"Basketball game not Mario Kart" - Fans mock NBA 2K25 for introducing indoor go-kart feature instead of developing gameplay

Ahead of NBA 2K25's Sept. 6 release, fans have been apprehensive about the latest edition of the game. On Saturday, footage of an all-new indoor go-kart track in the game hit X, formerly known as Twitter.

While some fans were excited about the new feature, which will allow players to compete weekly for one million VC (virtual currency), most were baffled by the addition.

This sparked a wide range of criticism, with fans of the mindset that 2K is focused on adding new off-court features rather than perfecting gameplay. Following Saturday's go-kart footage, the NBA community was quick to weigh in:

"my nigga it’s a BASKETBALL GAME not mario kart 2k25 wtf is going on" - One wrote

"Nobody asks for this shit man. Just make a good basketball game holy fuck" - Another wrote

Others took aim at 2K for adding in new features rather than refining the gameplay.

"Fans: Please improve the gameplay. 2k: yall wanna race some go carts?" - One joked

"we just tryna hoop man" - Another wrote

Others made it clear that they had no interest in the new go-kart track:

"I am never ever gonna do this" - One wrote

"Lol so pointless ….i will do none of this and still average 20 a game in the rec at 65% from the field and 3" - Another added

In the last few years, NBA2K has continued to add new features to each game that have little to do with basketball.

For example, several years ago, players were given the option of diving headfirst into either fashion or music as a side hobby. At the time, many fans were annoyed with the decision, questioning why 2K was introducing such features when there were aspects of gameplay that needed to be improved.

Some new features which are added to NBA 2k25 ahead of Sept. 6 release

While there has been plenty of criticism regarding NBA 2K25 and the addition of new features like the indoor go-kart track and Shams Charania's insider reports in MyCareer, the game will feature several new gameplay features.

This year, 2K added in a reported 9,000 new animations, as well as a new defensive closeout system to make shot contests more realistic. In addition, the game has also revamped defense, creating a more reactionary defensive movement system.

NBA 2K25 will also have new matchmaking features online, which will allow squads to showcase team needs. Now, a team of four online players will be able to set their squad preferences to show that they need a particular position or particular skill set to round out their five.

On the other hand, solo players looking for a squad to play with can highlight their strengths in the squad finder, allowing other players to see what they bring to the table.

When it comes to the 2k25 MyPlayer builder, NBA 2K has also added several new builder mechanics to revamp character creation. In addition to a slew of new takeover badges, players can now test their builds online with friends in a scrimmage before committing to a player build.

With NBA 2k25 set to release in a week, it will be interesting to see the fan reception once the game drops.