As a die-hard Boston Celtics fan, I was hoping NBA 2K27 would be kinder to me than the offseason was. It’s a tradition that I jump straight into Play Now and whip up a quick match between the Celtics and whoever I believe will be the best in the East for the upcoming season. As you can imagine, it hurts to see Jaylen Brown wearing that Philadelphia 76ers jersey.
Our review of NBA 2K26 last year noted that while the improvements made were small, they shifted the overall franchise in the right direction with an emphasis on more nuanced dribbling and physicality on defence.
NBA 2K27 does make some minor adjustments in the gameplay department, but everything else feels like more of a step backwards for the franchise as a whole. While we could go on for much longer about every single feature NBA 2K27 has to offer, we are going to dive solely into some of the newer additions this time around.
The Change-Up
General gameplay will instantly feel familiar for those who played NBA 2K26, and for the most part, it’s still great. Handling feels that much better thanks to loads of new animations, and rhythm shooting feels much more punishing this year, even if it only feels that way because rhythm shooting in NBA 2K26 simply felt too easy to begin with.
I would still recommend using the shot stick where possible, as it’s so much more convenient to combine dribble moves and signature go-to shots, but jump shooting in general has also been tweaked slightly, in the sense that it’s much more likely to reward excellent shot timing and positioning, and rarely likely to reward even slightly late timing, made worse by poor positioning or tough defence.
The Dunk Meter now requires more succinct timing on all dunks, as opposed to only the Skill Dunks from NBA 2K26. While stronger and more physically imposing players, including power forwards and centres, make this an easier, much more approachable mechanic, I do appreciate the extra layer of skill and timing, adding to more nuanced decision-based gameplay. Simply driving to the ring is no longer the safe option if there’s a better post-up move or jump shot.
NBA 2K27 also benefits from additional animations that help provide smoother and more realistic gameplay, along with tough rhythm-based shooting and the implementation of the Dunk Meter across the board. It’s still incredibly fun to play, and the action has arguably only gotten better, if ever so slightly.
Finally, NBA 2K27 also looks and runs as good as ever, complete with more accurate facial scans and lighting effects, even for past players and courts, respectively.
The Way Back
Unfortunately, I seem to have gripes with everything else NBA 2K27 is doing. The new MyCareer mode, titled Fire & Concrete, does its best to present players with a more grounded, cinematic experience complete with memorable characters to help guide MP into the big leagues.
MP starts strong as one of the most talked-about high school prospects in the country, before a serious car accident derails their career. You’ll then spend the first 6 chapters of the story training to get back into the draft via the G League. I don’t mind a few of the supporting characters here, and your partner, Trace Miller, who accompanies you throughout your career and can be controlled by a friend for cooperative play, is also quite funny and charming. But I just feel that the writing can only go so far.
Fire & Concrete starts with you getting into that aforementioned major car accident right after winning a high school championship game, which is told via a really cool anime-themed montage. But flash forward a couple of years later, after some intense rehabilitation, and things feel pretty mundane. You run into a few park matchups against local talent before being picked up by a G League team and then into the NBA. You can skip to chapter 6 from the very start, though, which immediately gets you into the NBA. If you play the MyCareer mode every year, this latter option might be the way to go.
Your Era, Your Way
Another addition to NBA 2K27 is the new MyCareer Eras mode, which allows you to create your own MP and begin a career across one of five distinct eras in NBA history, from Magic and Bird, right through to Steph Curry’s dominance in the 2010s. The MyNBA Eras mode has been around for a while now, but it’s still a great idea. I’m a massive Larry Bird fan, and couldn’t wait to get stuck into the best era in basketball: the 80s. It’s an incredibly authentic experience down to not only the players’ likenesses, but also the old-school courts, scoreboards and general presentation.
That being said, I can’t get around the fact that you can only create your MP for that particular era. The MyCareer mode can feel like enough of a grind as it is, but having to make a new MP for each of the eras is absolutely wild. I simply refuse to pump any more of my VC and time into each of these eras, as you can basically have up to six careers on the go if you really wanted.
Finally, the new MyNBA Legacy single-player mode allows you to get the best of your franchise as a General Manager, while dominating the court as a Legend over the insane span of 100 years. It’s a fun mode that mainly feels like MyNBA on steroids, but I commend it for trying to do something different while bolstering the selection of single-player offerings.
A Walk Through The City
The City this year has shifted to a nighttime neon aesthetic, and I think it generally looks great. It’s also the first co-ed City for the franchise, bringing an element of depth and variety to the growing WNBA option on offer. Attributes and Badges are also not affected by your gender, which is also a nice touch.
The core of this mode remains very much the same, but the new Casual Corner adds a dedicated spot for newer players to participate in PvE matches, along with 3v3 and 5v5 matches against friends. These parks tend to get a little competitive, so it’s great to see this approach implemented outside of the standard matchups. Finally, The City is set to receive a bunch of seasonal updates with new courts on the horizon, even going as far as to bring back remastered versions of existing classics from previous iterations.
The VC Situation
I feel like we go through this every year, but I believe it must be stated once again. NBA 2K27 wants your wallet. While it always felt rather egregious, there’s simply more to spend your money on this year. If you want to even touch the money pit that is MyTeam, it’s there, complete with the usual rotating roster of seasonal updates and player cards. But the fact that the new MyCareer Eras mode allows you to pump VC into your MP across each of those five eras stings that much more.
It’s not to say that these modes are terrible, but they’re all accentuated by the ability to fast-track your progress via VC. NBA 2K27 is still incredibly fun to play, but there are only so many hours in the day, making the grind feel that much more arduous.
Final Thoughts
Overall, NBA 2K27 feels like it has taken one step forward, yet two steps back. It’s fun to play thanks to the adjusted rhythm shooting, new dribble animations and Dunk Meter, but it just feels held back by everything else.
The new Fire & Concrete MyCareer story feels like a wasted opportunity, while the MyNBA Eras mode, as fun as it is, requires exorbitant amounts of time (or money) if you want to experience it all to the fullest.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fun gameplay; Slick visuals and performance; Authentic presentation
Lowlights: Bloated modes reinforce the grind; Fire & Concrete MyCareer is bland
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
