2K Sports has announced that NBA 2K25 will be removed from sale on October 30, 2026, and fully discontinued on December 31, 2026. This shutdown will affect not only multiplayer modes but also formerly single-player accessible components like MyCareer and MyTeam.
While players who own NBA 2K25 will still be able to redownload and play the game offline after the discontinuation date, all online multiplayer games and access to online modes will cease on January 1, 2026. This means that MyCareer and MyTeam modes will become unplayable, and players will no longer be able to acquire virtual currency within the game. However, modes such as Play Now, MyNBA, The W, and MyWNBA will remain accessible.
NBA 2K25, released in October 2024, will have been fully online and functional for approximately two years. This timeline aligns with the discontinuation schedules of previous titles in the series, with NBA 2K24 shutting down on January 31, 2026, and NBA 2K23 going dark a year prior. This two-year cycle appears to be a standard for the NBA 2K series.
The impending closure has drawn criticism from players who invest significant time into modes like MyCareer, with many feeling that two years is insufficient for the longevity of their progress. This stands in contrast to titles like Rockstar's GTA Online, a 2K parent company Take-Two property, which has remained online and continuously updated since 2013, reportedly generating substantial monthly revenue.
The discontinuation of online services for sports games is a common practice across the industry, as publishers shift resources towards newer titles. Additionally, licensing agreements and legal requirements related to the numerous real-world athletes and brands featured in NBA 2K games may also play a role in these shutdown decisions. If the established pattern continues, the newest NBA 2K game, NBA 2K27, released in September 2026, could face a similar fate, being delisted in October 2028 and fully discontinued in January 2029.