NBA 2K21

 PlayStation 4
User Score
0.9

Overwhelming dislike- based on 546 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 546
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 546
  3. Negative: 500 out of 546
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  1. smoovelai
    Sep 7, 2020
    4
    Very dissatisfied and disappointed.

    Would not recommend for the first time in this series existence.
  2. Garden777
    Sep 8, 2020
    4
    the worst version of 2k20. The shooting is terrible. No changes at all. The only good thing about the game is the mycarrer prelude with college and high school, the rest it isn't worth it
  3. PrimusBlitz
    Sep 15, 2020
    4
    I'm going to give 2k Sports the benefit of the doubt here, NBA 2k is honestly better than Madden NFL 21 and other sports games out there despite not being the most popular sport in the world. But other than that, this game doesn't have anything new here to offer (besides MyCareer and the new Neighborhood). MyLeague and MyGM are still the same but nothing new is added. The gameplay feelsI'm going to give 2k Sports the benefit of the doubt here, NBA 2k is honestly better than Madden NFL 21 and other sports games out there despite not being the most popular sport in the world. But other than that, this game doesn't have anything new here to offer (besides MyCareer and the new Neighborhood). MyLeague and MyGM are still the same but nothing new is added. The gameplay feels much like the same except the shot meter is way different and much harder to master. There also new historic teams added including the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors and 2018-19 Toronto Raptors, but there are some players on the historic team's missing. So overall, this game is pretty much the same as last year. I only recommend this game if you are a hardcore NBA fan and want to play some MyPark with your friends or if you want to play with your favorite NBA team online or in MyCareer. Or just you pass on this version and wait for the PS5/ XBOX Series X/ XBOX Series S comes out.… Expand
  4. Sullyy
    Sep 6, 2020
    3
    2k games have come a very long way and to give this game a rating of 0 is just unfair because the state of this game is way better then let’s say madden. This game has depth and it looks like they do care about the game but there just isn’t much more innovation they can do with this generation of consoles. Only complaint is gameplay which is the same year after year which would be fine if2k games have come a very long way and to give this game a rating of 0 is just unfair because the state of this game is way better then let’s say madden. This game has depth and it looks like they do care about the game but there just isn’t much more innovation they can do with this generation of consoles. Only complaint is gameplay which is the same year after year which would be fine if it played like 2k16 or even 2k17 but the fact that they keep this awful gameplay and neighborhood ruins it… Expand
  5. Regant2000
    Sep 8, 2020
    3
    what a load of tosh, gameplay is horrific and laggy even with fast Internet, alot of people are complaining about gameplay being delayed, lots of people are also getting error codes for different game modes so they can't play even after doing some troubleshooting steps, game needs to be better, shooting is terrible and hardly anyone can get any greens in neighbourhood, sort it out 2k!
  6. BlitZeR_95
    Jun 10, 2021
    2
    I have honestly never played a terrible game like this in my life. Very poor design, definitely not beginner friendly at all. In MyCareer mode, your character would constantly miss 80% of his shots, while the other team would constantly score a lot. The only way through this is by having shooting badge, and to get your shooting badge up you need to actually score, but as mentioned beforeI have honestly never played a terrible game like this in my life. Very poor design, definitely not beginner friendly at all. In MyCareer mode, your character would constantly miss 80% of his shots, while the other team would constantly score a lot. The only way through this is by having shooting badge, and to get your shooting badge up you need to actually score, but as mentioned before it's incredibly hard to score. Just very poor game design overall, it's like the game is created to make you lose constantly at the beginning giving you no chance. If you're a beginner to NBA2k games and you just want to enjoy career mode, you can forget about it. The lowest difficulty is pro, which is not beginner friendly at all.… Expand
  7. MaxCred
    Oct 19, 2020
    2
    The game has some redeeming qualities in the presentation and graphics. Gameplay is cartoonish garbage. Nothing makes sense. Shot meter is impossible, Butt steals are still regular, people can still reach and intercept the ball with their back faced towards the ball, centers can chase down point guards, court is too small. Just garbage.
  8. Cuban_kid15
    Sep 8, 2020
    2
    This game once again dissapointed Its almost as if 2K doesn’t want you to have fun and wants to create a much bigger skill gap for you to even be decent at the game.

    If you dont get a perfect green jumpshot on a three you can forget making it. ITS NOT POSSIBLE The game is not fluid at all with gameplay and not fun when you are bricking every jumpshot even if you are wide open. 2K has    This game once again dissapointed Its almost as if 2K doesn’t want you to have fun and wants to create a much bigger skill gap for you to even be decent at the game.

