The NBA offseason made headlines as some of the league’s biggest stars shined in the Olympics and others landed with new teams through negotiations and free agency. So you’re probably itching to get started with your new-look team in Play Now mode NBA 2K25 to play. When you take to the court on September 4th in the latest entry in the NBA 2K series for PS5 and PS4, you will be able to experience great improvements in all the competitive modes of NBA 2K25, including Play Now Online*). the return of leagues as well as an overhaul of the leaderboard, ranking system and more!
Whether you’re playing alone or with a friend, the classic Play Now mode is the easiest way to get in on the action and score thunderous dunks in traditional one-on-one matchups. Choose from current NBA teams with new rosters or pay tribute to legendary basketball teams of the past. While you have an instant choice in Play Now offline mode, the rules for Play Online Now mode are a bit different.
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The biggest change in the Play Online Now game mode is the return of Leagues, a ranking system that divides your skills into the following levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum & GOAT. Each player starts at the Bronze level and has all 30 current NBA teams to choose from, but to gain access to more teams you need to increase your level.
From bronze to silver: Open teams from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s
From silver to gold: Open teams from the 2000s
From Gold to Platinum: Open teams from the 2010s
From Platinum to GOAT: Unlock a “GOATED Team” (there is a new “GOATED Team” every season).
To move up from bronze to silver and so on and move on, you need to collect enough “Victory Points”. You will receive it if you win. But there’s a catch: In NBA 2K25, you can only use the same team once every five games, or until you advance to the next league. Despite the joy of being able to dominate every game with the Boston Celtics, there is an added incentive to put down a lower-ranked team.
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Leagues use overall rankings to divide teams into three “tiers” and determine how victory points are awarded. Check it out for yourself:
Class 1 – Win with one of the top 10 teams in the NBA to get the fewest number of victory points.
Class 2 – Win with one of the teams ranked 11th through 20th to get a medium amount of victory points.
Class 3 – Win with one of the teams ranked 21st through 30th to receive the most victory points.
The pursuit of victory is the ultimate goal of Play Online Now, but class progression also brings its own fun. Players who earn enough points in the GOAT League will receive a VC Prize, an All-Time Team, and the prestige of completing the GOAT League. Additionally, players who make it to the top 100 will receive an in-game logo visible to all players to mark their achievement.
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The Play Online Now game mode in NBA 2K25 continues to maintain its familiar, authentic feel, but this year it has been refreshed with significant changes to bring you another level of competitive fun. The simpler, cleaner interface makes the new progression system understandable to all players and contributes to the intuitive nature of Play Now.
We can’t wait for you to experience Play Now mode and all the other improvements in NBA 2K25, available September 4 for PS5 and PS4.
* Playing online requires a PlayStation Plus subscription and internet connection. PlayStation Plus is an ongoing subscription where recurring subscription fees (at the current PS Store price) are automatically billed at your chosen frequency until cancelled. Terms of use, see play.st/psplus-usageterms.