Copyright Gizmodo
Dropping $70 on a brand-new sports game feels steep, especially when you know a price drop is inevitable within months. NBA 2K26 just hit an all-time low of $49 on Amazon (down from $69) across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2 which makes this the perfect moment to jump in if you’ve been waiting for a deal. Sports games live and die by their annual releases, and getting the latest rosters, updated gameplay mechanics, and active online communities matters more than saving a few bucks on last year’s version that’s already outdated. See at Amazon For Basketball Fans ProPLAY is 2K’s system of taking actual game footage of real-world NBA action and turning it into playable animations, and for 2K26, it has been expanded to cover even more elements of gameplay. No longer does the game have to resort to motion capture studios and players to base movements off of, as the movement data comes directly from broadcast footage of real-world NBA team action: That means the way players dribble, shoot, defend, and respond are all truer reflections of real-world players. Improved size-ups (the dribble movements you use to break and prepare to shoot or drive) are nimbler and flow better, and you have greater control of how your own player enters each possession. MyCAREER puts you into a new narrative where you construct your own custom player from the ground up and take them through the progression of rookie all the way to NBA superstar. The City has been condensed so the sprawl and dead space of years past which made exploration so tedious, are gone. You play co-op pick-up games with your buddies through The Park, an outdoor virtual basketball court where teams of players go head-to-head for reputation points and bragging rights. Through the REP system, you are able to open cosmetic gear, stat boosts, and access to exclusive events, providing you concrete progression beyond merely raising your own player’s stats. MyTEAM mode is 2K’s card-collecting game mode where you assemble rosters of past and present NBA legends. You earn or purchase card packs to unlock players, then compete in single-player challenges or online matches against other players’ teams. New modes this year add variety beyond the standard head-to-head matches, including cooperative challenges and limited-time events that reward specific card types. Online gameplay remains the greatest draw of the NBA 2K titles and buying early in the release calendar means you are playing right as the players are most active. Competitive seasons, tournaments, and leaderboards are consistently reset, and by staying up to date on the game you are engaging in those events and not playing catch-up on the game that has just moved into the next calendar year. It plays natively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X by leveraging speedier load times, upgraded visuals, and increased frame rates over the last-gen titles. The Switch 2 version is the inaugural game of the NBA 2K series developed specifically for the new hardware of Nintendo, and delivers the full package to a handheld format with superior performance than was achievable on the original Switch. At $49, the price of NBA 2K26 falls short of most indie game prices but delivers hundreds of hours of content and multiple game modes. Along with new rosters, refined gameplay through ProPLAY, and active online user support, this iteration is the one to have should you pick up any basketball game this year.
