Building the perfect character continues on in this year’s NBA 2K25, and this new entry is even adding a few new mechanics to shake the system up a little bit. According to 2K, many of these have been added in response to community feedback and how players want the experience to be. One of these additions is Cap Breakers, which can overhaul a character’s build and make them even better in a certain area.

Of course, any addition to an already-established system can come with some confusion as players try to figure out what exactly they do. Cap Breakers fit perfectly into this and will need a little research and experimentation to truly get the hang of them. Fortunately, this guide is here to break down what Cap Breakers are and how players can use them to take their player build to the next level.

Cap Breakers, Explained

When creating a character in the game, players will choose the areas of the game that they want to excel in, by giving their character better stats. If you are looking to create a dominant center, you may create a character who is excellent at standing dunks, give them a high rating for interior defense, or be able to complete a lay-up.

Cap Breakers come into the equation when trying to boost these stats once they are unlocked. Let’s say a player’s standing dunks is set to 90. This means that you can use Cap Breakers to boost this stat up to 95. Each Cap Breaker will add one level to the stat, so it would take five total Cap Breakers to get standing dunks to reach that maximum level. Once a Cap Breaker has been used, it is permanent. This means you won’t have to worry about this stat regressing at all; the character will stay at that level forever. Cap Breakers can be used on any character that has been created, thanks to them being user-specific.

Limitations

There are some restrictions to how players can use Cap Breakers, and these are as follows:

• Players can raise each attribute by a maximum of five levels over its cap.
• When using a Cap Breaker on an attribute, you can only use it up to the maximum rating that your build’s height, weight, and wingspan allows. The MyPLAYER Builder displays this when players are creating a character.
• Before using a Cap Breaker, players must level an attribute to its maximum possible rating.

How To Unlock Cap Breakers

Cap Breakers can be unlocked through obtaining REP in MyCareer through playing. This is a simple process, as you gain REP simply by playing well. In total, there are 15 Cap Breakers that one character can earn during a playthrough. These are split up into three chunks of five Cap Breakers, given out at Starter III, Veteran II, and Legend I.

Different characters can progress through these levels and get their Cap Breakers, which can then be used on another character in the game.