NBA 2K27 review

Like I did last year, I have to give you guys some context for this review. I didn’t play any of the online modes, and didn’t make the effort to try and grind the battle pass. I did the review for NBA 2K26 and had so much fun; I played the game until I couldn’t stand it anymore. That feeling didn’t carry over to this entry. Which is not to say NBA 2K27 is a bad game, but it's a subpar experience compared to last year's entry.

This review was written with me playing on the Pro difficulty on the Xbox Series S.

Gameplay and Handling

NBA2K27 features a lot of gameplay improvements to various systems, including dunking, layups, and more customization for dribbling. Returning to the game, the customizable animation feature is located in the MyPlayer section. New to this entry are the Advanced Controls, which allow you to take advantage of ProPlay animations to chain together movement combos. The Advanced Controls are handled pretty well, but specifically the new No-Look Passes are extremely fun to pop off with.

Along with all of the new Advanced Controls, players using the Pro Stick will find that Rhythm Shooting has been enhanced. This is a feature I like a lot; it made shooting in NBA 2K27 feel a lot more natural. AI was also enhanced in this entry, and for me it was more notable in the way that your teammates will play around you. Passes feel more natural, and general movement of the AI on the court feels a lot better than it did last year. That goes for the defensive AI as well. Blocking, stealing, and boxing players out feel a lot more natural not only for me but also for the AI as well. 

Dribbling and general ball movement don’t feel as snappy as they did in NBA 2K26. While the animations are well done, players often feel a little sluggish. Where the game doesn’t feel sluggish is in the passing and everything that has to do with defense.

Out with the old and in with the new

All of the new features did nothing to curb my disappointment and general irritation with this entry. Regardless, I did sink time into each game mode. A lot of the new systems are fed to you through the MyCAREER mode, which has been extremely irritating. There are a few new additions that I have to ramble about for a second.

Step-Through Up-and-Unders

The irritation first started setting in for me when the Step-Through mechanics were being introduced. While I appreciate the game taking the time out to teach you these moves, the delivery could’ve been far better. This was also where I started noticing that the game was not as responsive as the previous entry. 

Expanded Dribbling Customization 

The dribbling customization is actually pretty fun. It’s also one of the few areas of the game that doesn’t feel overly complicated. It adds a layer of personalization that makes your character feel a lot more special.

Other new additions include

The Dynamic Layup engine, which is amazing. It’s supposed to make every layup different, and it succeeds. If the goal was to make the game feel more alive, 2K succeeded with that here. To go along with the Dynamic Layup Engine, we got advanced layups and finishers that are so much fun to pull off in all single-player modes. 

The logic-driven dunk meter is by far my favorite new addition to the game. Depending on how you go for the dunk, the meter will change and adjust dynamically, which I thought sounded like a gimmick before I tested it in the game. You’ll be able to see the dynamic adjustments in real time with all of these new systems, and it's arguably the coolest thing about NBA 2K27.

I have to talk about Defense 

NBA 2K27 features an overhauled Defense system, which is amazing when it works properly. There are several areas where defense shines, and several where it doesn’t. My biggest issues with Defense as a whole are that it appears to be either inconsistent or operating on some kind of RNG. 

Some of the new Defensive additions, such as the Skill-Based Ankle Breakers, which are now skill-based and more logic-focused, work fantastically. This is also an area where the physics shines, and the weight of the players can be felt. The effort pays off because pulling off an ankle breaker feels extremely rewarding. 

Where the Defense shines is with the overhaul to collision, which makes every action in the game more impactful. It also makes blocking feel a lot better than it did in NBA 2K26 because the collision with hands and arms feels a lot better and the animations are a touch smoother. The sound design when it comes to blocking shots has also been improved slightly. 

Where defense starts to falter is with your custom character; if you’re not doing a purely defensive build, then defense doesn’t feel right. At least it hasn’t for me on either one of my three characters. 

MyCAREER

Simply put, I found MyCAREER this year to be a horrible experience. So much so that I didn’t bother finishing the story, made a new character, and decided to do Eras instead. The main story is bogged down by baffling character choices and unskippable cutscenes, which I didn’t mind until they started dragging. 

The silver lining for this MyCAREER story is that the setup could’ve been something good. This makes the first three to four portions of the story relatively entertaining. As for the city, it’s whatever. I was impressed with it last year, but this year I was expecting more and better. For those who would like to play a woman, you can! But there is no story, no ERAs, and nothing special for them. But women can be used in the city, so that’s something!

