NBA 2K26: PS5 Pro (Review)
Summary: Arguably the best NBA 2K26 of all time, with a new gameplay engine that sends the series into the stratosphere. There's so much to love, in exception to continued emphasis on Virtual Currency.
4.6
Larry O'Brien Winner
They’ve finally done it. 2K revamped nearly the entire NBA2K gaming experience for NBA2K26. Critics and cynics still have a beef with what does remain, that being micro-transactions galore and an otherwise grind fest to level up MyPLAYER or succeed at MyTEAM. If this is a make or break, then NBA2K26 will not win you over.
What began as a welcome change in gameplay engine within NBA2K25 via ProPLAY is now omnipresent in every aspect of on-court execution. In 2K25, ProPLAY emphasis was on player authenticity. In 2K26, however, ProPLAY is now so much more. CPU tendencies, off the ball movement, boxing out physics, shooting dynamics, pass intercepts, AI-generated offensive/defensive adjustments, and substitutions are all vastly improved.
Everything in 2K26 – for the first time in the series – truly feels like playing basketball. Battles for rebounds and intelligent tips (assisted by Pro Controller haptics and audio), help defense, loose ball grabs and jostles are all properly represented. Perhaps the most obvious is the welcome and dramatic change to shooting mechanics. Players can now shoot in rhythm, turning both drive and dish and kicking out of double teams to a corner shooter smooth like butter. Open players in these instances will logically have bigger green areas, and close out fouls better called on jumpshots.
Equally awesome is the brand new mechanic for drives to the basket. Holding down the shoot button or right stick during drives will adjust green sweet spots depending on how a defense guarding that literal exact second. Hence, Jalen Brunson can break down defenders by holding on to a ball a split-second longer, releasing just after beating the first and with the second now on his hip. Similarly, reverse layups are more naturally executed as a player gains a step on a would-be baseline defender versus a force-fit animation.
AI is just so much better in 2K26 than years prior. Gone are floating CPU defenders leaving open midrange jumpers or slam dunks en masse. Players now logically handle screens, making sound decisions to go over and under them (aided by much better contact physics). Help defense doesn’t solely consist of double teams, and defense will adjust to getting burned by over-doubling star players. For the most part, CPU shots will find the most appropriate shooter for that lineup and situation. I did experience some weirdness in W mode in CPU shot selection.
Also, post moves are dramatically improved and are no longer canned animations that simply make no sense. Floaters, bank shots, and dunks – when appropriate – replace limited animations of years prior favoring impossible fadeaways along the baseline.
At long last, the skating player effect is gone (hallelujah!) on both sides of the ball. Ballhandlers won’t slide around the court with a ball on a dribbling string, nor will defenders slide by stuck in an animation. While turbo can be OP’d in online modes featuring 90+ ranked created players, it cannot within an NBA game. Even online, smart defensive play from a lower ranked individual can overcome some aspects of uber athleticism via Virtual Currency Scrooge McDuck.
Speaking of online, holy cow. It’s finally great, and truly sings on the PS5 Pro. The City is no longer buggy, slow and convoluted in design and execution. Everything is seamless, more logically laid out, and – even in Early Access – it’s easy to find a game. Proving Ground is also a nice foray for newbies, with no shot meter to address and more simplified play experience. Dominate in a specific Court, be crowned a Court King for the day. And Courts are gorgeous on the PS5 Pro and now feature seasonal ones too.
The usual achievements are scattered around The City: interact with players, influencers, win certain game types, and cop some swag. The new Street Kings mode is a blast, a PvE featuring a tiered tournament system of everyday Joe’s and awesome announcing. Akin to previous 2K titles, it’s easy to move a MyPLAYER (referred to often as ‘MP’) across different aspects of The City, MyNBA and MyCAREER progression. As always, experience earned in any mode can be applied to upgrade overall MyPLAYER skills everywhere.
There’s a whole new slew of archetypes and player badges to choose from, deepening MyCAREER enjoyment. Another cool addition is starting MyCAREER as a high school recruit in a remote New England town, with it a lot of fun to play games in an authentic high school environment complete with its own announcer and interactive crowd. Perhaps learning from mistakes of 2K yore, 2K26 MyCAREER is less flashy and gangsta’, opting for more normal dialog, NPCs that are interesting, and a realistic evolution.
WNBA gets even more love, with an enhanced WNBA MyCAREER emphasizing interactions and interviews. I respect 2K wanting to do more with this mode and W personalities, but the off-court nonsense of this burgeoning league combined with unnecessary controversies make this emphasis on personality somewhat poor timing. I would’ve preferred more gameplay options. WNBA players likewise now have their own MyTEAM cards and a place in MyGM mode.
Visually, 2K26 is an absolute masterpiece. On 2K25, 2K was clearly experimenting in how to maximize the PS5 Pro hardware, and now they have it down to a science. Every aspect of overall presentation, menus, players models, fans, dynamic banners in MyCAREER, new camera angles and lighting…all literally picture perfect. Players now have expressions after big moments.
The same can be said of the always terrific 2K audio, now with a more diverse soundtrack, significantly improved commentary which better reflects on the court trends and activities, solid sound effects, and real life public address announcers. Both the W and NBA modes feature bigger name audio contributors, to include trade breaking guru Shams Charania. Still, the on-court interviews remain awkward with poor mouth to voice match and odd appearing interviewers and interviewees.
Authenticity is a staple of 2K, and players are more realistic than ever in appearance, specific movesets and preferences. Arenas now feature authentic lighting, atmosphere items, and the courts finally resemble real life counterparts in sheen and texture. On the PS5 Pro, I also spotted much more variety in skin tone, better use of sweat and muscle tone, and the jerseys just flow more naturally. MyPro and MyNBA also better employ and factor in AI and analytics in simulation decision making. Still no FIBA teams beyond the US. Bummer.
There’s so much goodness in NBA 2K, there’s something awesome for everyone. The biggest issues of the past are all mostly solved sans over-rewarding for microtransactions via Virtual Currency across several modes. Gameplay is absolutely amazing for the first time, well, ever. Online is likewise finally flawless and a pleasure to engage with.
Final Thoughts
NBA 2K26 is -hands down- the best version of 2K possibly ever. The PROPlay engine is leaps and bounds improved from 2K25, making for a wonderfully executed game backed by stellar presentation and AI powered strategy. There’s so many ways to enjoy NBA 2K26, that both veterans and newbies to the series will fall in love. Just note certain modes favor microtransactions as the lone path to true success.
About the Author
Paul Stuart A gamer for over 30 years with 400+ reviews across four sites literally spanning the globe, Paul Stuart has an unhealthy obsession with Assassins Creed, God of War, and all things Lord of the Rings.
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