Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K
Reviewed On: PC
Available On: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Release Date: September 04, 2026
Review Copy Provided By: 2K
Yearly sports titles are rarely seen in a positive light outside their die-hard fanbases. There is a good reason for that. To keep up with a yearly schedule, yearly release titles often recycle content to fill gaps that would otherwise take a couple of years to develop. This breeds an almost inevitable resentment towards series that have been running for several years. But every so often, you get years that bring in new and returning good features as well as a decent MyCareer story. That’s how I would describe my experience with NBA 2K27 so far. You don’t get many years like this, so you better enjoy the ride while you can.
NBA 2K27 is the sports simulator game associated with the National Basketball Association, or NBA, and, more recently, the WNBA. The game takes the projected rosters of every team in the league and simulates games over the 2026-2027 season and beyond. Other game modes take it one step further by including players from different eras and the WNBA. This is most evident in the fact that WNBA players and female custom avatars are now playable in MyTeam and MyCareer, respectively. It’s an interesting change. How interesting? Let’s find out.
Before I start with this review, I just want to get it out there that I missed last year’s offering because I didn’t have much reason to play it. Recently, I’ve become the kind of 2K player who needs a reason to get back on the court. I’ve started doing that after years of yearly participation. I picked the series again when D-Wade became the featured player on the cover of the Legend Edition. I did again for NBA 2K24 in honor of the legendary Kobe Bryant. The reason I’m returning for NBA 2K27 is simply that the Miami Heat finally traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and I want to be part of the team in MyCareer.
By far, the biggest change this year is the inclusion of female players in various game modes such as MyTeam and MyCareer. The shift has been interesting, to say the least. What I had to give up in interior defense, I gained a little bit in mid- to long-range shooting. I’ll get back to that point when I talk about the negatives. The change has not negatively impacted my experience so far. It’s like playing on a team with shooting as the main priority while lacking the physicality needed to protect the rim. At the very least, I can say that I got to know a handful of active WNBA players not named Caitlin Clark.
Other notable changes are the return of Rhythm Shooting and a significant change to how Takeover Badges work. Rhythm Shooting requires the player to get a “feel” for their player’s shot release. By default, players fill up a gauge by holding the shooting button until the bar reaches the green zone. Without going too much into detail, this optional way of shooting adds a level of consistency that’s not normally possible with default shooting. I’ve been using it every so often, and I like that it spices things up. Though I quickly revert to regular shooting whenever my shots don’t fall in.
Takeovers have been a thing in NBA 2K games for a long time now. In past games, you can activate one primary badge give you boosts during a match if you fulfill certain conditions, like finishing in the rim or shooting 3-pointers. In NBA 2K27, you can have multiple badges active one at a time depending on your performance. You can have a shooting badge active in the first half after sinking a bunch of shots and then later become a defensive phenom during the second half after becoming one with your inner flyswatter. The system’s a bit much for me right now. Maybe it’ll grow on me after a few more seasons.
This year’s MyCareer story is called “Fire & Concrete”. It goes for several chapters, covering MP’s rise and tragic fall at the peak of his high school playing days. You then experience his slow recovery from a career-ending injury, eventually leading to success in the G League. Naturally, I chose Sioux Falls to be my G League team affiliate. They have “Culture”, so if anyone can prepare me for the Miami Heat, it’s got to be them. The storyline continues after entering the league with an opportunity to leave a mark on the sport by winning on the global stage at FIBA.
The story is a fair bit meatier compared to years past. Not only do you have dedicated storylines for a Forward and a Guard, but you also get paired with a Running Mate whose career becomes intertwined with yours. Think MJ and Scotty Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade; you get the idea. The Sioux Falls story sees you getting paired with an aging G League contender named Ben Crawford. It’s the setup for your eventual job moving forward, making your Running Mate look good. Down the line, you are introduced to Trace Miller, a customizable player that’s supposed to complement your current playstyle. Together, you both grow as teammates, friends, and even business partners.