    If you dont get a perfect green jumpshot on a three you can forget making it. ITS NOT POSSIBLE
    The game is not fluid at all with gameplay and not fun when you are bricking every jumpshot even if you are wide open. 2K has taken huge step backs the past two years trying to create bigger skill gaps when forgetting the whole reason we all fell in love with the game in the first place. MAKING BUCKETS If you dont have 24/7 hours to play like a streamer then you can forget having any competitive my player in the game get your wallet out because they are going to bait you into micro transactions for sure.    … Expand
  9. FoYskimac09
    Sep 14, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I remember this thing on ps3 and yes it's even more worse. 3,190php (65usd) more expensive than AAA game more expesive than a fresh release avengers. The shot clock indicator on the floor and the shot meter is the only new thing the rest is all the same thing. Better wait for ps5. The copy paste era is began last year on current gen. Don't buy this if you have 2k18, 2k19 or 2k20. Save your money for the next gen console.… Expand
  10. Micthunya
    Sep 9, 2020
    2
    I like the idea of change shooting mechanic but it doesn’t have enough balance to have fun game. Shoot with button is not effective anymore if u want to score with button u only need to green and green window is more little than last year. Shoot stick is op for me i think if u have a trick for shoot u can shoot 9/10 3point.Have u seen a problem???. My career is trash very bad for meI like the idea of change shooting mechanic but it doesn’t have enough balance to have fun game. Shoot with button is not effective anymore if u want to score with button u only need to green and green window is more little than last year. Shoot stick is op for me i think if u have a trick for shoot u can shoot 9/10 3point.Have u seen a problem???. My career is trash very bad for me cutsene is no more in my career teammate can’t play same last year. I love nba2k but why dev dont have abilities to balance game and improve detail for more realistic. I so sad;((((… Expand
  11. Knowledge101
    Sep 9, 2020
    2
    One of the most disappointing 2k games I’ve ever played. It’s more of a shame that the late great Kobe Bryant is one of the poster players on the cover. I have no idea why they changed the shooting mechanics. Too shoot a shot is like finding a needle in a haystack. This game is so frustrating.
  12. lilduke
    Sep 11, 2020
    2
    why would yall do yall fans like that and change the shot meter whoever came up with that idea is a idiot and needs to be fired also u can even block like u could on 2k20 and 2k19 like yall just mess the game up when Damian lillard gets on the cover yall did yall fans bad this year and took our money
  13. Maleekowens503
    Sep 19, 2020
    2
    Just read the rest of the comments. This game SUCKS! Don’t Buy 2k, if you did get a refund.
  14. thesilverback36
    Oct 14, 2020
    2
    Easily the worst basketball video game I've ever played! How do you make a basketball game that the casual player can't make an easy mid range shot? It seems the product managers at 2k outsmarted themselves and made a great game for the loud minority of 2k League players.

