Another year and another edition of the only basketball game around, here comes NBA 2K26.
This review will not waste time gushing over the graphics as they are the franchise’s main selling point. The graphics are stunning and continue to impress.
What we will delve into are the gameplay improvements made by 2K, as well as the tweaks to the modes since last year’s edition.
NBA 2K26 Gameplay
In my opinion, the gameplay of a sports game is the most important factor. You can have slick menus and modes, but if the on-court action is boring, then it will turn people off straightaway.
My biggest gripe in recent years is the shooting. Maybe someone at 2K has been listening through my controller, but the revamped shooting system is superb. We now have a much more intuitive, easier-to-time, and infinitely better-curved bar shot meter. While this may seem new and a much-needed improvement, it is actually a feature that was last seen in NBA 2K23. The way the shot meter differs from three years ago is that the green area of the bar will dynamically change based on how tight the opposition player is to you when you are attempting the shot. While this might make it sound like it is harder to shoot, I must say, barring three-pointers and tight-angle lay-ups, I was able to hit the excellent timing most of the time.
While this sounds like almost every shot goes in, think again. If you do miss the green area of the bar, most of the time you will miss the shot, so make sure to hit the green.
One of the biggest letdowns last year was the robotic nature of player movement, and again, this is another noticeable improvement. Gone is last year’s janky player movement, and now we have buttery smooth movement, and you can really get those counters going quickly without feeling like you are running through treacle.
Both of these major improvements do absolute wonders for NBA 2K26, making every single game enjoyable and not tedious. Hopefully, next year’s title doesn’t mess with this winning formula.
NBA 2K26 Modes
Starting with what I feel is the headline mode, MyPlayer/MyCareer. As usual, you create your player either by using the already generated ones or by uploading your own face scan.
You then take control of high school MP in the “Out of Bounds” storyline as you slowly work your way up to being drafted into the NBA. You go from high school to an elite club to moving across the Atlantic to finally making it. The game does make you want to hit every target it sets as it helps the story progress naturally. This is probably the best iteration of MyPlayer/MyCareer in years, but I say this every time: We need to find a way to have somewhat normal names to be used in the mode as being called MP sounds like a cringeworthy name to me.
The only real issue with the career mode is that improving your stats is tied to VC coins, and they are earned so slowly that it really encourages the impulse to pay to speed up the grind, which is never a positive.
The only downside is that the pure offline modes have been somewhat neglected. The developers have added off-season scenarios for MyGM. These are tailor-made, long-term quests for each franchise that you must fulfill to appease the fanbase and the team’s owner. These scenarios are done in threes, and I must say they feel a bit unrealistic and can be quite tricky to complete, so I won’t be revisiting them.
The other major mode is MyTeam, a mode similar to Ultimate Team found in EA Sports’ franchises, and like with those games, this is riddled with the smell of pay-to-win. While you can get a half-decent team without putting money into it, the game really encourages you to pump money into it to take advantage of the numerous promo cards that get added. While fun to beat a credit card team, you really do feel like this mode is geared to those players.
Away from the modes, one of the biggest additions this year is the introduction of the WNBA. In a similar way to the EA franchises, female players have a noticeably different style of control and play. The addition of the WNBA is a welcome one and adds another layer of depth to the match-ups you can take part in and just adds the cherry to the license cake.
Conclusion
While NBA 2K26 does not reinvent the wheel, it doesn’t have to. All it had to do was improve the gameplay to a degree that actually made time on the court enjoyable. The reintroduced and slightly tweaked shot wheel is absolutely spot on, and while it may take a few games to nail, you’ll be sinking shots like your favourite NBA star in no time.
Yes, there might be a lack of modes for purely offline players, but the semi-online MyCareer is the best iteration in ages. While I wish I didn’t have to be called MP, it actually feels like an achievement to reach the NBA, which I suppose is the overall point.
The only major gripe I have is the continued over-reliance on microtransactions. I was fortunate to be supplied with the Superstar Edition, which provided me with a substantial amount of VC. This helped me improve MP more quickly than most will be able to.
Having attended my first NBA game back in March, I now fully understand how thrilling basketball is beyond my TV, and NBA 2K26 is the closest you will come to experiencing the end-to-end action short of hopping on a plane to the US.
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, Windows PC
Release Date: 5th September 2025
