TopSpin 2K25 serves up a fun, but safe tennis simulation revival

For whatever reason, the internet seems to love mountain-climbing games. Some of the most viral games of the last several years on platforms like Twitch have been titles like Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy and Only Up! — games where it’s difficult to climb up something and the punishment for failure is massive. If you’ve found yourself playing or watching content about those kinds of games, then you’ll want to check out one of the first notable games to come out this May: Surmount.

Tennis games have been around for forever. Atari’s table tennis game Pong, for example, dates back all the way to the first video games of all time in the 70s. But we’ve come a long way since then. In fact, we’ve come a long way with the TopSpin franchise, too. Twenty years later, the title (which started out on the first Xbox consoles) is back on the next-gen consoles. And, oh boy, it’s a huge, positive leap forward. Tennis simulation has never felt so real as it does with Hangar 13’s TopSpin 2k25.

The recently released TopSpin 2K25 is a fantastic tennis title, but the game's currently being blasted for its always online requirement. Yep, this is one of those games where you need a connection to the servers before you can actually play it — even if you just want to grind through career mode or enjoy a local match.

TopSpin 2K25 fans are lashing out at 2K following widespread server issues that have impacted the game's single-player mode. Players are rallying against the game's always-online requirement, a common complaint made against a plethora of modern-day video games and one that is heavily affecting TopSpin 2K25.

I grew up adoring Lego video games, but recent efforts from TT Games like The Skywalker Saga just haven’t gelled with me. That’s why Funko Fusion piqued my interest. It’s the first release from 10:10 Games, a studio founded by TT Games founder Jon Burton and former TT Games Head of Design Arthur Parsons, and is a video game about a popular set of toys themed around certain properties. I got an early look at Funko Fusion ahead of its September 13 release date announcement, and what I saw was equal parts weird and ambitious.

The Xbox Game Pass library has expanded to include Have a Nice Death. The stylish and scintillating roguelike is the 17th new title to reach Xbox Game Pass in April 2024.

Is a video game a job or a form of recreation? Most people would pick the second option, but if you look at how obsessive some players are about "100%-ing" their games, it seems that the grind doesn't stop when they clock out of their day jobs.

As we come to the end of another cold and grey week, I’m heading into London to see what’s what at WASD. Before getting to that, though, I’ve had a few different games on the go this past week, with the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in my Switch and the puzzle-sniper action of Children of the Sun on my PC. I did also squeeze in one solitary mission in Helldivers 2 – every little bit helps when spreading Managed Democracy!

2024 has been a cracking year for tennis fans so far. Reebok brought back its classic Court Victory Pump sneakers, Zendaya got stuck into a saucy bit of mixed doubles on the big screen in Challengers, and now one of the greatest tennis videogame series’ has returned after a 13-year-long hiatus. TopSpin 2K25 delivers an on-court experience that’s every bit as smooth and snappy as it was two console generations ago, and it features licensed superstars and stadiums that now more closely resemble the real thing. It’s a shame, then, that some convoluted career progression systems and the inclusion of virtual currency hold TopSpin 2K25 back from being an outright winner.

It’s been 13 years since PlayStation fans last got their hands on a digital racquet in the TopSpin series. In that time, we’ve jumped two console generations, and the industry has seen a massive shift towards the live service model. Put together, what does that mean for the series’ return in TopSpin 2K25? Good things, apparently, as Hangar 13 has cooked up a fun, flashy, and addictive tennis title that you’ll enjoy coming to grips with and love mastering.

Although its relationship with video games goes all the way back to Pong, tennis has seemingly always been a tricky sport to properly nail in digital form.

TopSpin 2K25 reviews are out, and they're good news for tennis fans. Specifically, it would appear that the gaming industry has finally managed to deliver another good tennis sim, with TopSpin 2K25 managing to earn recommendations from the majority of critics that reviewed it.