All of my complaints come to a head in MyCAREER. The basic movement feels like MP (my player) is awful. Covering long distances feels like walking through wet sand, and even when using the self-balancing scooter, the vehicle replacing the skateboard, controlling your movement feels sluggish and unresponsive. The after-match report and all of the menus feel a touch sluggish as well. Like everything is just trying to take its time, which I don’t appreciate. 

Finally, the actual building of your character feels needlessly complicated when comparing NBA 2K27 to NBA 2K26. Between distributing attributes and the badge system that mostly flew over my head, I was left wondering why they changed the system so drastically. I understand that the game has a new app companion to help with builds, but this shouldn’t need that. Nothing about putting together a build felt fun to me, which is fine. They have premade builds for those of us who just want to jump into the game.

Fire and Concrete

Fire and Concrete exists on the bones of what could’ve been a great story. Without too many spoilers, MP gets injured and has to work his way back to where he was before the injury. Which I found to be a compelling setup because it explores how the press can take a simple situation and twist it into something it wasn’t. MP is partnered with an NPC named Trace Miller; this NPC would also operate as who your friend would play if you played MyCareer in co-op. 

So the setup for the story was there, but there is a lot of skipping over key parts of MP's character to get him where he is today. Which I wouldn’t mind if the story itself was paced better. By the time Trace Miller is introduced as your running mate, the whole story feels like it's chugging along. This is made worse because the cutscenes are unskippable and often happen at inopportune times.

Before each game, you’re forced to take part in tutorials introducing some of the new mechanics of this year's entry. At first, I liked this. I didn’t mind brushing up even after playing the beginner and advanced tutorials, and once the tutorials eventually end, you’re left with missions to complete. The whole process felt tedious, especially when objectives begin involving Trace Miller. 

Eras 

Eras is my favorite part of NBA 2K27. I prefer it to all the other game modes, and honestly, I think Eras carries this latest release. Eras lets you choose from five Eras of NBA history and start your career there instead of the traditional MyCAREER experience. The rules, roster, and even the camera's look are all specific to the era you choose. The available eras go as follows: The Magic VS. Bird Era starting in 1984; this is the one I chose to start with. The Jordan era starts in 1991, the Kobe era starts in 2003, and finally there is the Steph era starting in 2016.

Everything about Eras has been an amazing experience. Leveling up your player feels a lot more natural in this mode because you’re not bogged down by unskippable cutscenes and pointless pausing. I specifically like the challenge of this mode; the matches feel a little tougher but still fair. I am not an old-school fan of the NBA, but it didn’t matter; this mode is wrapped up so nicely, and it oozes with quality. 

The City

I really liked The City for NBA2K26, but this year I was hoping for improvements, which we didn’t get. One of the newest additions is that the city is co-ed now, which I suppose is pretty cool! Even though I am a woman, I still defaulted to playing a man because all of the story content requires that you play a man. The REC, Theater, Ante-Up, and Seasonal Parks all go through a visual overhaul, and while they look nice, I didn’t find them to be anything too interesting. 

We also got a Crew HQ, which is also new this year, and I actually like this addition a lot. The Crew HQ gives you and your friends a place to hang out. The Casual Corner is the new way for new players to get used to the online experience. I popped in for a few games, and the matchmaking feels very fair. 

I would’ve liked to see the layout of The City become closer, especially because moving around the city feels so sluggish. It would’ve also been nice to get more customization options; I’m pretty sure we also got most of the same shoes that we had last year. The spacing of all of the buildings is a huge pain point for me.

Exiting the court

Little things about this game bother me so much. Starting with the music. Mr. Brightside by The Killers is in the game, which I was super excited for. Every other word in this song is blurted out. “He takes off…” is removed, “smoke” and “drag” are removed, and every mention of kill. This happens with a lot of the tracks, and it pulls me out of the music and also, frankly, makes the songs sound horrible. I realize this is probably because of the ESRB rating, but at that point, just pick different music. It’s like this for a lot of the tracks, and I just found it to be ridiculous. 

The battlepass is also one of the worst I’ve seen in a sports game yet, and while some of the items are useful, especially the player cards, I do wish more thought was put into making everything come together in a way that felt more cohesive. We have ninjas, cyber imagery, mascots, and some aliens. The pass could've been done without any cyber items. 

Unfortunately, NBA 2K27 doesn’t feel like a smooth experience. I would’ve loved to see an overhaul in movement for The City and MyCareer. Menu navigation in general feels necessarily slow, and the general fluidity of movement on the court feels like it’s lacking. Eras a huge selling point, though, and continues to be a highlight of my time with NBA 2K27.