Platforms
- PCSep 4, 2020NAplayscoreNA0 Critics5.228.1K Players
- PlayStation 4Sep 4, 20207.3playscore7.021 Critics7.824.9K Players
- Xbox OneSep 4, 20206.5playscore6.614 Critics6.112.2K Players
- Nintendo SwitchSep 4, 2020NAplayscoreNA0 Critics9.02.37K Players
73 critic reviews · 6 community reviews across all platforms
Critic Reviews
- What's perhaps more surprising is that 2K has added two substantial modes (in the new WNBA career mode The W and the massively multiplayer The City) to make it the most feature-packed one ever too. Much of its content still has the weight of microtransactions hanging over it, but as long as you don't mind ignoring that and putting in the grind instead, this is a great purchase for NBA fans: especially if you held fire and haven't played 2K21 on Xbox One yet.
Chris Scullion · Jun 15, 2021 Reviewed on Series X|SRead full review - NBA 2K21 makes a solid debut on next-gen consoles, but may fall short of some fans’ razzle dazzle expectations. The game looks impressive, if slightly uneven, and new animations make for silky-smooth on-court action, but a lack of unique, worthwhile content holds the overall package back. If you’ve been waiting for NBA 2K21 on PS5 and Xbox Series X, or bought the Mamba Forever Edition that comes with a free upgrade, this is certainly the best version to play.
Nathan Birch · Dec 06, 2020 Reviewed onRead full review - If you’re a basketball fan who’s lucky enough to own a next-gen console, you ought to consider NBA 2K21 a must-buy. The only drawback is that if you’ve already played it on your current-gen console, you won’t be able to carry forward any progress other than that made in MyTeam.
Richard Seagrave · Nov 24, 2020 Reviewed onRead full review - NBA 2K21 shows us what Visual Concepts had been working on these past few years as the previous-gen versions stagnated. Stellar on-the-court gameplay is complemented well by an improved UI and mostly excellent modes. If you are not interested in the MyPlayer mode then the game is fantastic. Unfortunately, the overall package is dragged down by how grind-heavy and microtransaction-fueled it is.
Jesse Norris · Nov 23, 2020 Reviewed on Series X|SRead full review - NBA 2K21 is an impressive overhaul of an already excellent basketball simulation. There are times where it over-extends; The City, for example, is an awesome idea in principle, but its sheer scale can leave it feeling deserted. Still, while we have legitimate gripes with the game’s implementation of VC, there’s no denying that next-gen hooping feels fantastic.
Sammy Barker · Nov 23, 2020 Reviewed onRead full review - Have we hit the ultimate ceiling for basketball simulation in terms of gameplay? Over the past five or so years, 2K has not evolved very much in how it controls. And to be fair, why should they? The current control scheme still works well and I am not sure what more innovation can be done using a modern controller. The problem that these games keep running into is that they just feel too repetitive and convoluted.
Grant Huff · Nov 20, 2020 Reviewed on Series X|SRead full review - NBA 2K21’s full-team on-court action plays the best it ever has, and the graphical leap is impressive to boot, but it still comes up short in some key areas. Visual Concepts still hasn’t figured out a great way to elevate its online play, and microtransactions continue to destroy what should be a fun part of the experience.
Kimberley Wallace · Nov 20, 2020 Reviewed on - NBA 2K21 was definitely hit and miss by feeling like it really didn’t do anything new, albeit with the same solid gameplay. The good news is that it appears 2K Sports and Visual Concepts were just more focused on the upgraded version, as NBA 2K21 Next Generation is definitely a better game.
Dean James · Nov 18, 2020 Reviewed on Series X|SRead full review - While MyTeam is more of the same, especially as it pertains to grinding out card packs or spending loads of Virtual Currency to get the players you want, the Play Now experience online was surprisingly fun. Latency still proves to be a problem, but my experience felt much more smooth than it has in the past. The gameplay changes really benefit online play, where defense feels a lot more focused than in the past and using stars like LeBron James to control the offense feels better than ever. I also never had a problem finding matches and didn’t experience any disconnects in more than 10 matches online, which is not something I could have said about the previous gen version.
Ben Vollmer · Nov 17, 2020 Reviewed on Series X|S, PS4Read full review - While NBA 2K21 is clearly different from its predecessor in several ways, I can't say it's significantly better than what we saw last season. The game still looks fantastic, the commentary is still top-notch, and many of the same battles you might have had with the previous edition are still there, like whether you want to spend so much virtual and real money.
Redmond Carolipio · Oct 12, 2020 Reviewed on PS4Read full review
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Community Reviews
- Reviewed on PC
- Reviewed on PC
- Rated on PS4
- Rated on PS4
- Rated on PS4
- Rated on PC
About the game
Trailers & Screenshots:
NBA 2K21 is the latest title in the world-renowned, best-selling NBA 2K series, delivering an industry-leading sports video game experience. With extensive improvements upon its best-in-class graphics and gameplay, competitive and community online features, and deep, varied game modes, NBA 2K21 offers one-of-a-kind immersion into all facets of NBA basketball and culture - where Everything is Game.
Developer: Visual Concepts