Which NBA 2K25 Difficulty Mode Is Right for You? Here’s the Breakdown

NBA 2K25 is a game that can be enjoyed by any player of any skill level, even if you’ve never seen or played a game of basketball in your life. However, you can’t immediately hop into the newest basketball simulator and have it recognize your skill level to correctly determine how difficult the game is for you. Fortunately, NBA 2K25 does offer the ability to set your difficulty level according to how challenging you want the game to be.

While you get the ability to set and change your difficulty level, the game doesn’t do a terrific job of explaining the difference between all of the options. So, in this guide, we’re going over all of the difficulty levels, what changes in NBA 2K25 when you select one, and how to change the levels themselves.

All Difficulty Modes In NBA 2K25

In total, there are six difficulty levels you can pick from in NBA 2K25. The difficulty levels range from true beginner to an expert level that is as unforgiving as actually playing in the NBA. Below, we’ll list all six difficulty levels and give a little background about each one so you know exactly what to expect from them.

Rookie

This is the “true beginner” difficulty level in NBA 2K25 that should only be selected by players who are brand new to the 2K franchise, basketball in general, or sports games as a whole. This level offers an extremely forgiving difficulty curve, allowing you to get used to the controls, the flow of games, and all of the basic mechanics in 2K25. If you’re not a fresh player, you only want to select Rookie difficulty if you’re trying to test out a new mechanic or control scheme; otherwise, you’ll find absolutely no challenge from the AI opponents. You should spend your time on Rookie difficulty to learn some of 2K’s tougher mechanics, such as using the Dunk Meter.

Semi-Pro

Semi-Pro difficulty in 2K25 offers a slight step-up in terms of the challenge you’ll face from the AI. It’s not as easy as Rookie, but it still makes the game incredibly simple. Semi-Pro is a great place to start for players returning to the 2K franchise after a long hiatus. However, players who started on Rookie should move to Semi-Pro after they have a few hours of gameplay under their belts. You’ll still find Semi-Pro fairly easy if you’ve ever played 2K before.

Pro

Pro difficulty is the default option in 2K25, as it can be defined as the “Normal” or “Medium” difficulty level. This is the most balanced difficulty mode, and it’s perfect for players who don’t want too much of a challenge when they play or beginners who have close to or over a dozen hours of gameplay in their career. You need to think about your mechanics and strategy a little more on Pro difficulty, but the AI is still forgiving when it comes to punishing your mistakes in games.

All-Star

Now we’ve graduated into the difficulty modes where the game starts to punish you. All-Star kicks off this level of difficulty modes, as it’s a decent step-up from Pro difficulty in terms of how challenging the AI is to play against. You need to have a solid grasp of every gameplay mechanic on offense and defense to have a chance against your offline opponents. Any mistake and it will cost you on All-Star difficulty. You should be on this difficulty mode if you’ve played most or all 2K titles in the past several years.

Superstar

We’ve arrived at the penultimate difficulty mode in 2K25. The Superstar difficulty mode is reserved for veterans of the franchise who want a true challenge at any gameplay level. You’ll find it tough to even go in for a layup against a zone defense, and the AI will constantly make shots that it never would have made on the lower difficulty modes. This is where the mastering of some mechanics, such as knowing every single dunk and how to use them in 2K25, comes into play. You only want to play on Superstar difficulty if you’re ready to sweat for an entire game.

Hall of Fame

Finally, Hall of Fame is the highest difficulty mode you can select in 2K25. This mode is reserved for true masters of the 2K franchise, and it’s usually a remarkable accomplishment if you can win against the AI while playing on it. You need to master every mechanic to even have a prayer on Hall of Fame. This means perfecting your jump shot, performing all sorts of dribbling combo moves, and playing impeccable defense. Don’t pick Hall of Fame difficulty until you’re ready or if you want to see how truly strong the AI can be in 2K25.

How To Change Difficulty Modes In NBA 2K25

Now that we’ve covered each of the six difficulty modes and provided a little more explanation for them, how do you change between your options? This is helpful information for beginners who want to increase the challenge as they learn more or for veterans who simply want to bounce back and forth between the harder modes.

You can see how to change the difficulty mode below:

• Go to the main menu of 2K25, click on “Features,” and then choose the ” Settings” option
• Here, look at the first option on your screen, which is called “Game Difficulty”
• Set the difficulty mode to one of the six options we explained above, and then leave the settings menu
• Your game will now be on the difficulty mode you’ve selected
• You can change your difficulty mode at the main menu or even while you’re in the middle of a game