10 Best NBA 2K Games, Ranked

The first NBA 2K game came out in 1999 on the Dreamcast, and since then, it has fought off its competitor to dominate the basketball video game market. NBA 2K now has an eSports league and constantly evolving features that capture modern basketball at its best. The franchise has strong links with the NBA and often hosts events with the top players. 

Today, we will rank the 10 best NBA 2K games ever released. We will consider how groundbreaking the game was at the time of its release and debate how impactful the features were on the game’s development. Our list will also consider how the game felt to play and the game modes that came with it.

10 Best NBA 2K Games 

1. NBA 2K11

Taking the top spot is NBA 2K11. Michael Jordan features on the cover but also brings a whole lot more to the game with his own game modes, including the infamous Jordan Challenge. The Jordan Challenge makes players recreate ten of the most iconic moments in Jordan’s career. From scoring 69+ points and shooting 50%+ from the field to scoring 35+ points and making 6+ threes in the first half. Recreating these real-life events in the game felt good and gave us a new respect for Jordan’s incredible feats. 

Once you have completed the Jordan Challenge or slipped in a cheat code, you will unlock another game mode that lets you play as Jordan in MyPlayer mode. You would start as a rookie and then join any team you like with Jordan as your character. This was incredibly fun and let you shape Jordan’s career by signing him to your favorite NBA team. 

Apart from the Michael Jordan features, the game had a great MyPlayer career mode, and the AI you played against actually felt refined, even compared to today’s standards. The MyPlayer customization felt so in-depth for the time. You could change the appearance, animation, and plenty of other features that gave you a high degree of control for the first time. 

2K players agree that 2K11 set the bar for the subsequent run of NBA 2K games that followed. It was also the first game to feature historic NBA teams and players (due to the Jordan Challenge) such as the 85-86 Celtics, and a few of Jordan’s Bulls teams. 

2. NBA 2K16 

NBA 2K16 had a brilliant balance of great online play as well as excellent offline modes. The MyCareer mode was directed by Spike Lee, giving a movie director’s story-focused approach to a video game, which made it a game changer. The story ended up feeling a bit flat, but it showed the vision 2K had for producing a substantial career mode in 2K16. On top of the star director, the soundtrack was also curated by legendary producers DJ Premier, DJ Mustard, and DJ Khalid. 

In terms of gameplay, 2K16 was an excellent recreation of basketball in a video game. This ranged from the shooting mechanics to the ball handling. Smoother controls and new animations helped this portrayal, but the main difference came from the AI. They acted in a way that accurately represented how players in their position or height/ build would act. 

For the online players who enjoy the MyPark mode, many will place NBA 2K16 high up on this list as the mode was still new but played much more refined. MyPark was introduced in 2K15 but didn’t have the refinement. In 2K16, it felt like the developers took feedback on board and started to produce a substantial game mode. Also, the dribbling at this time wasn’t broken, so navigating your plays felt much easier. 

3. NBA 2K13 

Now we have another NBA 2K game that had an excellent star feature in its development: Jay Z. Jay Z was an executive producer of the game and had a say in bringing a range of features and curating what is possibly one of the best sports game soundtracks to NBA 2K. He brought the 1992 and 2012 US national sports teams to the game and curated a varied soundtrack that featured a wide range of genres, not just hip-hop. 

Jay Z isn’t the main reason why NBA 2K13 places on this list. The gameplay was great, and it successfully built off the level that 2K11 set. It was the first 2K where the dribbling controls were switched to the right stick. This system was difficult to master, but it laid the foundation for 2K to think about how to progress control in the game. Also, it was the first 2K to introduce MyTeam, which many dedicated fans would say was the beginning of the end. 

Although the MyCareer was not the most inspiring in 2K history, it did have great features, like pre-draft interviews that felt like you could determine how the draft pick would unfold. The off-court controls also allowed you to pick custom suits for pre/post-game interviews and more. Another downside to NBA 2K13 is that they did take out the NBA Greatest modes that 2K fans loved. 

4. NBA 2K12

NBA 2K12 built on the brilliant 2K11 and refined select parts of gameplay, making for a smoother and more enjoyable game. Although it didn’t feature the iconic Jordan Challenge, it did introduce NBA’s Greatest mode, which similarly allows us to play through iconic games and situations. You will also find a Create a Legend mode, which lets you select a real player and play through their entire career from rookie to legend. 

The controls’ enhancements made for slightly better gameplay. Moreover, enhancements to commentary and the tutorial provided the feeling of a well-rounded game from start to finish. All these elements gave the game universal acclaim upon its release, leading to a range of “Best Sports Game” awards. 

One point to notice was the opening sequence, which many fans say is the best in the series. It featured an animation circling throughout a court of different players performing different actions from different periods. The video had Kurtis Blow’s “Basketball” and ended with MJ’s legendary dunk. This video excited us to play the game and was a creative way to use all the star players, especially those from the NBA Greatest mode. 

5. NBA 2K14 

If you’re a LeBron James fan this could be your favorite NBA 2K game. Not only did he feature on the cover, but he also curated the game’s soundtrack. Some call NBA 2K14 that last game of 2K‘s “golden era”. Claims like this always come from a nostalgic view of the past, but the stellar reviews and sales of these games reflect the dominance of NBA 2K at the time. 

