NBA 2K26 review — Nothing but Net

NBA 2K26 is fast, fluid, and offers enough game modes to keep you busy for a whole season. Improvements to multiple game systems make this one of the smoothest NBA games I have played in years. 

I do not buy these games year to year and have largely let most sports games fall to the wayside. Still, if someone asks me to play NBA and they own the game, I am always down to play. I like basketball a lot, so I went into this game with an open mind. I consider myself to be one step away from a beginner. I didn’t know anything beyond the basic controls, so I couldn’t do anything fancy. I don’t follow the NBA closely anymore, so I don’t have in-depth knowledge of the players. Regardless, I have had a lot of fun playing NBA2K26. 

While I found some areas of the game to be lacking and had nitpicks regarding the UI, the overall experience is extremely enjoyable. I’ll be playing this one for the rest of the year easily. 

What’s New

The ProPLAY Motion Engine offers an overhaul to player movement. Your player's lower body movement dynamically updates in real time: You can feel this as you play, and in my opinion, it makes the game feel smoother to play when handling the ball. NBA 2K26 also features enhanced rhythm shooting, offering full control over your shot mechanics. You’re rewarded for your motion and precision, which I appreciate. It makes shooting feel dynamic and adds a bit of flavor to your character. This flavor is further amplified by the animation system, which allows you to choose specific animations for your shooting, movement, and more; I cover this in more detail further in the review. 

Shooting feels so fair that I thought my game was bugging out during my first few times playing the multiplayer modes. See, NBA 2K26 has a system where only the green “excellent” shots are guaranteed to go in. Where things get interesting is that the shot timing is scaled to the game mode you’re playing. The more competitive the game mode, the less margin for error is available to you. Layup timing is now on permanently and is tied to specific finishers. I am not good at getting these off, but when someone does, they look spectacular. 

Offense has been overhauled, featuring full control over your offense now that you can build your own offensive package. Unleashing floaters, up-and-unders feels great once I get the controls down for them. There are a few reasons that I like that you can mix and match layup styles, but the biggest is that it makes your character feel like your own and allows you to get used to animations you enjoy. Getting used to the animations has been how I have been getting better at the game overall. 

Defense wasn’t left out either. New player collision technology makes sure you can feel the weight of the other players. For me, this made defense feel more intuitive and helped give the game a more grounded feel. Defense is still my weakest skill, but this game doesn’t push you too hard for it when you’re playing with AI because the AI has also seen some updates. They feel better to play with and make smarter decisions.

Tutorials and Mini-Games

Learn2K is awesome; there is no other way for me to describe it. There's a lot to see here, including the Beginner Tutorial, Intermediate Tutorial, Advanced Tutorial, Film Room, Mini-Games, and Freestyle. Practice Plays and Scrimmage. 

The Beginner Tutorial is your first option, and it does a fantastic job of teaching you the basics of the gameplay. Now, if you’re expecting detailed explanations about the rules of basketball, you’re not going to find that here. I am not bothered by that in the slightest because I grew up around the sport. 

Now we move on to the Intermediate Tutorial, which I recommend playing, especially if you want to play this game online. Details for Advanced Shots are especially helpful because they let you use the R stick to shoot. Using the R stick instead of the square button for some shots allows you to do different kinds of shots, such as Rhythm Shooting. The R stick also feels more natural for Spin Shots. 

Rebounding, Playmaking, and The Post are also essential to understanding further intricate details of the game. The Intermediate Tutorial is well designed, and in my opinion, is a must-play before entering the game. 

The Advanced Tutorial has sections for just about everything in the game. It’s broken up into different categories, and some of those categories are further broken down. You’ll find a few older tutorials here that you completed in the Beginner and Intermediate sections. My biggest complaint is the lack of love for Defense, which I think is one of the hardest parts of the game. You can replay the Beginner tutorial, of course, but I think adding those drills to the Advanced section would’ve been great. 

The Mini-Games are also fantastic. You can do Shooting Frenzy, 1-on-1 Ladder, Knockout, Rebound Domination, King of the Court, and H.O.R.S.E. I love playing these to blow off some steam and enjoy something that is not so serious. 

MyCAREER

MyCAREER kicks off with your character, who the game calls MP, talking about his dream of going pro by trying to go to a training camp. For the purposes of this section, I’ll just call my character Speedy because that's the nickname I use. As the story progresses, you’ll find yourself making it to the NBA. That’s the short of it, and I don’t want to spoil any major beats because I found the writing to be pretty good through most of the story. It won’t blow you away, but it is significantly better than most sports games, so I was happy about that. 

