NBA 2K22

 PlayStation 5
User Score
3.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 166 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 166
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 166
  3. Negative: 100 out of 166
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  1. lelli73
    Mar 12, 2022
    4
    A potentially fun game ruined by micro-transactions. Poorer people are left at a disadvantage.
  2. Sly_Ghost
    Feb 1, 2022
    4
    As someone who plays mostly offline, I enjoy the fun of myNBA, myCareer and other modes. My main go-to is myNBA and trying to take the worst team and making them the best by building up the youth and trying to make a blockbuster trade if possible. All that to say, I enjoy playing offline and against the computer. So, a lot of my complaints are strictly gameplay issues and annoyances whichAs someone who plays mostly offline, I enjoy the fun of myNBA, myCareer and other modes. My main go-to is myNBA and trying to take the worst team and making them the best by building up the youth and trying to make a blockbuster trade if possible. All that to say, I enjoy playing offline and against the computer. So, a lot of my complaints are strictly gameplay issues and annoyances which there are plenty.

    Shooting has become incredibly difficult this year and even more when you're on the move. Close outs on open shooters have made shots even tougher if you don't have pinpoint accuracy on the new shooting system. Even then the defense can highly affect the shot meter and make shots in the past editions impossible to make this year. Don't even get me started on layups! The mechanics in general are a bit messed up especially with fast breaks, player speed and quickness when running.

    Defense alone has been the major issue. I'm not sure how anyone gets past subpar defenders this year let alone some of the most elite defenders in the league. I know one of the things I thought was cool was the ability to block more shots this year. However, that quickly faded when I'm constantly getting blocked in the paint from some help side big that in reality wouldn't be able to make a play on the ball or my player decides to put themselves in a position to be blocked rather than get an easy bucket.

