'Top Spin' video game franchise to return after a decade with Top Spin 2K25

After more than 10 years on the sidelines, the beloved Top Spin franchise, a pioneer in tennis-themed video games, is making a comeback.

Published by the gaming company 2K—which is also famous for its other sporting video games licensed to the NBA, PGA and now-defunct MLB franchise—there were four installments in the intitial "Top Spin" series of titles, which began with the release of the original game for XBox, PC and Playstation 2 back in 2005. Top Spin 2, Top Spin 3 and Top Spin 4 followed in 2006, 2008 and 2011, respectively, for then-cutting edge consoles including the XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii.

Despite buy-in from the sport's biggest stars, which allowed gamers to play as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams and Ana Ivanovic, among others, the franchise petered out from the peak of its powers and a near-annual release, and stayed dormant for the better part of a decade.

Until now. To coincide with the year's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, the trailer for TopSpin 2K25 dropped this week, and it promises to "fully immerse" gamers into the world of tennis. The sneak peek, in a mere 21 seconds, nonetheless showcased a digital recreation of Rod Laver Arena, complete with a voiceover that sounds suspiciously like John McEnroe, which heralded the game as coming soon.

The news might not have come as a complete surprise for those plugged into the industry: Kotaku, a video-gaming media website and blog under the Gawer Media umbrella, had previously reported in 2022 that a reboot of the franchise was in development. The new game will be produced jointly by 2K and Hangar 13, based in Novato, Calif.

The announcement was met with celebration not just from tennis fans and gamers, but also from world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who shared his excitement with a series of emojis in a re-post of the trailer on X.

While platforms, release date, and other details didn't come with the trailer, pages for the game can already be found in the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store, confirming that gamers likely will get to play PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions.