NBA 2K27 review – Impeccable on-court action

Having launched earlier this month, if you’re a basketball fan you’ve probably already picked up NBA 2K27. But if you haven’t, you might want to think about it, especially if you’ve missed a few of the more recent entries in the series. NBA 2K27 undoubtedly provides one of, if not the best, virtual court experiences, and it also has an impressive variety of modes to get stuck into.

From the moment you find yourself on the court in NBA 2K27, you’ll no doubt be taken aback by the authenticity of it all. Players move and react just how you’d expect thanks to fantastic animations, and there’s a convincing weight to everything. But more importantly, the mechanics here have been refined over the years, leading to a representation of the sport that feels likelike and energetic but also great fun to play.

When on the offense, you’ll find it intuitive to pass the ball, while shooting requires enough skill as to not make it trivial, but it’s not overly challenging. And as you’d expect, you’re rewarded here for shaking off any defenders and lining up a clear shot, or moving in for an impressive dunk. It’s when you’re on the defence that you’ll perhaps most appreciate the work that’s been put into NBA 2K27, though, with multiple systems being tweaked to make trying to regain possession of the ball or block shots feel more effective and rewarding.

The changes to the core gameplay will probably be enough for a lot of players, but many of the modes found within NBA 2K27 have undergone some serious improvements too. Jump into MyCAREER, for example, and alongside Fire & Concrete, an expansive 11-chapter modern day campaign to play through, you’ll find you can also play through five historical eras, complete with authentic rosters, locker rooms and more. Co-op MyCAREER is available for first time, too.

Honestly, though, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can finally engage in every activity found in the City as a female MyPLAYER, and the City itself has been made a little more compact so that you don’t find yourself wasting as much time running from one place to another. And another great addition is the new Casual Corner, where you initially play against the CPU but start to face other human opponents as you rank up, making it a great place for newcomers to find their feet.

Along with a wealth of other changes across various modes and features, NBA 2K27 does enough to make it stand out even from last year’s release. Still, as ever, depending on the modes you find yourself gravitating towards and how much of an avid basketball fan you are, you might find a lot of what it offers rather familiar for the asking price. And then there’s the monetisation to consider; you’ll be seeing VC icons everywhere here, perhaps until you even start dreaming about it at night, which can be a little off-putting.

These issues will be familiar to you if you’re a fan of the NBA 2K series, though, and you’ll have likely hardened to them. If that’s the case, it’s safe to say you’ll have a very good time with NBA 2K27, enjoying its refreshed gameplay, updated rosters, enhanced modes and more. But if you’re more of a casual player, you might want to weigh up whether these new features and improvements are indeed worth the asking price – if you’ve missed the last year or so’s releases, I think they are.

This review of NBA 2K27 is based on the PS5 version, with a code provided by the game’s publisher. It’s available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC.