TopSpin 2K25 has been a long time coming – but it might just be worth the wait
Well over a decade after the last instalment, the TopSpin series is back, and thanks to a mixture of comfortingly familiar gameplay, and new mechanics, it's shaping up to be a Grand Slam return.
We've been waiting a long time for TopSpin 2K25; so much so that the last title in the series – TopSpin 4 –, was released in 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo Wii, with two entirely new generations of consoles releasing in the 13 years since. We’ve had Gangnam Style, the Ice Bucket Challenge craze, Brexit, four royal weddings, Roger Federer retiring and even Donald Trump becoming president. But now, finally, a new TopSpin title is here.
Gameplay Grand Slam
And, after going hands on with the game, it looks like TopSpin 2K25 could be worth the (long) wait. Although the feel of the gameplay is very familiar, a number of new mechanics brings the series into the modern era – the biggest and most obvious of which is the introduction of a shot timing meter. In previous TopSpin games, players were only given feedback on the timing of their shot – triggered by holding and letting go of the shot button during the swing phase – after the ball had been hit. But in TopSpin 2K25, the shot meter is always on-screen and kicks into gear when the ball is travelling towards your player, giving you instant feedback on whether your timing was perfect, too early or too late.
What's interesting about the shot meter is that the green 'perfect' shot window remains the same size no matter the situation on the court, but the speed of the meter moving left and right can vary tremendously, depending on how much time you have to execute the shot. If your opponent hits a weak shot towards you and is fading during the point, it feels like you have all the time in the world to nail a winner; but if your opponent has just hit a perfect shot from the net straight at you, the meter moves so fast that it's (almost) impossible to produce a decent return. There’s a lot going on, and every single point is an intense experience, as you have to try and get that perfectly timed shot, while also aiming in your chosen direction and keeping an eye on your opponent’s movement in your peripheral vision. But, that’s what makes it so fun, as it keeps you locked in.
2K stressed it has put in a lot of work into trying to reduce the number of long rallies during matches, in an attempt to stop the 30-40 shot rallies that were fairly commonplace in TopSpin 4 when two decent players went head-to-head, despite those scenarios being incredibly rare in real-life. It has done this in several ways, including the shot meter getting increasingly fast as rallies progress, in addition to an increased chance of unforced errors happening once the fatigue meter plummets during a point. As a result, long rallies now feel like a race of attrition that you just need to survive, adding some additional jeopardy to the mix.
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The serving mechanic has also been completely reworked, incorporating the new shot meter with the addition of an aiming circle, which you have to move to your chosen area while trying to time your shot. The movement of the aiming circle is particularly sensitive, and you can't just rely on moving it completely to the line on either side, as even a perfectly timed shot can lead to a fault, as the aiming circle increases in size when the ball is hit. All of these features add much-needed gameplay variety and difficulty, with 2K taking the already strong gameplay experience from TopSpin 4 and improving the formula. I had a lot of fun.
To help get you up to speed with the new gameplay elements, TopSpin 2K25 features a TopSpin Academy mode, with a John McInroe-voiced guide allowing you to learn the basics, or practise some of the more advanced shot types. In the build of the game I played, I was only able to access the basic training modules, but even as someone who's played all the previous TopSpin games, it still proved valuable to help me get up to speed.
Visual double fault
Graphically, TopSpin 2K25 is a mixed bag, but that being said, it was a pre-release build of the game running on PS5. 2K was keen to emphasise that a lot of effort has been focused on players' signature moves, in terms of how particular players serve, hit shots and even move around the court. With the exception of Roger Federer who has done some motion capture in person – one of a few legendary ex-players who features in the game alongside the likes of Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graff – the other playable characters' signature moves (including active players like Carlos Alcaraz, and Emma Radacanu) have been re-produced by semi-pro Tennis players in France who attempted to emulate the world stars’ memorable specificities.
And, you know what? They nailed it. Some of the movements, mannerisms and shots have an uncanny resemblance, with Alcaraz's unique serve - where he throws the ball slightly away from him and has to stretch towards the ball - being incredibly similar to real-life. The power of the current-gen consoles shine when it comes to the court surface itself too, with slide marks, foot marks and other blemishes on grass and clay surfaces looking particularly impressive.
TopSpin 2K25 will feature 48 tennis venues, including Wimbledon – which was missing from TopSpin 4 – as well as Indian Wells, Roland-Garros, the US Open and the Australian Open, with 2K set to reveal more venues in the weeks leading up to launch. I had the chance to experience an exhibition match at each of the venues listed above, and they all looked superb in the daylight setting. Although I wasn't able to experience this in my preview session, players will also be able to experience all of these venues during night in the release version of the game.
However, considering how far into the current gen console era we are, I expected more from the player's appearances, including hair and clothing physics. In newly-introduced player cutscenes before the start of matches, the player's bag strap is clearly clipping through the clothing, and there were a few occasions where I noticed two identical fan models standing close to each other in the crowd, in addition to other strange texture anomalies.
Of course, It's important to note that I was playing a pre-release build of the game, and these issues may well be fixed in time for the game's launch next month.
Game director Remi Ercolani confirmed to me that TopSpin 2K25 will feature a single-player career mode, just as TopSpin 4 did, but I wasn’t able to try this out during my preview session. The game's single-player mode will be called MyCareer, and will send players across the world as a new Tennis star to take on the best, with the aim of becoming a Grand Slam champion.
I was shown a video of a new MyPlayer character creation tool, that will be the basis of the career mode experience, with players able to choose from four default builds that can be morphed in a variety of ways, including subtle changes to eyes, nose, mouth, chin and ears, with more than 30 hairstyles available too.
TopSpin 4’s single-player career mode was outstanding, and I’m excited to see what TopSpin 2K25’s will have in store, particularly having experienced a few hours of the title’s impressive gameplay first-hand. The good news is that it won’t be long until players can get their hands on the game, with the TopSpin 2K25 release date set for Friday, April 26, and from what I’ve been able to play so far, 2K could be about to serve us an Ace.
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