    Simply put the gameplay this year is pretty bad and not enjoyable after a certain point. You can sugarcoat it at times and certain elements are fun. But I believe the focus for this year's game has been defense and stopping player speed from being a serious advantage online. This resulting in the gameplay being incredibly unrealistic along with not very enjoyable most of the time.    … Expand
  3. BobUrell
    Jul 2, 2022
    3
    Easily the least fun 2K I’ve played since I started with this title in 2016. I play on PS5 and bought both console generation editions. There isn’t any gameplay aspect of either edition that isn’t plagued by bugs, clipping, dubious balancing, and outrageous microtransactions (worst I’ve ever seen). The MyCareer storyline in particular is so awful, it made me pine for unskippable Reese’sEasily the least fun 2K I’ve played since I started with this title in 2016. I play on PS5 and bought both console generation editions. There isn’t any gameplay aspect of either edition that isn’t plagued by bugs, clipping, dubious balancing, and outrageous microtransactions (worst I’ve ever seen). The MyCareer storyline in particular is so awful, it made me pine for unskippable Reese’s Puffs cut scenes (IYKYK). Seriously, I know 2K players always complain about the current year’s game, but this one is really awful and predatory. Skip it, if you haven’t already fallen prey.… Expand
  4. wakkawakka18
    Mar 19, 2022
    3
    Same exact p2w prioritizing bull and lackluster gameplay improvements like every other sports game franchise right now. Pretty sad honestly
  5. HBK-
    Sep 20, 2021
    3
    Copy n paste more of the same all about micro transactions I think it’s time a new developer takes over for the basketball games and 2K just goes basically streetball/park
  6. doich
    Oct 13, 2021
    3
    The graphic seems much better than before. There are way too many glitches, especially when playing MyCareer. Had so many times when you lose your game progress due to connection failure which I never experienced in previous NBA 2k games.
  7. Jeebster
    Dec 6, 2021
    3
    This years 2k brought in some new concepts which are interesting like the seasons. However, park is filled with cheese builds and gives no room for the casual player to have fun. Even the rec does not have a skill based match making. Everyone is 99OVR and every build can green threes and dunk and play defense. Also, there is no need for the map to be as big as it is! Having to run aroundThis years 2k brought in some new concepts which are interesting like the seasons. However, park is filled with cheese builds and gives no room for the casual player to have fun. Even the rec does not have a skill based match making. Everyone is 99OVR and every build can green threes and dunk and play defense. Also, there is no need for the map to be as big as it is! Having to run around and do busy work takes away from the point of the game which is to play basketball!… Expand
  8. MikiMaou
    Aug 9, 2022
    3
    New city is a decent concept but getting from point a to point b is soooo slow, everything has been "nerfed" economy wise and the cancerous statue rewards are dogsh*t to say the least
  9. KuroiShinigami9
    Sep 11, 2021
    2
    Lot of recycled material from previous few 2ks, minimal advancements and same bugs. Way overpriced for pay to win game. Not worth the price in my opinion but if you really want to play would wait for some big sale otherwise just waste of money, specially if you own 2k20 and 2k21
  10. AnthonyDiMattia
    Sep 11, 2021
    2
    Good new modes, but can’t overcome the worst gameplay in 2k history. Good luck scoring on the A.I. and expect non stop off-ball defense when playing online
  11. DerMunk
    Sep 11, 2021
    2
    Gameplay vs AI is a mess. Scoring, Team movement, logical or even individual movement feels like a beta game state. 2k sloppier than EA for now. Btw: still heavy grind, pay2Proceed, and lots of useless efforts like the way too big and ridiculously useless and soulless city!! I don't wanna buy 19293993 under armour shirts, if the game core itself crumbles .
  12. Haris_k
    Mar 2, 2022
    2
    As a 2k vet I'm just in pain. I just want to get back to the old days when 2k was fun.
  13. straddieman
    Sep 23, 2021
    1
    Ive owned the game for 3 weeks and its worked for 1 week. I only play myteam and it is littered with error codes. Sent a request to 2k support which is now 12 days and no reply. When the game does work its a game of jump shots as the sprint button barely makes a difference. A very very poor effort for a new release
  14. jackncj007
    Feb 3, 2022
    1
    I'm not playing GTA5 open world game 2k!! please make the useless city smaller for us to reach quests NPCs more faster....I want to play basketball in match but not walking around in the empty city with the f***king skateboard!!!
  15. Aaron303030
    Dec 2, 2021
    1
    Wanted defense to be better, not just sandbagged offense. They managed to mess up offensive flow and make shooting UI worse. Almost impressive. And micro transactions are just over the top, surprise, surprise.
  16. YourGuru
    Sep 19, 2021
    1
    First 2k on next gen and still same issues and graphics look the same. The park is a horrible excuse for a hub can even jump over a small rail. You take 5 min to run from one thing or location to another can not even fast travel to the different locations. Progress is drip fed so you buy VC still years later. Then you can’t even play online games cause your getting kicked after one min orFirst 2k on next gen and still same issues and graphics look the same. The park is a horrible excuse for a hub can even jump over a small rail. You take 5 min to run from one thing or location to another can not even fast travel to the different locations. Progress is drip fed so you buy VC still years later. Then you can’t even play online games cause your getting kicked after one min or you unbearably laggy. This is poor excuse for a next gen game $70 dollars for this garbage and then they still want you to pay for some VC this game is just garbage all around a bunch of game modes of nothing. No answer for server issues this take a loss to your record after their serves fail. Never again just confirmed that the game is still disgustingly bad! AVOID at all cost!… Expand
  17. Officialalexj
    Jan 13, 2022
    1
    I hate contracts in myteam and I hate the new dunking meter so much. I hope they never bring that back ever again. This game should not be so pay to play/dominate in game modes.
  18. Ghoster
    Sep 27, 2021
    0
    In regular gameplay nothing nex except shooting bar is broken even more. Didn't make to play basketball in career mode. Seems there is skateboard instead of basketball. It's a shame I must return to 2K21 after a year cause it's much better than new instance. :(
  19. Barca1985
    May 9, 2022
    0
    I mainly play mycareer. I've had a NBA2k game a few times being the last one 2 years back. My god what did they do to mycareer. All the nonsense talk with Ricky and going into the city is so annoying. Going on a skateboard to A and then to B wasting my time. I just want to play Bball not all that stuff! I think i played my first game after 1-1,5 hrs? Besides all this cr*p you finally getI mainly play mycareer. I've had a NBA2k game a few times being the last one 2 years back. My god what did they do to mycareer. All the nonsense talk with Ricky and going into the city is so annoying. Going on a skateboard to A and then to B wasting my time. I just want to play Bball not all that stuff! I think i played my first game after 1-1,5 hrs? Besides all this cr*p you finally get to play with teammates that miss everything and your opponent hit every shot. In college i had a game where my opponent hit from every corner 8 times in a row whilst my teammates wasted my passes 8 times in a row. Oh yeah 2K that's so much fun! I have to pass anyway as my player can't hit anything. All in all super boring game and i'm glad i bought it on sale. Not worth anything more than that. Nba2k was so much fun before. They just made a microtransaction cow out of it now.… Expand
  20. TRIPLED
    Apr 7, 2022
    0
    Complete garbage. They said its about defense now and they weren't kidding. I had a wide open fast break and a guard caught up from behind to barely get near me and it stopped him from laying it up. This is the worst game i have ever played and 2K as a franchise is over.
  21. voxy
    Sep 13, 2021
    0
    Pay To Win unplayable and buggy, the whole game is about microtransactions.
  22. aj587
    Sep 17, 2021
    0
    I've been playing 2k since 2k6. This is the worst 2k by far. I've been park legend, 95% win rate in quick match, etc so don't think this is just a bad/salty player.

