Review: Plenty to be excited about in TopSpin 2K25, which successfully recreates the joy (and frustration) of tennis | Tennis.com

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Packed with true-to-life details and rewarding game modes, TopSpin 2K25 is a win for the sport and a genuinely fun playing experience—after getting used to its gameplay.

The Gameplay

The toughest and most rewarding part of this game may be actually playing it. TopSpin 2K25's tennis gameplay is fun and feels incredibly true to life, but mastering it requires a lot of practice and coordination. Every shot has a Timing meter, and a Power vs Control meter—the combination of these plus shot selection, court positioning and aiming can make the difference between a backhand winner, and a shot that sails wide.

In a way, that's a bit like learning to play tennis in real life. It looks deceptively easy for a beginner who is first picking up a racquet, before they quickly realize that there's actually a learning curve to being able to play a quality rally. But, similarly to real tennis, that's what makes TopSpin 2K25 so much more rewarding once it all finally starts to click, and you find yourself hitting Good or Perfect shots more often—which will eventually come after a couple hours of play.

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STEPHANIE: Admittedly I don't usually play sports video games. Coming into TopSpin 2K25, I had no idea what to expect in terms of gameplay, so I can't say if it's any more or less difficult to pick up than EA's Madden or FC, or even 2K's other sports titles like WWE or NBA. But figuring out how to hit an inside-out forehand, or how to aim a perfectly timed first serve, was initially frustrating enough to make me take a break—and even McEnroe's encouraging words couldn't seem to help.

SPENCER: The gameplay was fun and the movements felt smooth, but the timing wasn't intuitive, and still felt off even after more hours of playing. With more practice I started to get better at it and really nail it, but it still felt challenging—like the Perfect timing was at the wrong part of the swing.

I wish there was a sprint button that could be used once or twice in a rally, and also that the Power Shot charge-up meter was faster. You almost have to be powering up your shot before the opponent even hits the ball in order to get it, and even then you could still mistime the whole thing because you're too focused the wrong meter.