NBA 2K25 Early Access Release Time, How to Preload

If there's one thing you can expect to run just about like clockwork, it's the release timing for annual sports games. NBA 2K25 is set to bring back the biggest basketball sim in the world with a slew of upgrades, and many players are eager to get in as early as possible. If you're looking to take advantage of early access, we've got the exact NBA 2K25 release time here and how players can be ready for launch.

NBA 2K25 Release Time (Early Tip-Off)

For years, NBA 2K has been the main sports franchise that pushed back on early access. While everything from Madden and NHL to MLB The Show and even 2K's own WWE series have made at least a few days of early access a regular deluxe edition reward, NBA 2K25 will be the first time this franchise has taken that step.

The good news for players is that they won't have to purchase the extra expensive All-Star Edition or Hall of Fame Edition to get in early. Any player who places a pre order for NBA 2K25, even the Standard Edition, will gain access to Early Tip-Off. However, the timing will be a bit different depending on which platform you're using.

Here's the NBA 2K25 early access release time for each region on Xbox and PlayStation: 

• New Zealand (NZST) - Midnight on September 5, 2024
• Australia (AEST) - 10pm on September 4, 2024
• Japan (JST) - 9pm on September 4, 2024
• Singapore (SGT) - 8pm on September 4, 2024
• United Kingdom (BST) - 1pm on September 4, 2024
• United States (EDT) - 8am on September 4, 2024
• United States (PDT) - 5am on September 4, 2024

If you'll be playing on PC via Steam, here's your NBA 2K24 early access release time:

• New Zealand (NZST) - 4pm on September 4, 2024
• Australia (AEST) - 2pm on September 4, 2024
• Japan (JST) - 1pm on September 4, 2024
• Singapore (SGT) - Noon on September 4, 2024
• United Kingdom (BST) - 5am on September 4, 2024
• United States (EDT) - Midnight on September 4, 2024
• United States (PDT) - 9pm on September 3, 2024

While players will be able to enjoy the full game once Early Tip-Off goes live, pre-order bonus content won't be delivered until the full launch. The last day to pre order is September 5, 2024, so anyone who waits for early reactions then wants to jump in can still enjoy the bonus and whatever time remains of that early access period. Just like early access, these are split depending on which platform you're using.

Here's the pre-order delivery and worldwide NBA 2K25 release time on Xbox and PlayStation:

• New Zealand (NZST) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• Australia (AEST) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• Japan (JST) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• Singapore (SGT) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• United Kingdom (BST) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• United States (EDT) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• United States (PDT) - 9pm on September 5, 2024

If you're playing on PC via Steam, here's the worldwide NBA 2K24 release time for each region:

• New Zealand (NZST) - 4pm on September 6, 2024
• Australia (AEST) - 2pm on September 6, 2024
• Japan (JST) - 1pm on September 6, 2024
• Singapore (SGT) - Noon on September 6, 2024
• United Kingdom (BST) - 5am on September 6, 2024
• United States (EDT) - Midnight on September 6, 2024
• United States (PDT) - 9pm on September 6, 2024

For those who pre order on PlayStation, the ability to pre-download NBA 2K25 should become available on September 3, 2024, and the same should be true for Steam. Normally, Xbox players can get ahead by using the Xbox app to download any game whether they own it or not.

While NBA 2K25 is already on the app and able to be downloaded, the amount downloaded when doing this is about 320 MB. It's not yet clear when the full file will deploy, but keep an eye on your platform in the days and hours leading into launch time.

Downloading early is highly recommended on all platforms, as NBA 2K25 looks to be another year of a massive download size. NBA 2K24 was more than 160 GB on Xbox, and the Steam requirements for NBA 2K25 already suggest at least 150 GB of available space will be needed.