    As for the casual players, like myself, I can't believe I'm writing this, but can't wait for NBA Live next gen!
  15. Wastelander967
    Jul 6, 2021
    2
    I've been an avid NBA2k player ever since I had a Wii as my only console. NBA2k14 is one of my favorite games of all time and I absolutely loved the first couple installments on the PS4. That's why it pains me to see what this franchise has become. I'm done with NBA2k, forever. It's going to take a complete rebuild of this franchise to get me to invest in it again. I know we make fun ofI've been an avid NBA2k player ever since I had a Wii as my only console. NBA2k14 is one of my favorite games of all time and I absolutely loved the first couple installments on the PS4. That's why it pains me to see what this franchise has become. I'm done with NBA2k, forever. It's going to take a complete rebuild of this franchise to get me to invest in it again. I know we make fun of sports games for being copies of last year's game, but this is by far the most blatant copy and paste job I've ever seen in gaming. if you turned off the shot meter and handed me a controller, I honestly don't think I could tell the difference between this and NBA2k20. The presentation is exactly the same, with the exact same cutscenes, animations and on screen graphics. Whoever decided it was acceptable to charge $60 for this should be fired and blacklisted from every game development company. Gameplay is somehow even worse than last year in some regards. Last year there was an issue where easy shots just didn't wanna go in for some reason. Prime MJ missed layups like Javale McGee on Shaqtin a fool with absolutely no reasoning behind it. So, how did they fix this? By making EVERY SHOT go in. I'm not a pro player, hell I'd hesitate to call myself above average, but I have never shot under 70% in a game. That's unheard of in the basketball world, so why does it happen in the only simulation NBA game we can buy? Character movement does feel more realistic, but it results in slower reaction times, so you get burnt by even the most average of iso players on a regular basis. AI is absolutely incompetent, to the point that it ruins the experience. I have never seen a center shift to the basket to contest a driving player. Never. They give up wide open layups 100% of the time. Players don't shoot when they're wide open and pass the ball out of bounds constantly. The computer commits backcourt violations all the time and runs out of bounds on a constant basis. Now for the worst part of this game: the microtransactions. I'll give some credit to 2k, they put one hell of a basketball mini game in a gambling sim. Oh, wait this is a basketball game. Sorry, easy to forget sometimes. They purposely make everything such a massive grind to encourage the purchase of VC to speed up sed grind. It's blatantly obvious and absolutely disgusting. Realistically, if you can't play this game for hours everyday, you're never going to reach max level in mycareer or have a full galaxy opal squad in myteam. It's just impossible with the grind they've enforced on the playerbase. I honestly think some of the gambling mechanics break the law, but 2k is in the pockets of the ESRB and therefore, gets away with it. The soundtrack sucks, as it usually does. There's no variety, it's all just mumble rap. Blacktop is the same as it has been for the past 3 or 4 years, which is disappointing. Remember when you could have a dunk contest in the Blacktop mode? I know I do. Hey, there are WNBA teams this year again, because that's definitely something we asked for and wanted the devs to spend their time on. Don't buy this game, stay the hell away from it and just stay away from 2k in general. The only reason it got a 2 is because it does somewhat work and 0s an 1s are only reserved for games that don't even work.… Expand
  16. alag
    Mar 29, 2021
    2
    Same garbage game every year, hasn’t been a good game since 2k17. Very lazy developers over at 2k.
  17. footballguyboy
    Apr 12, 2021
    2
    As a MyTeam and MyLeague player, who is currently on next gen but spent a long time on current gen, I can say that offline MyTeam on current gen is actually fun, playing through domination with my no money spent lineup was actually fun, but aside from that, online modes aside from limited are horrible.

    Speed boosting has ruined the game, along with the Curry slide. Those two things are    As a MyTeam and MyLeague player, who is currently on next gen but spent a long time on current gen, I can say that offline MyTeam on current gen is actually fun, playing through domination with my no money spent lineup was actually fun, but aside from that, online modes aside from limited are horrible.