Popping into the menu, we are heading over to MyCareer.  Starting with Endorsements, which allows you to get bonuses for completing specific tasks that are organized by brand. Once you complete a championship, you can use the Dynasty List. You can see where your character falls on the GOAT Tiers and view your GOAT Moments, which are your biggest moments in the NBA. I love it when one of these goes off; the UI is cool, and it only lasts for a second. I completed one by breaking the 3-point record in one game, and got an interview after which was super interesting. Overall, the menu in MyCAREER is easy to navigate, and you have all of your stats, missions, and improvements available to you from the get-go.

MyCAREER links to the city, which I am completely in love with. The city is a hub for all things basketball. You can shop here, and there are mini games and other game modes to participate in. The first stop on our tour of the city is the Gatorade Training Facility, where you can complete a workout punch card a week to increase your stamina. I found this to be relaxing and very fun, but you can’t go and play the mini games after you finish your workout. It would be cool to go through the motions for a different reward or no reward at all.

Our next stop is the track, one of the most surprising areas in the city. You race in a go-kart by yourself or against someone online or with a friend. The top winners get a crazy reward at the end of the week. This mode is fun enough; it’s not anything outstanding. I think the kart could use some tuning, especially to take corners better. But as a mini-game, it's fine enough. The design of the UI and race track feels extremely rushed, which is a huge bummer. 

The online modes are fun, though I did get disconnected from a game once. I thought it was just me, but a friend I was playing with experienced the exact same thing, lag right from the moment the game started, and was kicked out a few seconds after. I like the multiplayer variety of games you can play. The THEATER is where we experienced the most lag and disconnects, but the rest of the game modes worked fine. A big complaint I have is that I had to mute my PlayStation controller because I couldn’t figure out how to turn off voice chat, and hearing people ranting was obnoxious. 

There are a multitude of different shops to choose from and brands to represent. I tend to wear Converse, but all of the big brands are here too. Some of the outfits and accessories get absolutely ridiculous, which I love. I got stomped by a man wearing a flamingo floatie around his waist. It was a riot. 

There are a multitude of different shops to choose from and brands to represent. I tend to wear Converse, but all of the big brands are here too. Some of the outfits and accessories get absolutely ridiculous, which I love. I got stomped by a man wearing a flamingo floatie around his waist. It was a riot. 

MyTEAM 

This was my first time experiencing MyTeam, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting something that leaned heavier into the card pack theme and nothing more. Card packs are random and can be bought with VC, and be warned, they’re a bit pricey. You can visit the Auction House to bid on cards to add to your collection, but before you do, you’ll need to reach Gold Tier in the MyTEAM REP section. I did not mind this gate to the feature, and in general, the new systems in every game mode are introduced with a good flow. You can also hop into The Exchange to trade chards for rewards, buy VC, or enter Locker Codes. 

As for playing the game, you have a set of featured modes and more modes. Showdown is what I jumped into first. In this game mode, you’ll battle your way through 15 tiers. There are no restrictions, so try and make sure you come with a good team or you’ll be stomped like I was! Keep in mind that I am reviewing this early, and it was hard to find matches for all of the game modes in MyTeam. It didn’t matter to me, though, because there are some single-player modes.  

MyNBA 

MyNBA has four different game modes to sink your teeth into. MyNBA is where you take control of a season that you can either keep simple or fully customize. You can set the rules, play offline or online, and so much more. MyNBA has never been able to hold my attention, and I prefer game modes like it in the wrestling games more, but there is a good bit here to enjoy if it's your thing. The online play is a huge plus and something that I hope carries forward into the future. 

MyGM is where my heart lies. There are now 30 new Offseason scenarios to play, and each team has goals that are specific to that team. If MyCareer and MyTeam didn’t exist, this is where I would be spending the majority of my time. This game mode is so fun. The Playoffs feature online play now, bringing a whole new experience to the game mode. A few of my friends picked up the game early, and we loved this game mode a lot. If none of these suits your fancy, there is MyNBA Lite, which is a streamlined Modern Era experience. It is basically a beginner mode, which I only spent an hour or so with because I prefer the normal game mode with the more complex rules and systems. 

