The Road to NBA 2K26 starts here.
It’s been a long and exciting journey to this point—and we couldn’t have reached it without you. Our team at Visual Concepts has listened carefully to community feedback and applied these learnings in earnest.
Over the next few weeks, leading up to Early Access starting August 29 and the global launch on September 5, we’ll unveil the new features, enhancements, and innovations coming to NBA 2K26 on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2; from a renewed focus on skill-based gameplay to fresh and authentic storytelling, and much more.
But because we’re so excited to share these updates, we wanted to give the community an early teaser. Mark your calendar—you won’t want to miss these gameplay and game mode reveals!
GAMEPLAY - FULL REVEAL WEEK OF JULY 28
Rewarding Skill-Based Gameplay
We prefaced it in the introduction, but this year in NBA 2K26 we really wanted to hone in on rewarding skill-based gameplay, where your actions on the sticks fully control and translate to the outcomes you see in-game. You’ll feel this point of emphasis across multiple gameplay areas, including shot outcomes, blocks, steals, loose balls, and rebounds.
Higher difficulties, including most competitive multiplayer modes, will play with Green or Miss Jump Shot Timing this year to yield a heightened competitive atmosphere. Based on community feedback, Shot Meters and Dunk Meters both show you your green windows, similar to NBA 2K24’s. In addition, Layup Timing is permanently enabled to separate skilled finishers and make those highly contested finishes at the rim even more spectacular and impressive.
New Tools for Offense and Defense
Get ready to elevate your game and feel the pulse of the pros with new moves that empower you with deeper control in the post and more control and customization over how you attack the rim. Lock down the paint and stay in perfect position with improved player-to-player contact on the floor and in the air, with improved footwork and defensive counters for a truly competitive experience.
This is just a sample of this year’s improvements to on-court gameplay; check back again later this month for the full breakdown.
MyPLAYER BUILDER - FULL REVEAL WEEK OF AUGUST 4
Build with New Insights
We know how important the process of creating your MyPLAYER is, which is why we’ve added more depth and quality-of-life improvements to the Builder to help you better understand the type of build you’re making.
With new advanced tools—like the ability to preview unlockable Body Types—and more, the MyPLAYER Builder is packed with upgrades designed to give you more context, more control, and more ways to create your perfect build.
Fresh Playstyles Year-Round
The MyPLAYER Builder in NBA 2K26 doubles down on everything the community loved in NBA 2K25, and more. Cap Breakers return with big improvements alongside even more new ways to improve upon your build that reward smarter progression and give you new ways to evolve your playstyle all year long.
The 5-level Takeover & Takeover Ability system returns with a streamlined progression system and gives you more control over how you dominate the court.
MyPLAYER Build Diversity
The MyPLAYER Builder has been balanced to ensure that all heights short and tall can be effective on the court and encourage more build diversity. Overall, the MyPLAYER Builder remains intuitive for beginners, but veteran players can dive deeper into creating their perfect build.
August keeps the ball rolling with the full MyPLAYER Builder Courtside Report, expanding on the aforementioned new insights, fresh playstyles, and build diversity with a host of other new enhancements.
MyTEAM - FULL REVEAL WEEK OF AUGUST 11
It’s a Party in Triple Threat Park
Triple Threat Park returns to take over a new location with a whole new vibe. With new ways to play alongside or against your friends, squad up with your plus-one, go head-to-head in various formats, and with community feedback in mind, earn even more collection-improving rewards throughout Triple Threat Park!
King of the Court, presented by AT&T
Based on community feedback, King of the Court, presented by AT&T, is now more accessible to compete for a weekly cash prize (PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S) and VC. Each King of the Court event will take place during a full-weekend window, extending beyond the previous limited 4-hour time slot on Saturdays. We’ve got plenty more details to share, so check back in August for the full scoop.
There’s some big news coming to MyTEAM this year; stay tuned for the full reveal.
MyCAREER - FULL REVEAL WEEK OF AUGUST 18
MyCAREER: Out of Bounds
NBA 2K26’s immersive MyCAREER prelude story takes players where they’ve never gone before in Out of Bounds. Watch your draft stock rise as you outshine your opponents. But there are now more consequences to your story games and choices. If you don’t complete all the objectives in a game, your agent might not be able to secure the best opportunities for you.
Where Will You Go in the NBA Draft?
This year, your MyPLAYER can go through the Draft process and be drafted based on your performance and how well you fit each team’s positional needs. Let fate run its course to see where you get drafted, or bet on yourself and conduct a private workout for the team you want to control your destiny. Get drafted the traditional way or choose where you want to go—the decision is yours.
See where your MyCAREER journey will take you when we pull back the curtain and showcase this narrative-driven mode in mid-August.
MyNBA - FULL REVEAL WEEK OF AUGUST 18
Dynamic Banners
Celebrate your championships properly with dynamic banners in NBA 2K26. As you win titles, you’ll see banners from those championship victories raised into the rafters, where they’ll hang to commemorate your milestone achievements. Each NBA arena has a dedicated section for these banners and, as you play out your own stories, you will see years and years of history proudly displayed during games.
More Customization with Unranked MyGM
Take command of an NBA franchise as a General Manager in MyGM and import custom rosters and draft classes to fine tune your preferences in the new Unranked MyGM option. Enjoy further customization and explore endless possibilities in this role-playing sandbox mode.
This is just a glimpse of what to expect in MyNBA this year. In a few weeks, we’ll share more details about the mode—talk soon!
THE CITY - FULL REVEAL WEEK OF AUGUST 25
NBA 2K26 welcomes Gen 9 players on PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC back to The City—and, for the first time, Nintendo Switch 2. The City is even more intimate and accessible than its predecessor, with all points of interest well within reach to get you on the court significantly faster.
The Park Gets a Makeover
Soak in all of the urban beauty in NBA 2K26’s new Park designs, which are focused on more natural and grounded scenery, like courts that you might find in the real-world, based on community feedback. Plus, new lighting improvements and a fixed time-of-day will reduce harsh shade and sunlight.
More Ways to Flex in The City
Own the spotlight in The City with all-new mode leaderboards that shine a light on not only your rank, but also the players with the most wins in multiplayer modes like The Theater and The REC. Also, the top player from each mode will have a 12-foot statue of their MyPLAYER built outside that mode’s building, and it’ll be updated daily to give recognition to that day’s star.
Before The City opens its doors, we’re going to give you the full tour at the end of August, just in time for Early Access, starting August 29.
COMING UP NEXT
Tune in to our Road to NBA 2K26 reveal streams throughout the summer on Twitch (with Twitch Drops enabled to earn Locker Codes!), YouTube, X, or TikTok, and join our Discord to be the first to know about new Courtside Reports and everything NBA 2K26.
Pre-order the NBA 2K26 Superstar or Leave No Doubt editions now to unlock Early Access on August 29!