    Speed boosting has ruined the game, along with the Curry slide. Those two things are all that anyone does, unless it’s a limited weekend where the cards aren’t good enough to consistently do them, then you have a chance at getting real basketball. The post game is pretty much unusable unless you are a stick shooter, which by the way makes for a huge zen problem where people use modded controllers to win every game online. Post hooks are super OP with the stick, but hooks, fades, dropsteps, etc are hard to do in game. Finishing is pretty much running at the barleys and hoping for a good animation, euro steps, spins, hop steps, floaters, and double clutches are practically useless. Shooting is a whole other issue, some players will make every single shot and some will miss every shot, it’s incredibly random at times unless you can get a team of guys that you know the releases of. As a NMS MyTeam guy, the door is always revolving, so it’s hard to learn new releases every few games. MyTeam is still a cash grab, attempting to force people into buying packs for the best cards, although it is better than its Madden counterpart, with actual budget players who can legitimately compete with the best cards in the game in the hands of a skilled player (a la Nick Anderson earlier in the year). As for myleague, I have encountered numerous glitches and bugs, mostly from downloading older rosters, taking over all 30 teams, etc. I encountered a glitch where random played in the league would have their stats messed up, like one time I had Ja win most improved player after averaging nearly the same stats as the year before, but when I looked at the stats from the year before, which was his second year, it said he averaged 2 points for the Hawks, when I know he was on the Grizzlies and averaged about 19 points. This happened to a lot of players around the league. I also encounter glitched with classic rosters where players don’t age, or don’t regress, sometimes the court turns completely black as do the players when I jump into games, sometimes I’ll jump into a game and a team will be running a 5 big man lineup, this happens a lot actually. Sometimes 86 overalls will sign for the minimum contract because they don’t sign in the offseason, there is no voter fatigue, tendencies are very inaccurate, auto generated draft classes are not balanced at all, injuries are too frequent, teams sign and draft way too many players at one position while neglecting the rest of the positions, cpu trades are very rarely meaningful, often times it’s just a player at a position with a certain overall being traded for another player at the exact same position with the exact same overall, it feels like the trade just to trade, with no meaning.    … Expand
  18. Acarter23
    May 25, 2021
    2
    This is honestly the worst 2k besides 18, terrible mechanics, I have HOF finishing and shooting, with a 6'5 slasher on an open fast break and somehow a 6'3 playshot is able to not only get to the rim first, but actually stops my dunk. Let's not even get on how inaccurate and useless that meter. You can literally have the line in the middle with a high percentage shot and you'll miss and ifThis is honestly the worst 2k besides 18, terrible mechanics, I have HOF finishing and shooting, with a 6'5 slasher on an open fast break and somehow a 6'3 playshot is able to not only get to the rim first, but actually stops my dunk. Let's not even get on how inaccurate and useless that meter. You can literally have the line in the middle with a high percentage shot and you'll miss and if you try to focus on the shooting que, you still may miss according to the damn meter. As soon as NBA live comes up with something remotely better, I and my money are GONE!!… Expand
  19. Topherjames
    Jun 19, 2021
    2
    As an on again, off again fan of the franchise since 2K7, I can say with certainty that this is one of the worst 2K games I've ever played. I primarily play offline MyLeague and it's been quite frustrating. The CPU struggles to simulate any sort of logic, often using iso plays and dribbling out the majority of the shot clock before moving the ball around. There is also a glitch if you useAs an on again, off again fan of the franchise since 2K7, I can say with certainty that this is one of the worst 2K games I've ever played. I primarily play offline MyLeague and it's been quite frustrating. The CPU struggles to simulate any sort of logic, often using iso plays and dribbling out the majority of the shot clock before moving the ball around. There is also a glitch if you use the "Real Player %" over the shot meter, both teams will shoot close to or exactly 100% from the free throw line. I'm talking Shaq shooting 90% from the line in a game! This immensely harms immersion. Usually I can circumvent this by using custom sliders but even that can only do so much this year. Beyond that, this year removed creation features such as the ability to choose your accessory colors for custom teams. The creation suite also desperately needs to be redone as it encourages players to steal and repost other creator's work since there is no way to save a design or favorite it. You can favorite a creator, but with so many reposts, finding the original creator is a Herculean task.

