After years of running the last-gen version, NBA 2K25 finally brought its PS5 and Xbox Series X|S gameplay to PC in 2024. It's done so quite impressively on what could be looked back on as a very good year for the long-running sports title.

Still, playing well on PC is one thing, but what about the Steam Deck? Valve's portable PC has grown in popularity since its debut in 2022, but if there's one genre that feels underrepresented on there it's sports titles.

Management sims like F1 Manager and Football Manager are one thing, but sports titles feel less common - at least without running them via Windows. Thankfully, NBA 2K25 is a great experience on Steam Deck - and it might just become my favourite way to play.

Literal traveling

A few years ago, I played NBA 2K on the Switch and was relatively impressed with how well it played and the number of modes, but it always felt like an inferior port of a game best experienced on more powerful hardware.

In many ways, playing NBA 2K25 on Steam Deck removes those caveats. It's the full game, new rhythm shooting and Curry Era included, but you can play it, well, anywhere.

That's always been the promise of the Steam Deck, but here it feels particularly nice because so many of NBA 2K25's modes are ideal for dropping in and dipping out of while you're on the sofa.

Being able to switch on the Steam Deck and jump into a quick exhibition match, or grind out some challenges in MyTeam, build a dynasty in MyGM, or even explore The City is a great way to experience the whole host of modes on offer.

Out of bounds

There are some minor irritations. I reviewed the game on PS5, but while the two versions are now essentially the same game, there's no cross-save functionality between the two.

Thankfully I can hop onto my PC and play the Steam version there, but at 130GB in size, it's a bit of a storage hog. Load times are also longer than on console, but that's perhaps to be expected.

I should note that frame rates drop regularly while wandering The City's open-world areas, but in matches, you can expect 50 - 60 frames per second, reaching even higher during things like halftime shows and pre-match intros.

Some detail is lost at 800p, too, and while you'll still be able to make out the obvious things like players and the ball, it does mean some control inputs in the tutorial will require you to squint to read them.

Still, I'm having an absolute blast playing NBA 2K25 on the Steam Deck and I can see myself spending much more time in MyCareer mode this year as a result of the portability on offer.