NBA 2K26 Review, Gameplay Impressions, Videos, Top Modes and Features

NBA 2K26 from developer Visual Concepts hopes to keep pushing the series forward in realistic ways while putting more control in the hands of players. 

Last year's game accomplished this through animation upgrades and otherwise, though some misfires like a polarizing shot meter stirred up varied reactions. 

This edition sets out to right some of the wrongs, address player feedback and keep surging forward with modern technologies to blur the lines between video game and real-life broadcasts. 

Annual sporting game hurdles, such as not upgrading each game mode on offer, still persist. But if NBA 2K26 can walk a fine balance between pursuing its own goals and the wishlists from players, it has a chance to be the best entry in the series to date. 

Gameplay

NBA 2K26 simply passes the eye test in terms of gameplay upgrades because it's clear more animation work has upgraded the experience. What the game calls its motion engine has revamped lower-body movement, which in a basketball video game, is a pretty big deal. 

Right off the rip, players can see that plants and actual cuts to the hoop feel improved. There's a more natural momentum to directional decisions with the ball and less of that on-ice feel that defined basketball games for generations. 

It applies to off-ball movement, too. Player collisions feel revamped, packing more weight and consequence into running into and through screens or battling for space in the paint.

Of course, while those upgrades are nice, most players just want to hear about the tweaked rhythm shooting after last year's controversial offering. Now, players have more control than ever to adjust the angle and release point of a shot in response to momentum, a defender's presence and quite a bit more. 

It not only feels more organic based on the moment-to-moment situation of when a player chooses to take a shot, but the shot timer is now universal. It's either a green or a miss, with the green field's size adjusting based on mentioned factors like defenders. 

In short, shooting is just more enjoyable in this game. There's less hassle and the on-the-fly tweaks each trip down the court feel like natural responses that stars would do in real life. That makes hot and cold streaks feel more natural, too.  

These improvements extend to the paint, where defense feels more meaningful, with the leverage game important and a new rebound feedback system helping players better time when to attack a ball. 

At least early on, opponent AI feels boosted, too, seemingly seeking out more drive-and-dish opportunities on the offensive end of the court. 

Gameplay-wise, this is another massive step in the right direction for 2K as it gets further and further away from the pre-canned animations of old. There were recent hiccups, but the new shot meter finds a nice compromise between what the game wants and player feedback, so this is certainly an on-court upgrade. 

Graphics and Presentation

Speaking of on-court upgrades, the 2K series continues to blur the lines between real broadcasts and video games in creative ways. 

Overall graphical horsepower, sound design and player fidelity and likeness continue to see steady incremental upgrades. 

But how the 2K series upgrades around those obvious annual updates is what really stands out. 

Work has blatantly gone into the arenas found throughout the NBA, even in the sheer density and variety of fans watching the on-court action. Fitting, as the pageantry of college football just returned full force to the sports video game world and put an even bigger emphasis on atmosphere. 

New dynamic crowds, team-specific features, camera sweps and even mascot entertainment during breaks just layer atop the tried-and-true presentation effort in a way that impresses. 

Tim Legler is a welcome addition to the commentary booth alongside the likes of Kevin Harlan and others, too, rounding out the list of reasons that 2K continues to outrank most other sports games in the presentation department. 

MyPlayer, Features and More

The NBA 2K series' huge list of game modes continues to see incremental changes to most, which doesn't really shake MyPlayer from the very top of the list.

MyPlayer enhances the buldcrafting aspect of character creation, making it more intuitive, deeper, and frankly, even closer to an RPG. 

Beyond redone scouting reports that are easier to read and revamped Badges customization, players can pick one of five specializations: 

• Finishing
• Shooting
• Playmaking
• Defense
• Rebounding

There's a ton of control at the fingertips of players from there, especially when the baseline stats can still be boosted with Max+1 and beyond, never mind temporary boosts and cap breakers.

Otherwise, a story told in MyCareer prelude sort of runs the expected stuff, which isn't a bad thing. There are some branching paths and performance matters to the point of being able to impact draft stock, so there's some agency for players to achieve as they craft their own stories. 

The City looks to the past to breathe fresh vibes into the popular online experience. Parks are back, for starters, with a clear emphasis on a more arcade feel that lets players just load in and get to balling as quickly as possible. 

Crews in The City expand on the idea of, well, crews, with up to 50 players in each and droves of customization to make it their own. And if nothing else, The City doesn't shy away from giving players things to do once there. 

Pro-Am tournaments feature three-on-three and five-on-five competitions twice per season, which are sure to be fun skill checks with notable rewards. 

A new Street Kings mode replaces the Streetball courts from last year's game and tasks players with taking on AI-controlled "bosses" as a means to let solo players and otherwise enjoy the content. 

The game promises a new park each "season" of the game's lifespan, too, so there will be plenty of reasons to keep coming back over the course of the next year. 

WNBA in MyTeam breathes new life into the card-collecting mode, as players can mix and match from both leagues to formulate dream squads while tackling the usual story and challenges before taking things to multiplayer. 

This, a year after the strong King of the Court mode and return of the auction house, really all adds up to make it the best MyTeam, perhaps ever. 

MyNBA & MyGM doesn't get a big overhaul, but it does attempt to breathe new life into the mode for simulation aficionados through "scenarios" that can be specific down to the individual team. Picking a rebuilder with a shaky history in the draft, for example, can lead to scenarios where draft success sparks a resurgence. 

The W gets additional love yet again, this time in the form of interview scenarios and press conferences away from the court that impact things like legacy. Regardless of the WNBA's surge in popularity, it's nice to see some of the major staples of the other modes make their way over and enrich this one. 

While not annually without hitches and moments that go viral, NBA 2K26 is largely smooth from a performance standpoint, and the staggering depth of options, sliders, and other customizables are appreciated. Not so much, though, is the heavy presence of microtransactions permeating throughout the experience, even if they are, as always, technically optional. 

Conclusion

It's really hard to take issue with where the 2K series continues to go. 

Gameplay continues to head in a realistic-and-rewinding direction, and when there's an issue, feedback shows up later in the form of a much-improved shot meter and overall sense of natural-feeling rhythm. 

Some game modes getting more love than others is a necessary evil of sports titles and has been for, well, forever. But it's difficult to complain about the push for more depth via RPG-like systems across most of the modes, too. 

If last year's game felt like a small step, NBA 2K26 is the killer hop-step before a slam. The presentation is best in class, the gameplay and mechanics are a strong blend of realistic and arcade and the varied game modes are engrossing.