    The usual micro transactions are back that have plagued the Mycareer experience for a while. The mode has very little value if you do not have a strong desire to play online as the grind still exists. Additionally the story for Mycareer this year was notably poor. It wants to incorporate role playing elements but still forces the player into contrived situations that they have no agency over and punishes the protagonist for it. There doesn't have to be a "right choice" and a "wrong choice" per say but perhaps something like hamming it up for the media would increase your popularity but lower your team chemistry and vice versa. This idea exists in previous games but it has never been well executed. Given the fact that it seems like many players prefer the Mycareer mode as a means to play Park and Rec, perhaps that should be the mode entirely and a new story mode could be introduced similar to FIFA's "The Journey".

    In short, the NBA 2K franchise has relied on its reputation to keep it afloat for far too long and the product is now no longer innovative and frankly, no longer fun.    … Expand
  20. DISCIPL3
    Apr 24, 2021
    1
    Game is terrible. Same **** every year. Game mechanics are **** every year gets worse and worse. Best nba ever was 2k16. Now they just rushing with games just so they can make money. Greedy ****
  21. FlowInMyFlow
    Sep 21, 2020
    1
    If you have never played 2k18, 2k19 or 2k20, this game would feel good for you. But if not, don't buy this recycled mess.
  22. sullyliam
    Sep 7, 2020
    1
    mycareer is ruined with this edition. Influenced too much by park. Can't hit a jumpshot without high attributes and badges. Trying to force you to buy vc just so you can hit a 3. Somehow made the nba but can't hit a 3. Ruined the rpg element of mycareer.
  23. underthebag
    Sep 5, 2020
    1
    Game is trash shooting is broken feels like your playing middle school hoops, If your build is not a shooter you can't even hit mid range shots zero defense and not even an attempted closeout. I thought this was a SIm what pro player can't hit undefended shots?
  24. GreyGhostAu
    Sep 6, 2020
    1
    Has a couple of new additions to MyTeam. XP system is a good inclusion, but due to no improvement and it being impossible to shoot even at an average % the game is not fun. Zero enjoyment here, worst NBA 2k I can remember, save your money
  25. Bmax2224
    Sep 6, 2020
    1
    I wouldn't waste your money like I did suppose to be fun they made the shooting so bad you can't even have fun the 2k20 shot meter way better if you don't green your not hitting your shot horrible waste of 100 dollars
  26. SynagogueOfSin
    Sep 8, 2020
    1
    Not only did they lie about nerfing slashers being able to dribble for the entire shot clock andthen greening it, they changed the shot meter which is meh. But the thing that crosses the line is the slashers being better shooters than the archetype of sharpshooter.
  27. dpsonet
    Sep 9, 2020
    1
    I just started playing 2k20 early this year, then I figured I should buy 2k21 while it's new so I can get a better rating on MyPlayer REP while playing at the neighborhood section of the game. So I did buy the basic one, Damian Lillard cover, but I bought USD100 worth of VC. I started playing MyCareer playground during the 2xREP for the beach party and my account went to Rookie 1 twice. II just started playing 2k20 early this year, then I figured I should buy 2k21 while it's new so I can get a better rating on MyPlayer REP while playing at the neighborhood section of the game. So I did buy the basic one, Damian Lillard cover, but I bought USD100 worth of VC. I started playing MyCareer playground during the 2xREP for the beach party and my account went to Rookie 1 twice. I gained some REP points then after REP1 i upgraded to REP1 again. I found online that I was not the only person that this happened to, but a few others as well. I tried contacting their support team but crickets for the past two days, I guess they're busy figuring out how to respond to the issues that everyone is having here. Aside from that, the game got really harder to play in my opinion (MyCareer NBA and Playground), it seems like 2K favors people that upgrade right away (during first week or release?) with VCs. When you play in the playground, the players that have upgrades already were so dominant and it would really try to make you want to buy VC out of frustration. I ended up buying VC for USD100 and my player got better in the playground. It still sucks that I had to do two same REP levels. I threw away $160 and I know that's nothing to most people that play 2K but I really think it's not worth it.… Expand
  28. Lousyd
    Sep 10, 2020
    1
    Everthing is very terrible shooting career neighbourhood they literally destroy everthing they made good in 2k20
  29. ForRealIsReal
    Sep 12, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Park: Recycled animations, just changed sliders. The people who plan to win can only score using pure shooters or pure finishers. If you're in between you're most likely struggling. Even pure shooters recommend buying shooting boost. But my first build is a perimeter lock and just saying he's not good for shooting or defense he constantly gets shot over and layed on by playmaking shotcreators, last time I checked they can only shoot and dribble. But the only thing I could think a perimeter lock is for is steals or reaching which is pretty dumb because I wanna play ACTUAL DEFENSE! There's also one more thing I've noticed there's only one pie chart that lets you dribble and shoot constantly which is the shooting and dribbling pie chart. The closest one is pure playmaker with high ballhandle but mediocre shooting of 75. I do respect the dribble heads even though this year the bad people only look better because they make a playshot, do one dribble, use screen, then shoot off dribble and boom they have a higher win percentage than anyone that's not using a playshot even though they never actually learned how dribble to get open, and it definitely doesn't help when the center drops you with a screen that you literally slowly walked into not run into.… Expand
  30. Dhaum10
    Sep 16, 2020
    1
    I feel this game has the potential to be good, but 2k just doesn’t seem to care. Jump shots are no more, they are impossible to make, no exaggeration. I order the 100$ Black Mamba edition and got it on the release date, and have not been able to play online ONCE because of the terrible lag. Every other game I own works fine online, just 2k. Support has been no help, and I haven’t heardI feel this game has the potential to be good, but 2k just doesn’t seem to care. Jump shots are no more, they are impossible to make, no exaggeration. I order the 100$ Black Mamba edition and got it on the release date, and have not been able to play online ONCE because of the terrible lag. Every other game I own works fine online, just 2k. Support has been no help, and I haven’t heard back from them, despite my consistent persistence on needing help. I use an Ethernet cord and have very fast internet, so the problem lies in the game itself. Just terrible, and even worse coming from a loyal member of the community for so many years. I have no defense for them now, they just don’t care. Money hungry is how I would describe it. The next gen version may be good, but based on this experience, I better get a full refund for the garbage they’ve thrown at me.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Nov 15, 2020
    70
    It loses a point because of its Virtual Currency (VC) obsession, a recurringissue in 2K games. It’s supposed to ensure that all your actions in every mode – career, MyTeam, even watching 2KTV – secure rewards, but they’re often someagre that the entire game comes across as a grind, aimed at funnelling you towards the PS Store to part with real cash.Please don’t do that. The only way games like this and FIFA will change in the next gen is if their players make a sustainedeffort not to exchange any of their hard-earned dosh for digital trading cards. Otherwise this is solid, but on that front 2K (and EA, and the rest) must do better. [Issue#181, p.94]
  2. GamingBolt
    Oct 31, 2020
    60
    NBA 2K21 makes welcome improvements to its MyCareer and MyTeam modes, but the frustratingly inconsistent new shooting system and lack of changes elsewhere make it feel like it’s lost its step over other sports games.
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  3. Games.cz
    Oct 23, 2020
    70
    On the court, this is a brilliant basketball game that doesn’t change much. Why would it when it’s not really necessary? The microtransactions, however, are more annoying than Houston’s playstyle.
    Read full review
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