WNBA

The WNBA is in 2K26, and these women enter the game with a full suite of game modes to enjoy. Jump right into The W, which allows you to build a MyPlayer! It is a WNBA career mode, which is a lot of fun. If you’re not quite ready for that, there is a WNBA Quick Play mode. You also have MyWNBA, where you jump into a season and lead your team or teams to victory. The Playoffs is exactly what it sounds like, a fully customizable WNBA playoff bracket.

I had a lot of fun playing the WNBA section of the game. I haven’t given the career mode a full playthrough yet, but the writing is relatively solid. It could be better, but it wasn’t bad enough to make me quit playing the game mode. However, it isn’t interesting enough to pull me away from the other game modes in NBA 2K26. 

I like the physics at play here, too. The women have hair bounce that is subtle but noticeable if you’re paying attention. It makes their ponytails feel like they have volume, which I deeply appreciate. The WNBA cards can also be found in MyTEAM, where they can play with NBA players, and their animations shine there. 

Before we leave the court…

If you want to hop into a quick game of basketball, don’t worry! PlayNow has you covered. Dive right into a game with Quick Play, and yes, you can play with friends. You can also play online, which lets you play using modern and historic NBA teams: I didn’t find myself playing this mode much, if at all, but the option is cool to have. NBA Today has you playing with the most accurate up-to-date lineups, game plans, and injuries. Eras Quick Play lets you choose an era, choose your teams, and enjoy era-specific presentation and screen filters. I love this game mode, it’s a great way to chill for a bit and blow off some steam. Blacktop has you hitting the streets to play the best game mode in PlayNow. Finally, you can play the OS Tournaments, which allows you to enter the Virtual Hardwood to compete in exclusive tournaments and win real cash prizes. I haven’t tried this yet, but if it’s your thing, have fun! I love how many game modes are here. I don’t spend a lot of time in PlayNow, but for those who want a quick experience, there is a good amount here for you to play. 

2KTV is way more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be. Hearing about all of the new stuff, presented in this way, was a very smart decision that should be present in some fashion in as many sports games as possible. You can answer questions as you watch videos to get rewards as long as you answer the questions correctly. 

Next, I have to talk about the expansive options. Once you get into the menu called Options/Features, you’ll be smacked in the face with three columns worth of goodies to click on. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why Options and Features had to be combined into one thing. I think this would’ve been presented better if they were separate. I do enjoy the dynamic background. Here you can select your game difficulty. I have been playing on Semi-Pro, but there are 6 different options to choose from, ranging from Rookie all the way to Hall of Fame. 

You can change the Quarter Length, Fatigue, Injuries, Action Replays, and so much more. There are a whole slew of options in the first section alone, so your experience is completely customizable. You can also change the CPU/User Sliders, Coach Settings, and your Controller Settings. There is no button mapping in the game, sadly. 

As for the Roster settings and features, you can Create A Player, hop into the shoe creator, create a Draft Class, Create Roster, or view the Roster. I didn’t hang out in these menus much because I prefer to use the options provided. The Shoe Creator is a pretty fun way to kill time, and a few of my friends spend a lot of time in this menu. You can also adjust your HUD, which made this game so much better for me. I have always had trouble tracking my player because of the way the camera works: These options fix that for me. You can adjust everything from your Player Indicator to the Rebound Indicator. These changes can be applied to all game modes, as far as I can tell. 

Next up is the Season, and wow. Right away, you’re hit with strong blues and golds. The Season is basically a battle pass, and it is one of the ugliest passes I have ever seen. You have three rows of goodies to unlock, with the top row being reserved for the premium pass. As far as I can tell, the rewards are alright. I am especially looking forward to unlocking Bennt The Bull, who is one of my favorite mascots in all of sports. 

You unlock the costume for your character to use in MyCAREER. You can use the pass as is or buy the Pro Pass, which lets you unlock the premium pass rewards. The Pro Pass is $9.99, which is on par with other battle passes, but be warned, you are buying this with real money. There are no coins to buy or earn that will allow you to unlock the next pass without paying for it again. There is also the Hall of Fame Pass, which immediately unlocks all Pro Pass rewards and everything else shown in the icon. The Hall of Fame Pass will run you $19.99. 

VC makes a return in this game, and I was shocked at the pricing. Before diving into it, I will say that I had no issue earning credits from playing, but it will take you a hot minute. If you want to speed up the process, expect to spend upwards of $149.99 for the biggest pack. VC is used to upgrade your character, buy clothes and boosts, and card packs for MyTeam. The lowest amounts won’t get you very far in the way of customization, depending on how much you like to accessorize.