NBA 2K26 Review Overview
What is NBA 2K26?
NBA 2K26 is 2K’s annual release of the basketball sports simulation franchise. The game features all 30 current NBA teams, along with additional historical teams that made a significant mark during a season, FIBA teams, G League Teams, and even WNBA Teams. It also features a revamped MyCareer storyline, which follows your created MyPlayer as they rise to fame in the NBA.
The game features overhauled gameplay mechanics and improvements, including a new shot meter and the ability to access players’ signature go-to moves. It also includes several game modes, like MyGM, where players can simulate being a general manager, and MyTeam, which is the game’s equivalent of EA’s Ultimate Team with microtransactions and card collecting.
NBA 2K26 features:
⚫︎ Revamped MyCareer Mode
⚫︎ Improved Shot Meter
⚫︎ Improved ProPLAY technology and Motion Engine
⚫︎ Live-Service Microtransactions
⚫︎ 50+ Playable Teams
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 Playstation |
 Xbox |
 Switch 2 |
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| $69.99 | |||||||
NBA 2K26 Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Contextual Shooting Mechanics Realistic Looking Animations Actual MyCareer Storyline |
Builds Are Still Expensive Little to No Changes For Certain Modes Mostly Online Only Game Modes Online Multiplayer is a Different Ball Game |
NBA 2K26 Story - 8/10
Despite MyCareer functioning as an introduction of sorts to the player-focused gameplay, MyCareer finally has a storyline again. The story isn’t particularly great, as the writing and dialogue are a mix of a teenage sports movie sprinkled with Gen-Z slang. However, it’s still a massive improvement over the past few releases that barely had any story to begin with.
NBA 2K26 Gameplay - 10/10
In terms of gameplay, it’s not exactly easy to pinpoint the changes in the finer details with each annual release. Specific things that stick out are the improved shot meter, contextual shooting, and a more natural handle. As for the grand scheme of things regarding gameplay, it’s much more of the same, which was already pretty good from the last release.
NBA 2K26 Visuals - 9/10
Every NBA 2K release boasts about the presentation being upgraded annually, and to be honest, it doesn’t exactly look like much of an improvement from last year. But that's also because we've probably reached diminishing returns in terms of visuals for NBA 2K. Specific thing to point is that the animations look much more natural, to the point that you can recognize players doing their signature movements even with their small details.
NBA 2K26 Audio - 8/10
There’s not much to say about the game’s audio design, since it’s been mostly the same. The new additions would be team-specific cheers, but that’s mostly it. The noteworthy thing to point out is the voice acting for some commentators and the characters in the MyCareer storyline, which isn’t great at all.
NBA 2K26 Value for Money - 6/10
For $69.99, NBA 2K is still as expensive as it was before, especially if you’re big on trying to compete online. Not only are the MyPlayer Builds expensive and will still take a lot of your time even with the boost and bonus of the new prologue, but even MyTeam is still as egregiously expensive as it always has.
NBA 2K26 Overall - 82/100
NBA 2K26 is what you’d expect every year: more of the same with a few tweaks here and there. Its presentation is arguably greater than any other sports game, and a completely revamped MyCareer mode to help your MyPlayer get to the courts faster. However, even with slight gameplay tweaks and improvements, the monetization still runs the show online, making the other content feel less important.
NBA 2K26 Review: Same Basketball, But a Little Better
Basketball is still my favorite sport. Even when I’ve tried many other sports, basketball is still the one that I’ve appreciated the most and even studied the most. Though I do have to say I’m not athletic at all or even remotely close to it, I’ve always appreciated the mental aspect of the sport and its small intricacies.
This also translates to the video game version, since there was a time when I would devote myself to playing the 2K for days, weeks, even, just to build the perfect player and lead that franchise to a championship. It’s even where I found myself learning about the finer details of the NBA as a league and business by playing MyGM, and how salary caps, luxury tax, and all that affected small market teams.
NBA 2K has steadily cemented itself as the premier basketball game for years now, and while I dropped the series since it was getting too similar for quite some time, it is still a game that my circle of friends would play now and then. So how does the new 2K26 measure up? Let’s find out.
MyCareer Story Is Better, But Its Still Subpar
One of the game modes that I treasured the most in the franchise was the MyCareer mode. This was the sole reason why I would get lost in playing the game, because I could create my ideal basketball player in the position or role I would want to play.
It’s no secret that the MyCareer mode has evolved and changed throughout the years. It was mostly just placement games until you got to the league in way earlier versions like 2K10, then slowly changed into an intricate and elaborate storyline like in 2K16. 2K26 has something similar to a more elaborate story called Out of Bounds, but I could immediately tell that it wasn’t for me.
In essence, it captures the struggle that young, aspiring athletes face when they know they’re good enough but just don’t have the opportunity to show it. Your character, MP (short for MyPlayer), is a representation of that. An up-and-coming talented player who’s stuck in the middle of nowhere Vermont, where it’s hard to get recognition because the competition is slim. It’s melodramatic, and, at times, very naive, but you can’t help but understand that this is what you’d wish the journey to become a professional to be like.
Without spoiling anything, the narrative isn’t perfect or not even great, but it’s good enough for what it’s supposed to represent: a feel-good coming-of-age story of how you, the player, achieve your dream of playing in the NBA, even if it didn’t materialize immediately.