The graphics and animations were mind-blowing for the time and still don’t look bad 10 years later. Weak points in the gameplay also got addressed with a direct focus on defense. In previous versions, the offense was too fast and almost unrealistic (even though it was more fun.) 2K14 still allowed you to dribble past players, but it took more skill and wasn’t successful every time. It also felt like you could block way more shots and that contact fouls were more realistic. 

Similar to the Jordan Challenge, 2K14 had a game mode called “LeBron: Path to Greatness,” in which you would replicate LeBron’s career. Game modes like this are brilliant for true NBA fans. Overall, it is a brilliant basketball simulator, and you would even have fun playing this game today. 
 

6. NBA 2K20

Number 5 on the list goes to NBA 2K20. This version appears on this list mainly because of the online MyPark mode. As NBA 2K20 was the latest version of NBA 2K during the lockdown period, the MyPark servers were packed with people there to have a good time. The dribbling in this version was brilliant, in addition to the rest of the gameplay. On top of these points, the events and rep system worked well and kept the game progression exciting by giving us some top-class rewards. 

If we look at other game modes, they feel like they are not as well-rounded as other versions on this list. MyCareer had an immersive storyline and even featured voice actors like Idris Elba. Regarding gameplay, it seems 2K sacrificed attention to game modes like MyLeauge to cater to the online MyTeam. MyTeam is riddled with ways to buy into the game with microtransactions. Although 2K20 offered ways to grind through without paying, they felt slow and pointless. So you couldn’t play this game mode without sinking extra money into it. 

NBA 2K20 was the first version to include all 12 WNBA teams. You could only play as these teams in the Play Now or single-season game modes. This was great for WNBA fans and provided a different way to play the game, which featured its own style of play along with new all-star players.

7. NBA 2K2 

One of the early NBA 2K games has to feature on this list for the innovative approach it takes to the game. First, 2K2 featured Allan Iverson on the cover for the first iterations, paying the proper respect to one of the game’s all-time legends. 2K2 was the first NBA 2K to feature on the PlayStation and Xbox, bringing this franchise to the masses. 

Of course, the actual gameplay was stiff and unnatural. Passing animations felt robotic, and collisions were at an all-time low. But the gameplay wasn’t all bad, as even this early on, it featured animations such as pump fakes, crossover dribbles, and steals. You could call for the ball, create an intentional foul, and select offensive plays. In addition, the transitions were smooth, and you could choose between five different camera angles.

There was no career mode this time, but the Franchise mode did let you play consecutive seasons with a team while being able to sign free agents and cut players. For its time, 2K2 was a step into the future of sports games. And for some gamer trivia, it was the only game to be released in North America on all four 6th generation consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Gamecube, Dreamcast). 

8. NBA 2K9 

NBA 2K9 came at a time when the series had already solidified its name as the top basketball video game franchise. 2K8 had many people claim it didn’t differ enough from the previous version. So, 2K addressed this by creating all new mechanics for defense and shooting. When it came to shooting, you could change your shot type once you had left the ground, allowing you to adapt to different situations. 

A noticeable difference from previous versions is that the game speed is faster. This was a double-edged sword, though, as, on the one hand, it felt realistic to see the offense run down the court as soon as the play switched to offense. On the other hand, it almost made it too easy to score offensive dunks every time the opponent team was bunched up in your D. 

In addition, 2K9 provided one of the biggest leaps in terms of visuals and graphics for the 2K series. For the time, the players looked easily identifiable, especially the stars, and even smaller elements like the crowd provided a realistic rendition. 2K considered all the small details and animations off the ball, and even off the court. 

9. NBA 2K10 

NBA 2K10 quickly became a fan favorite as it was the first NBA 2K to include the MyPlayer mode, which is the current MyCareer mode. Kobe Bryant graced the cover, and this image was part of a marketing scheme where fans could vote for their favorite cover. 

MyCareer gave NBA fans the first introduction to living out their fantasy of going through the NBA circuit. After customizing your character and picking your position, you had to go through some games and drills to get drafted straight to the team or to a D-league associate. Staying on the team afterward was no easy feat, and you constantly fought for your place. The commentary and game assessments felt accurate, and you were awarded for playing the game properly instead of calling for every shot in every play. 

The game even had some great Blacktop game modes, where you could select between pickup games, a dunk contest, or a 3-point shootout. It was also at a time when games were more fun. A couple of artists from the soundtrack were featured as playable characters, so you could play as Kanye West (which certainly hasn’t aged well). Overall, 2K10 had thoroughly enjoyable gameplay that set the stage for 2K11, which features at no.1 on this list. 

10. NBA 2K19 

Although NBA 2K19 had a steeper learning curve than many NBA 2K versions, the game was still a success thanks to its smooth controls and wide variety of game modes. You were able to chain together natural dribbling moves and move the ball around your team in a fluid way. Although many people had issues with this game, NBA 2K19 still has a Metacritic score of 82. 

People mainly disliked this version because microtransactions affected the offline game modes. This was evident in the MyCareer mode, where you were constantly asked to invest in VC (virtual currency) to improve your player’s stats. You could grind the game to improve your stats without paying, but this took hours and was infuriating for a below-standard player. 

In opposition, the improved motion and physics made playing this game fun. There was much better collision detection than the previous versions, and elements like rebounds felt less random and based on real-time factors. Also, the AI for the game felt much more balanced. You would have both great offense and defense options, and although the game felt slow at times, it did feel like a game of chess, which is accurate to how basketball looks at the top level.