NewComers Welcome On The Court
I've only recently started playing this franchise, so my focus in this review will be on the new player experience, as those who seek out this franchise have likely already made up their mind about it. For those who don’t know, the NBA 2K franchise is a series that aims to simulate the real-life sport of basketball. The main activity in NBA 2K is My Career, where you create your own player and make them an NBA legend. In this mode, you follow the storyline of a young player who is at the start of his journey with the goal of becoming an NBA star, titled Out Of Bounds. Personally, for any new players like me, this is where I’d recommend starting before heading out into The City, NBA 2K26’s multiplayer component of My Career, which I’ll dive into shortly.
In My Career, you complete various challenges and earn virtual currency (VC), which can be used in a variety of ways. However, My Career isn’t the only way to earn VC, with many modes in the game awarding you VC for engaging with them. These other modes include My Team, My NBA, Play Now, and WNBA (women’s basketball).
While you can earn VC in most modes, the main places you’ll spend it are My Career and My Team. VC is earned by completing different objectives. The more objectives you complete, the more VC you can collect. Once you have enough, you can use VC to upgrade your player's attributes or unlock cosmetic items from various shops throughout The City in My Career. In My Team, you can use it to purchase cards that help you build a stronger team.
Alongside earning VC through gameplay, you can purchase VC using real money via microtransactions. While this might be a valuable time-saver for some players, the problem is that it results in a pay-to-win environment throughout My Career and My Team. Jordan, who reviewed NBA 2K25, informs me that the rate at which you earn VC through gameplay is much improved in NBA 2K26. Unfortunately, this doesn’t change the fact that those who spend money to purchase VC are able to progress in the game much quicker without having to complete daily objectives or storylines.
Learn 2K is a mode in which you can learn how to play the game before facing other teams or starting career mode. In Learn 2K, you can work at your own pace to improve your gameplay by simply playing the game's various modes. Learn 2K teaches you different ways to pass the ball, different ways to shoot, and how to block and defend. This mode has a range of levels, such as beginner and intermediate. Completing these tutorials will help you learn how to play basketball like some of the greats, such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain, to name a few.
The City, as I mentioned earlier, is the multiplayer component of My Career, functioning as a hub for various activities. In The City, you can challenge other players in various game modes, collect daily rewards, and more. I personally enjoyed the go-kart racing. If, after a week, you get the fastest time out of everyone who's played, you win one million VC. You can use this VC in a variety of stores representing real-life brands throughout The City, such as Puma, Nike, Converse, etc., where you can purchase cosmetics and clothing items. There is also a training store that you can use to help increase your stamina.
When it comes to gameplay, while in My Career you only control your created player, whereas in other modes like My Team you control all players in your team. The basic game controls are: hold X when you want your player to shoot. This will bring up a meter, and when the meter turns green, it means your shot will be excellent. The meter also gives you signs indicating whether the shot is too early or too late. B is used to pass to other players, either a straight pass or an overhead pass. You can also use the RT/LT triggers to defend the ball or try stealing the ball from your opponents with a well-timed press of the X button.
In NBA 2K26, the visuals are very vivid, sharp, and realistic, highly detailing the features of each player, from skin tone, veins, and hair to sweat and imperfections such as blemishes. The detail in the jerseys you wear when playing is almost lifelike and, quite frankly, blew me away. Admittedly, this is the first game I’ve ever played on my new PC equipped with an i9-14900KF and a 5070Ti, but NBA 2K26 might be the most realistic-looking game I’ve ever played. NBA 2K26 also has a variety of music styles across several genres, which should cater to almost everyone’s musical tastes. Regardless, the music within the game is upbeat and mellow at times, which I think really suits the type of game NBA 2K26 is.
Even though this is my first basketball game, it won’t be my last. This game has opened my eyes to the sport. I am now learning key terms and slowly starting to understand the rules and various strategies. This game can help support new players like me or advanced players who enjoy a challenge. The downside I would mention is that there is no tutorial when you first start playing. You must go to another mode before you are able to learn the different ways in which you can play. I have enjoyed learning a new sport, and if you haven’t played this franchise before, I would highly recommend giving it a go, especially if you have a friend or family member to play with who can help you learn the ropes.
Developer - Visual Concepts
Publisher - 2K
Released - September 5th, 2025
Available On - Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4,PS5, PC
Rated - (E) - Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
Platform Reviewed - PC
Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
My name is Letitia. I’ve been gaming since the days of the original PlayStation. Although I’ve admittedly been a more casual gamer than most for many years, I’ve recently started to dive deeper into gaming and discover what makes it so special.