We waited for it for more than ten years, insistently asking for its return with great fanfare, and finally our wishes were granted. After a fourth chapter that has become a cult (here is the review of Top Spin 4), Top Spin 2K25 made us relive the emotions that only tennis can offer.
We spent entire days on countless playing fields, in disparate weather conditions and in tournaments of every category, fully enjoying all the mechanics of an extremely complex gameplay: now we are ready to describe to you what it means play a tennis simulation that currently has no equal.
Education first of all
We must start from this very word, simulation, to categorize the title and analyze its playful proposition: net of the obvious facilities that are essential for a video game, the work of Hangar 13 in fact aims for maximum sporting realism keeping any “arcade” influence to a minimum.
In tennis hitting the ball is certainly fundamental, but it is only the culmination of a series of more and less refined steps which ultimately determine more than the shot itself: from the correct positioning on the court to the correct timing of impact with the ball, passing through the choice of the type of shot to be carried out, in Top Spin 2K25 these preliminary steps are enhanced by a gameplay that forces you to perfect them to obtain clear results, guaranteeing a high degree of satisfaction for fans of this sport. Given the premises, it is essential, to say the least, to make a leap, even before launching into the first friendly matches at the Academy to learn at least the basics of the game. Guided by the voice of John McEnroe, lessons are followed that concern every single aspect of the gameplay, from fundamental notions to the most advanced techniques: The very detailed explanations of this mode may seem long and boring, but we assure you that they will make all the difference in the world during matches, so pay close attention to the words of the American legend.
After having assimilated the impact times with the racket, help yourself by a marker suspended over the player’s head which visually shows when to press the button – or release it in the case of loaded shots – we move on to the description of the shots themselves, and it is precisely on these fundamentals that the title shines for accuracy. In fact, there are different ways of hitting in Top Spin 2K25, and each of them can be successful or inappropriate depending on the situation.
In addition to the classic flat shot and less frequent ones such as the drop shot and the lob, it is essential during rallies to understand when to “cut” the ball, slowing it down and making it lose altitude, and when to give it top spin, that is, that rotation that allows it to get up after the first bounce. Tennis fans will already know that the choice between the various types of shots ends with determine the inertia of exchangesbut thanks to the long and precise information provided by the tutorial mode, every technical quibble appears very clear even for those who are only now approaching this magnificent sport.
A game of chess
From the first meetings, the care that the development team has instilled in the realism of the exchanges is clear and playing against the artificial intelligence is excellent training in view of the much more exciting online modes: despite a lower challenge level – after a couple of meetings we had to set it on Very difficult to obtain a semblance of battle – it is a real pleasure to notice how frequently hitting the most suitable type of shot determines the progress of the matches even more than excellent timing.
Sure, pressing the different buttons at the perfect time allows you to pull harder and closer to the desired line, but if the choice is wrong you are still forced onto the defensive by an attentive challenger: a back spin shot, for example, with its extreme slowness can transform into pure oxygen if we find ourselves running from one side of the court to the other, but if it is played without thinking it can become an opportunity for a easy winner opponent.
Similarly, the other shots also have a high degree of potential and risk, with responses taking into account the type of incoming ball. For example, it is more complicated, and therefore requires perfect timing, to dampen a top spin compared to a shot without spin, while it is difficult to flatly lift a ball that reaches us with back spin over the net. In short, the matches in Top Spin 2K25, just like in real tennis, are played on nerves even before muscles.
The only flaw inherent in artificial intelligence lies in a challenge rate which, not being able to be based on the unpredictability factor of a real human being, bet everything on infallibility: it is very rare for the CPU to make unforced errors. The gameplay is supported by a highly respectable animation park and a granitic fluidity, elements that help you immerse yourself in the games with extreme ease, but unfortunately the graphics do not reach particularly brilliant heights: except for the features of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the two ambassadors of the title who among other things enjoyed dedicated motion capture sessions, the athletes do not shine for expressiveness, and things get even worse if you move your gaze in the stands, where the audience moves in an unnatural way and you can recognize slightly too similar faces in the crowd.
Nothing to complain about, however, about the variety of stadiums, among which they include the central courts of the most important tournaments complete with an iconic entrance corridorbut also more imaginative locations such as the Japanese one surrounded by Shinto shrines, or the one from Cagliari stuck between the rockseach variable based on game time and weather conditions.
The climb
The highlight of the limited content offering is the career mode, through which it is possible to create your own tennis alter-ego to climb the rankings and lift numerous trophies. The character editor is deep enough to model the desired features, and It also allows you to choose particular game traits such as the type of backhand (one or two hands) and service, as well as the strength of the grunts and their frequency.
In this regard, the PlayStation 5 version uses the DualSense speaker to transmit the sounds of the ball hitting the racket, shoes that slide on different types of terrain and even screams that accompany our player’s more complicated shots: a nice addition, certainly, but one that we would have liked to be able to deactivate. During his career our tennis player starts from less famous courses than the Tour 250 and arrives, after much sweat and effort, to compete for the Grand Slams and Master 1000s by showing off the very expensive licenses offered by 2K and raising their statistics by spending the points accumulated at each level up.
MyCareer offers an enjoyable single experience, supported by impeccable gameplay and a pressing level of progression which constantly inserts special events and new ways of evolving (such as the trainer who introduces passive skills over time, or the equipment unlocked from level 10).
What makes the noise, however, is the absence of too many names in the roster put together by Hangar 13: playing with and against legends like Federer, Williams, Graf and Sampras certainly has a great effect, also because their shots and playing styles reflect the true personalities and different historical eras of tennisbut competing at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows against Taylor Fritz and Matteo Berrettini is, with all due respect, not very credible.
Except for Alcaraz and Medvedev, the entire men’s top 10 is absent from the game, while on the women’s side the situation improves but not too much. The economic strength deployed by 2K for the title is evident and no one doubts it, we know only too well how tennis concessions are numerous, expensive and complicated to negotiatebut a lineup without Djokovic or Sinner – who, let’s remember, will be present exclusively for TIEBREAK, the Nacon game due out later this year – is difficult to digest.
Online tactics
To be appreciated almost without reservation, however, is the absolutely optional management of the title’s microtransactions (in this regard, here is the review of NBA 2K24). In the latest Top Spin, purchases can only be made in the shop and are not advertised in any way during the single player adventure.
The optional elements are practically all cosmetic, but numerous items and accessories are also unlocked by participating in events dedicated to career sponsors, so you can dress in a serious or delirious way even without spending a cent.
In the store there are also the usual experience boosts that speed up leveling up, but during our test we never felt stranded and therefore we did not even for an instant entertain the idea of using hard cash. Game currency and experience for the MyPlayer also come in good quantities in the online mode, which essentially shows the same strengths and weaknesses as the offline one: the contents are currently very limited, but the gameplay is so satisfying as to create addiction, and ironically it is more realistic than the one played during his career.
In the air, unforced errors are in fact more frequent, timing and choice of shot become even more fundamental and we don’t see superhuman recoveries from one side of the pitch to the other. As well as challenging opponents in friendly or ranked matches, you can compete in tournaments by controlling the player created for your career. There are only two trophies up for grabs and they follow the progress of the real sports season (we are in the clay court period, therefore the Slam is Roland Garros while the 500 is the Barcelona Open), with a new championship that comes to life only during the weekend.
The matchmaking time has always been acceptable and we imagine that the situation will improve even further with the final launch of the title. The management of the couplings is still to be seen because, perhaps precisely because of the few active users, we found ourselves several times facing very high level opponents despite our tennis player being a novice.