If I’m being frank, I fully expected storylines to be cut entirely at this point. They’ve done it before for a variety of reasons. I am so glad to be proven wrong. Not only that, but we also got multiple MyCareer game modes- three, to be specific. Female avatars can be created for the first time. And while they don’t have their own storylines (yet?), they can go into the social space, The City, and take part in all regular events. The third is History Mode. It’s basically the old-school camera filter with the old-school NBA TV UI. A variation of this has existed before, but this may be one of the first times we get entire seasons playing in the major eras of the 80s, 90s, and early 2010s.
That’s pretty much everything new in the game. And despite everything I’ve said so far, it’s practically the same game it was last year and the year before that. That’s to be expected for these yearly titles. “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” so to speak. It only looks all nice and shiny as the paint hasn’t dried yet. Though I appreciate the dev team putting more effort into this year’s offering.
For more context, let’s go over what the game looked like a day after release. I’ve been walking around ‘The City’ and not even a minute in the social space, and I’m already seeing players with 98 Overall banners. In case you didn’t know, it’ll take you a while to grind enough VC to get an avatar from 60 overall to 98. Alternatively, if you pay enough money, you can skip the grind and hit max Overall in the blink of an eye. I don’t want to think about how much money was spent on the pay-to-win stuff. This also extends to the Season Pass rewards, by the way. It’s the reason why you see premium gear you don’t normally see until late in the season. Fortunately, there are still some players who play at their own pace, a little MyCareer from time to time with a bit of MyTeam to round out the hours.
The most contentious part of MyCareer seems to be the addition of Trace Miller, your Running Mate. The issue stems from the fact that the guy is figuratively, and sometimes literally, fused to your hip. The story is all about your ascension as a ‘dynamic duo’, from your breakout run in G League to finding success on a winning team while navigating branding and sponsorships. I liked it the moment I knew it was going down this path. But I also understand why people wouldn’t like it.
To get this duo going on some teams, Trace will replace the superstar whenever you are on the floor. You are denied the chance to play with the best player on the team, arguably the reason why you chose that team to begin with. Furthermore, whenever you are on the floor, it is your job to make Trace look good. To even advance the story, you’ll need Trace to be above a minimum grade. I lost progress despite winning a match because I had a bad game and I didn’t get Trace above the minimum. Admittedly, that’s my bad, but it should have counted as a win and moved on to the next game in the schedule.
If there’s one thing I can credit NBA 2K for, it is that they don’t slack in the animation department. Sure, most of the motion animations carry over from previous games, but at least they aren’t content with what they had. The cutscene quality in the early parts of the ‘Fire & Concrete’ story was good. You can tell that the motion capture was solid and all that. Fast forward to the NBA, and you can tell that the quality takes a considerable blow. Nothing too egregious, but certainly nothing to write home about.
What actually surprised me was the game’s performance at launch. I didn’t see any broken animations or any awry textures. The game didn’t start skipping frames randomly, unlike previous launches. I think it’s one of the smoothest launches they’ve had in recent memory.
NBA 2K27 starts the 2026-2027 season of content on a good note. It plays it safe with its content offerings while slowly expanding on what the series is known for. I expect the usual drip feed of activities and rewards for the basketball faithful out there. Nothing more, nothing less. If there’s a reason to pick this one up, it’s because it’s a notch better than expected. At the very least, we didn’t get stuck on another worldwide cruise doing small tasks as if we’re checking off chores on a laundry list. I do not miss that part of NBA2K history.
NBA 2K27 Review (PC)
NBA 2K27 starts the 2026-2027 season of content on a good note. It plays it safe with its content offerings while slowly expanding on what the series is known for.
The Good
- Rhythm Shooting returns
- Pretty good MyCareer story
- Runs well after launch
The Bad
- Still the same game with a new coat of paint
- The same pay-to-win mechanics
- MyCareer cutscene quality drops like a rock past a certain point
