What do I think of NBA 2K27? After 20 years of playing these games, I don’t even know anymore

September 9, 2026 - 13:47

I have played every major NBA simulation since the late 2000s. I remember when the big selling point was a better post-up move or a new passing animation. Now, after logging about ten hours into NBA 2K27, I find myself asking a question I never thought I would ask: what is this game actually for?

The core basketball is still there, buried under layers of menus, cutscenes, and virtual currency prompts. When you actually get into a game and run a pick and roll, the physics feel solid. The players move with weight. The AI on defense actually rotates. There are moments where this is the best hoops sim ever made. A tight fourth quarter against a friend online still gets my heart rate up.

But those moments are rare. The rest of the time, I am staring at a city hub that feels like a part-time job. I am walking my player through a parking lot to talk to a shoe salesman. I am watching a loading screen just to open a pack of digital cards. The game keeps asking me to spend real money on things that used to be earned by playing well. It is exhausting.

I miss the days when you picked a team, played a season, and that was it. Now, the game punishes you for ignoring the side quests. If you want to upgrade your player, you either grind for hours or open your wallet. The single-player story mode is written like a bad TV drama, with characters who talk in memes and never shut up about "the grind."

The weird part is that I still recommend it to my friends who love basketball. There is no better alternative. But I do not love it anymore. I respect the craft of the on-court action, and I hate everything around it. After two decades, I am not sure if NBA 2K27 is a great game wearing a terrible costume, or a cash grab that happens to have a decent basketball engine underneath. Either way, I keep coming back. That might be the saddest part of all.