NBA 2K23 is nearly here and it features gameplay enhancements that elevate the competitive intensity in all facets. The main pillar for us this year can be summed up with one word: Authenticity. The team worked hard to create as much parity as possible in the on-court gameplay between Current and New Gen. Below, we’ve detailed all there is to know about the updates coming in the latest iteration of the NBA 2K franchise.

OFFENSIVE GAMEPLAY

The defense was a point of emphasis in last year's game, but NBA 2K23 is so jam-packed with new features and upgrades on the offensive end of the floor that it's a perfect starting point. NBA 2K22 was a banner year for perimeter players: small guards had a slew of advantages over their taller counterparts, and outside shooting reigned supreme in online matches. Thinking about how we could bring more authenticity to our game, we looked at how virtual games were playing out compared to the real-life NBA, and it was clear that we needed to give more love to slashers who love to finish at the rim. This meant expanding the tools for attacking the basket.

UPGRADED PRO STICK

The most obvious upgrade is the addition of new gesture combos to the Pro Stick. Internally, we refer to the new mechanics as double throws (flicking the Pro Stick in a direction, letting it go back to center, and then quickly moving the Pro Stick back in the same direction) and switchbacks (flicking the Pro Stick in a direction, letting it center, and then quickly moving the Pro Stick in the opposite direction). These new gestures introduce a lot of new weapons for both shooting and ball handling.

FLEX ON THE RIM

For dunking, the metered skill dunks from NBA 2K22 (ability to force difficult dunks in traffic with a timed shot meter) return, but the new commands allow us to expand the dunking controls to let you dunk exactly how you want without accidentally firing off a skill dunk you weren’t expecting. When driving to the basket with the Sprint trigger held, the new Pro Stick control map for dunks is as follows:

UP = Two-Hand
RIGHT = Strong Hand
LEFT = Weak Hand
DOWN = Rim Hang
UP-UP = Flashy Two-Hand
DOWN-UP = Flashy One-Hand
UP-DOWN = Normal Skill Dunk with meter
DOWN-DOWN = Rim Hang Skill Dunk with meter

You’ll notice with this new map, you now have control over rim hangs. For New Gen, we’ve taken that control to an all-new level with physics-based simulated rim hangs! This is an incredibly entertaining and wonderfully complex piece of tech that’s been in development for a couple of years now. It allows you to control when and how you hang on the rim after a dunk.

The controls are simple. Use one of the new rim-hang dunk gestures mentioned above when driving toward the hoop, but keep the Sprint trigger held when the player gets their hands on the rim. You’ll hang indefinitely as long as you keep the trigger held, and you can use the Left Stick to adjust the momentum of your swinging body and the Right Stick to pull yourself up on the rim. This is all done through a physical simulation, as opposed to canned animations—it looks and feels amazing. It’s one of the most fun things to do in the City (available on New Gen only), but watch out for techs if you hang too long in NBA games.

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