NBA 2K25 gets delisted October 30 and shuts down servers January 1, taking MyCareer and MyTeam with it

2K Sports has confirmed that NBA 2K25 will be pulled from digital storefronts on October 30, 2026, with all online servers going dark on January 1, 2027. The game launched in September 2024, meaning it gets roughly two years of full online support before the plug is pulled.

The server shutdown kills more than just multiplayer — MyCareer and MyTeam both become completely unplayable because they depend on a live connection to 2K's servers for progression and Virtual Currency. VC earnings stop entirely as of January 1. What survives the shutdown: Play Now, MyNBA, The W, and MyWNBA — the offline modes that don't require a server handshake. Anyone who owns the game before October 30 can still redownload and play those offline modes indefinitely.

This isn't a one-off. NBA 2K24 was discontinued on January 31, 2026, and NBA 2K23 went dark a year before that. It's effectively a rolling two-year lifecycle baked into the series — buy the new game, get two years, then move on. The pattern is frustrating but predictable, and it's not unique to 2K; sports game publishers routinely sunset older titles as the player base migrates to the current release. Licensing obligations around real players and brands likely accelerate the timeline compared to non-sports titles. NBA 2K27 is already out as of September 2026, which by the same pattern would put its own delist date around October 2028.

The community reaction is predictably sour, especially around MyCareer — players pour hundreds of hours into building their player, and a hard expiration date makes that investment feel hollow. The contrast with GTA Online, also under 2K parent company Take-Two, stings: Rockstar's cash cow has been live since 2013 with no end in sight. The difference, of course, is revenue — GTA Online reportedly pulls in millions every month, giving Rockstar every reason to keep the lights on. NBA 2K's annual release cycle works against that kind of long-term commitment.