As is so often the case with sprawling urban centers bustling with things to do (and buy), The City in NBA 2K25 can be an overwhelming place to explore. Hidden among the myriad of shops enticing you to purchase everything from clothing to tattoos to vehicles, you might be surprised to learn that there are actual basketball courts to be enjoyed.
These courts offer different ways to play that also come with various exposures to the rest of The City’s community. If you want to isolate yourself from the pressures of competing against and alongside other people, you’ll find plenty of options for courts that will allow you to pit your skills against the CPU. If and when you’re ever ready to show the community what kind of hoops game you’ve been working on, you’ll also have your choice of whatever time and commitment you’re willing to provide.
Every good city needs a handy guide that cuts through all of its grandeur and noise in a no-nonsense breakdown of what there is to like at the various hotspots and what might be lacking. To help you in your decision of what you’re seeking from the expansive City on any given day, let’s go over what each these courts offer, review some pros and cons of all of them, and suggest some other courts based on your personal preferences. There are bound to be a few courts that aren’t mentioned here but that just might mean that they aren’t deserving of a mention.
MyCourt
What Is It? It’s your home court, dummy. This is your own personal court where you can always head to shoot, shimmy and and slam dunk to your heart’s content.
Pros: Here in your fortress of solitude you can let the troubles of the city fade away as you work on some fundamentals. It’s an excellent place to work on the timing of your jump shot to ensure you have it down pat before unleashing it against real competition. Are you interested in maybe finally trying out rhythm shooting? Practice it here first rather than completely embarrassing yourself during a game. The advanced controls for NBA 2K25 can be difficult to grasp with so many moves at your disposal, so put in some time here to be certain you know what you’re doing.
Cons: As you might expect, playing by yourself on an open court can get boring quickly. At some point, you’re probably going to want to take your skills outside of your own court and start pitting them against others. This is especially true considering you won’t earn many rewards or be able to improve your player all that much just by staying home all the time.
Who Will Like It: Anyone who’s interested in self-improvement, of course.
If You Like This, You Might Also Like: Since you’re bound to do a lot of shooting on MyCourt, you might as well do that in Chris Matthews’ The Art of Shooting drills where that can actually earn you some worthwhile rewards.
NBA
What Is It? With every player that you create in NBA 2K25, you’ll be drafted by an NBA team that fully expects you to suit up for all 82 games of the regular season and any ensuing playoff matchups (assuming that you’re healthy and playing well enough, that is).
Pros: The NBA is the ideal place to earn VC and level up badges to have your created player rising to their full potential. Because the CPU opponent typically doesn’t present a formidable challenge, you should easily be able to pad your stats and handily win most games. This is especially true if you decide to play on a lower difficulty where you might as well be playing against a high school team instead, though bear in mind that a multiplier does reward you for increasing the difficulty. There’s also the fact that much of the MyCareer storyline largely revolves around your NBA career, so you can complete quests and take in an abundance of cutscenes as you progress through seasons.
Cons: Whether it’s the real NBA or the one in the video game, the grind of an 82-game season can really take its toll. While it might be exciting when big games roll around or during the playoffs, it can be a little harder to get up for a game against the Wizards in the middle of the season. The novelty of playing for your favorite NBA team wears thin after a while and can eventually become tedious, almost like any other job.
Who Will Like It: If you’re someone who prefers franchise modes and playing against the CPU rather than human opponents, the authenticity of playing NBA games will likely carry some appeal.
If You like This, You Might Also Like: Since you probably prefer to keep your games offline, venture to the streetball courts where there are some rewards to be found for beating opponents, including new daily challengers.
Rec
What Is It? A hub for 5-on-5 online play with gameplay that strives for realism.
Pros: With 10 players on the court, The Rec offers action that both looks and plays like the sport you see when you tune into the NBA. It can be fun to build chemistry with teammates and execute strategies that are rewarding when they play out as planned. Players aren’t as likely to shoot quite as accurately from deep or perform the same kind of acrobatic feats in The Rec that they might be able to get away with on other courts. The post-game rewards for sticking it out for an entire game, especially if you end up on the winning side of the showdown, are worth your while for improving not only your player’s skills but also your season level and city rep (if those matter at all to you).
Cons: If you end up with the wrong kind of teammates in The Rec, a game can feel as if it drags on for an eternity while they continue to play hero ball on the offensive end and then completely vanish on defense. That’s at least partially because the four five-minute quarters usually take about a half hour in real time, which makes for a moderate commitment.
Who Will Like It: Those who want to play online with and against a large group of other people while fully embracing everything that comes with that, for better and worse.
If You Like This, You Might Also Like: Assuming you have a dedicated group of enough friends to fill a team, you might want to consider creating a Pro-Am squad to compete against other highly committed players.
Theater
What Is It? An online realm with rotating playlists that’s updated on a weekly basis.
Pros: The biggest draw of the Theater is how its various “screens” all host games that are over fairly quickly, with its mainstay 3-on-3 contests being won by the first team to 21 points. To make things even more time-efficient, the matchmaking ensures that you never have to wait around long for a game like you do in the parks. The variety of the four weekly playlists prevents things from getting too boring when there are always different game parameters just steps away. On any given week, you’re liable to find options that include 2-on-2 games, contests where dunks are worth 3 points, or ones where buckets that come with an assist count for more points.
Cons: Because the games are relatively short, the rewards that you’ll earn following them can be somewhat disappointing, even when you’re a standout player on the winning team.
Who Will Like It: Anyone trying to get a quick competitive basketball fix.
If You Like This, You Might Also Like: Why even leave the confines of the Theater when you can simply hop over to one of the other playlists for a slightly different experience?
Park
What Is It? Online park courts such as the Rise and Elite affiliation ones feature 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 games with more of an arcade gameplay slant.
Pros: When you’re in a squad with a couple of friends and the chat is flowing on a Friday night, The Park courts are a battleground where you can stake your claim and then defend your turf on epic winning streaks. Your familiarity with regular teammates will be a necessity that will give you a noticeable advantage when you square off against a group of randoms devoid of any chemistry whatsoever. The rewards within The Park are slightly better than in The Theater despite the games also being the first to 21 points (think of it as bonus pay for the lack of matchmaking within The Park).
Cons: The big knock on the parks since their inception in NBA 2K has been that they are inhospitable to solo players. The absence of matchmaking means that you’ll have to wait around a court for other players to join you to help take on the winners of the current game, whenever that happens to end. Even when you finally step foot on the court, you’re likely to be overmatched when facing a team that’s a already a unified squad rather than a few randoms who were just thrown together and expected to immediately gel.
Who Will Like It? People who have a long list of friends that also play NBA 2K MyCareer who will urgently hop on to join your squad when they are summoned.
If You Like This, You Might Also Like: Any ongoing Events at any given time typically function similarly to the parks and will often yield better rewards.
