NBA 2K27 Review - Great on the Court, Greedy off It

Every September I load up the new NBA 2K half hopeful, half braced for impact. NBA 2K27 delivers both feelings in full: the basketball itself is the best it has been in years, and the economy wrapped around it is as shameless as ever.

What it is

NBA 2K27 (out September 4 from Visual Concepts and 2K, on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PC and even Apple platforms - notably the first entry to drop last-gen consoles entirely) puts Victor Wembanyama on the standard cover, with Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose fronting the Deluxe and Ultra editions. Those pricier editions come stuffed with 100,000 and 135,000 VC respectively, which tells you a lot about the business model before you take a single jump shot.

On the court: genuinely excellent

Credit where due. With over 7,000 new ProPLAY animations, a dynamic layup engine, a redesigned dunk meter and skill-based ankle breakers, this is the most physical, most readable basketball 2K has ever shipped. Defense finally feels like a craft rather than a prayer, and the new five-tier Takeover system rewards actually playing your role. Rucker Park joining the streetball rotation is a nice touch too.

The headline idea is MyCareer's five historical eras: you can now start your career in the Magic vs. Bird, Jordan, Kobe, LeBron or Steph era instead of the present day. It's the freshest MyCareer has felt in half a decade, and co-op career support - a friend controlling your customizable running mate Trace Miller - is something people have wanted for years.

Off the court: same old stickup

And yet. VC still shadows everything. You can play without spending extra, but the game never stops reminding you how much faster things would go if you opened your wallet, and MyTEAM remains a slot machine wearing a basketball jersey. Grinding a MyPLAYER from its miserable starting ratings still feels deliberately painful so that the VC bundles look merciful. In a full-price annual release, this remains indefensible - I've said it every year and I'll keep saying it.

Who it's for

If you skipped the last two or three entries, this is the year to come back - the on-court leap is real, and the era-based careers alone are worth a look. If you mainly live in MyTEAM, know exactly what you're walking into. And if you only play offline franchise ball, MyNBA's CBA updates and no-trade clauses make this the deepest management sandbox in sports gaming.

Verdict

The best-playing NBA 2K in years, dragged down - as always - by an economy designed to squeeze. Buy it for the basketball, guard your wallet like it's a closeout defender.

Score: 7/10

Image: The White House / Public domain, source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wembanyama_and_Hart,_2026_NBA_Finals.png