NBA 2K26 is underway for comment
Blog Andrew Joseph 29 Aug , 2025 0
In many ways, the long-running NBA 2K series of vision concepts reflects the profession of players that it is difficult to imitate. Sometimes, it's a flash of potential: a hot rookie catches fire after lifting a fool in a row. Others, this is more comparable to a veteran who is about to retire – we see a glimpse of talent and can peek at what it still might be. Anyway, that's what keeps me the same, hoping to get my best when I start playing NBA 2K26. It's both flashy and old-fashioned, like the “How You Do, Peer” teacher, wearing different Jordans every day to class, it has enough new kicks, fits and heads to make it more fun and enjoyable than last year's contestants, even after only a dozen hours so far.
Of course, “cool” may not be the right word to describe that teacher, let alone NBA 2K26. After all, the annual sports game is obviously not going to be a completely new game, as most of its gameplay and mechanics are fundamentally similar to last year’s iteration, and this is a previous game, and so on. However, in this type of context, it makes a good first impression, as several smaller improvements accumulate to make the overall difference so much that I am willing to say this and risk being called a nerd. Yes, I'm talking about new and improved shooting tables. As always, one of the smallest components on its huge hardwood floor is dribbling and crisscrossing parts that have a huge impact on how nearly everything else on the court is doing.
Green and slightly curved
If you are lucky enough to not experience the shooting tables from the past year, I envy you. The NBA 2K26 replaces the 2K25's nightmare dial/arrow/ring design, with a more intuitive, easier time and infinitely bent pole shooting table. If you've heard of it before, it's because it's similar to 2K23, but that's not a complete return. The green field of New Meter is no longer staying static, but is adjusted to its defensive coverage: If the defender is in your face, you have little chance of playing. However, if you turn it on, it will be easier to post correctly and take the shot.
Trust me, I have a lot more interesting shooters now than this time last year because I actually keep them consistent. There is a slight trade-off, though: Because getting green vegetables is easier, there is less room for imperfection. This means that if you have some earlier or later schedule, you might as well start running on the defense, as the shot is likely to be bricked. That said, I will do this shooting meter any day of the week, which has little chance of improving the error.
Now, I am very convinced of the concept of “Don't fix it if there is no bankruptcy” because why ruin a good thing, right? But I'm a bigger believer and if something breaks down – like last year's clumsy player sport, you can fix it quickly. The visual concept does this because the NBA 2K26 makes running, cutting and defense smoother, that it makes the NBA 2K25 move feel like you're stuck in Quicksand. This isn't a small change as it permeates every mode, making the entire NBA 2K26 robot feel less natural and more fun.
Plus, it makes one of my favorite new features, the preferred lens, look more accurate and realistic. Remember how disappointed I was that I couldn’t dominate the paint with my Shimmy Shimmy Shake vade-ways with Jokic or Embiid in my comments last year? Well, dreams come true because I've been spamming out of place in every game I've played for the past few days. It's a pleasant and methodical alternative to bruises that replaces typical agile, fast traffic action, and I'll continue to use it until the AI learns to stop it. Before that, there was a BBQ Chicken Alert on the floor every time.
Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road
Now is bad news. What, do you think it will be all right from now on? Sorry, Dorothy, but this yellow brick road is not friendly. I mean “yellow brick road”, which refers to the online-only mode of NBA 2K26. Last year, the so-called improvements to Mynba were incredible to say the least. This time, dear friends, they don't actually exist, and as a Truther in offline mode, I'm very disappointed.
Despite the 2K25, we have at least increased the increase in the Stephen era, although it has felt redundant with the other two eras of the 2010s (except the LeBron era). Are you ready to listen to what the 2K26 MyNBA mode has in the store? Drum sounds, ple…you know what, not even bothering. This is called the offseason scenario of MYGM. These are long-term tasks tailored to each franchise to appease the fan base and more importantly owner.
These programs appear at two-thirds of the pace and are eliminated at the beginning of the offseason. But, like my problem with MYGM mode last year, these tasks (and many of the features in the mode itself) feel forced and sometimes unrealistic again. RPG elements and their privileged and attribute point systems seem inappropriate and unnecessary, as they have few grand plans to change basketball operations. Ultimately, it's still about winning as many games and championships as possible. Or, if you are on the other end, lose and tanks as much as possible. Overall, the whole pattern feels like a side project hastily thrown away just to get some of the last extra credit you need to pass the class.
Despite my problem with offline mode, the basic gameplay showed a lot of hope on my first day. I'm happy to see its new storyline and the potentially weird online gameplay of MyTeam and how it looks in Mycareer. But after suffering from last year’s shooting table and molasses-like action, there is really nowhere to go. However, whether this indicates my final judgment and next week’s score remains to be seen.