signs of relinquishing control of this franchise and there's no word on any other developers taking up the challenge of a major basketball simulation title.

Despite the franchise's flaws, they've remained extremely consistent in dropping each new installment. With their history in mind, we predict the NBA 2K25 release date will be September 6, 2024.

If we look back, last year NBA 2K24 was released on Friday, September 8, 2023. Dropping the game on the first or second Friday of September has become a stable pattern for 2K Sports, and it's unlikely they'll stray far from that.

NBA 2K23 was released on September 9, 2022, NBA 2K22 was released on September 10, 2021, and NBA 2K21 was released on September 4, 2020. There's a chance they'll shift a bit later and go with September 13, 2024, it's less likely they'd push all the way up to September 1.

When will NBA 2K25 be announced?

We should get the answers to questions about the NBA 2K25 release date, their picks for cover athlete, and more when the game is formally announced. While the exact day varies year to year, the NBA 2K franchise is normally unveiled each July.

Looking ahead at the NBA schedule itself, they've got the NBA 2K Vegas Summer League scheduled for July 12 through July 22. As such, we expect NBA 2K25 reveals to begin dropping either just before or just after the Summer League. 

Will NBA 2K25 be on Xbox Game Pass or have Early Access?

We probably won't see NBA 2K25 early access on the table. Despite sister 2K Sports release WWE 2K24 sticking to a multi-day early access period the last few years, NBA 2K has resisted caving to that tendency from others in this genre.

However, there's always a chance of change and they recently did some of that by putting NBA 2K24 on Xbox Game Pass. They'd avoided putting the NBA 2K franchise on subscription services up to that point despite competitors like Madden joining the service after launch and MLB The Show even becoming a regular Day One drop on Game Pass. If NBA 2K25 comes to Xbox Game Pass, it likely won't be until several months after the NBA 2K25 release date arrives.