More of the Same Gameplay With a Few Tweaks
Even when I’ve only played 2K casually, the controls have been embedded in my muscle memory. So it’s a good thing that I was able to play a few games of the previous title, since the gameplay hasn’t changed much from then. I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of some game modes and actual gameplay mechanics later, but as a whole, it’s still what you’d expect, especially if you’ve played the previous games a few times.
It’s not like it’s a reskin, but it feels familiar enough that it’s hard to pinpoint what the changes are without looking deep into the game’s tutorials or manuals. So, of course, even just by playing MyCareer, it felt more of the same and not much different. However, it does have its caveats since they’ve decided to change certain controls and even mechanics, like how alley-oops have a different prompt and whatnot.
Dribbling also saw a few tweaks with its mechanics. It feels a lot more natural to combo dribble and handle the ball this time around, to the point where you can feel like Kyrie when you start mixing it up.
Another notable change is the size of MyCity, as they've finally opted to make it smaller and much easier to get around. This is an amazing change since it's always been a pain point for players that the hub is just way too annoying to walk around in.
Shooting Mechanics Are Straight Up Better Than Ever
One of the most important changes is that the shot meter has been changed once again, but this time for the better. It feels a lot more intuitive, especially when comparing it to 2K25’s shooting mechanics.
For context, you need to hold and release the shooting motion until the white bar hits the green part of the bar. This isn’t anything new, but the game now detects context. If you’re wide open, the green bar is much larger, and sometimes even makes up the full bar if it’s an open layup or dunk. If you’re being contested, then it might just be a tiny little part of the bar that’s green to hit the shot.
Another notable shooting mechanic change is made to rhythm shooting. Rhythm shooting is basically using the right stick to do a jumpshot instead of the button. It returns in 2K26, but has a bigger leniency on not having to green
the shot. This means that if your tempo is great, the shot will still go in even if your timing is off.
While they did mention that both rhythm shooting and button shooting should be as good as each other, this remains to be seen. As rhythm shooting was the meta-defining shooting style in the previous game.
In any case, these are great changes to shooting mechanics, since you rarely see NBA players miss wide-open shots. Plus, it just feels way better to have more control over your shot.
MyGM is Just OK
MyGM was awful last year, but a management game mode is essential in a sports game. You could tell that it’s a game mode that’s not a focal point, since it feels like a mess. The newest addition to it is the Offseason Scenarios, which are long-term goals or quests that you should fulfill as the manager for specific teams.
For example, you could build up Cooper Flagg, the Dallas Mavericks’ new star rookie prospect, and develop him as the face of the franchise, or take on a rebuilding scenario in Chicago and focus on getting draft picks to build a new team.
In short, it’s basically like an RPG. You allocate attributes to your created manager to be good at certain skills like coaching, business, analytics, and even charisma. There are also perks that you can use to get an advantage, like making other GMs more likely to trade their players due to how charismatic you are. It’s fine, but it gets repetitive really fast.
Still as Expensive as Before
The biggest problem that 2K has is its monetization. Right off the bat, it’s ads of the season pass, VC discount deals, card packs, you name it. And the worst part? You have to spend money to be competitive against everyone else.
For context, you need to spend about 500,000 VC (Virtual Currency) to upgrade a MyPlayer for maximum stats. That’s if you actually like your current build; if you want to develop another build, you may as well just buy a new game entirely, since that would probably be a cheaper alternative.
While the new MyCareer does give you a decent marginable start, it’s still not enough to make a dent in maxing your character’s stats. But how about the infamous MyTeam? Yep, it’s still as expensive.
Opening packs in the hopes of getting someone decent or the season’s meta card is your hope of making a good team. I’m not saying that you can’t win with a free-to-play squad, but it’s always going to be an uphill battle against the whales
who have Diamond-tier lineups. Sometimes it just outright feels impossible to win, even.
Is NBA 2K26 Worth It?
Only If You’re a Fan of Basketball
As with most sports games, only the real diehard fans of the sport, and maybe the series, would be dedicated enough to upgrade
their game annually. With NBA 2K26, I would say it’s good enough to recommend even if you’re a casual fan of basketball, but mostly just for its gameplay.
It’s slightly better in most aspects than the previous iteration, and if you haven’t been playing in a while, those things do add up and can feel completely different by the time you reintroduce it to yourself years later.
I would avoid trying to compete online unless you have money to burn, though, especially since you’ll need a complete build or full-stacked team first before you even start taking on randoms online.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
Playstation |
Xbox |
Switch 2 |
||||
| $69.99 | |||||||
NBA 2K26 FAQ
What are the System Requirements for PC to play NBA 2K26?
The System Requirements as listed on Steam are as follows:
| Specifications | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 with the latest updates | |
| Processor | Intel® Core™ i3-9100 or AMD Ryzen™ 3 1200 | Intel® Core™ i5-10600 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 3600X |
| Memory | 8GB RAM | 16GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 5 GB or AMD Radeon™ RX 5500 XT 4 GB or Intel® Arc™ A580 | NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2070 8 GB or AMD Radeon™ RX 5700 8 GB or Intel® Arc™ A770 |
| Storage | 110GB | |
| Additional Specs | Direct X12 | SSD required; Gamepad recommended |
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NBA 2K26 Product Information
 |
|
| Title | NBA 2K26 |
|---|---|
| Release Date | September 5, 2025 |
| Developer | Visual Concepts |
| Publisher | 2K |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Genre | Simulation, Sports |
| Number of Players | 1-4 |
| ESRB Rating | E |
| Official Website | NBA 2K26 Official Website |