    Online: Everybody can shoot online in quick match/player control. Players that were HORRIBLE from previous 2ks now look like Ray Allen. You could be blind in one eye and still make everything regardless if it was late or    I've been playing 2k since 2k6. This is the worst 2k by far. I've been park legend, 95% win rate in quick match, etc so don't think this is just a bad/salty player.

    Online: Everybody can shoot online in quick match/player control. Players that were HORRIBLE from previous 2ks now look like Ray Allen. You could be blind in one eye and still make everything regardless if it was late or early. Its not fun anymore when even bad players will make every jump shot, especially when they have the likes of Curry on the team. I even heard they removed locker room all-star teamup!! I can only imagine how bad park/rec will be once everybody gets badges.

    Offline: The computer is insanely broken. They make every open jumpshot, even if on rookie difficulty. Every player, regardless of position, will lock you up on defense. If you're a guard and being guarded by a slow 7 foot center, that center will make you pick up your dribble in most cases. You have to pray to God to get animation anklebreakers just to get by the computer

    This game is a departure from previous 2ks in a significant ways other than you still miss layups often and they don't call fouls still.    … Expand
  23. Atirus_Gaming
    Nov 30, 2021
    0
    If you are just playing My Career...don't bother with NBA 2K22. My Career next gen have added so many RPG elements (and it is still awful) to try and distract you from the actual game. Which is joyless. Repetitive. Frustrating. And not to mention predatory! Everything you do in the game is to get you, the player, to buy VC! Every element in the game leads up to try to get you to spend moreIf you are just playing My Career...don't bother with NBA 2K22. My Career next gen have added so many RPG elements (and it is still awful) to try and distract you from the actual game. Which is joyless. Repetitive. Frustrating. And not to mention predatory! Everything you do in the game is to get you, the player, to buy VC! Every element in the game leads up to try to get you to spend more on the game. Even the difficulty settings are still garbage like they are every year! No defense. A.I teammates are still morons. Just everything that you do turns into frustration. Even the RPG tasks they give you don't even feel worth doing with the lousy items they give you and the cheap as hell VC payouts. This game will suck the fun out your life, and make you want to rage. It's not worth this aggravation every year! I thought by moving to next gen would make NBA 2K better. It has not. It's still the most annoying, frustrating game that it has always been! It's trash. DO NOT PLAY MY CAREER! In fact, just skip this piece of flotsam! Not sorry 2K...but you lost a fan forever! Good riddance!
    Play with friends in park is the only joy in this game because any game with friends online is fun.    … Expand
  24. redsoxaholic
    Feb 8, 2022
    0
    Absolute scam of a game. Gameplay is worst it's ever been, literally 0 redeeming qualities
  25. ihategeezy
    Aug 18, 2022
    0
    Micro transactions really have killed what was a great game/franchise, I hope 2K23 reverses this trend somewhat
  26. OnlyOneHere
    Sep 12, 2021
    0
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought this was supposed to be a basketball game. The developers seem to put more effort in The City stuff than the actual basketball gameplay mechanics itself. At this point, the basketball feels like a minigame for a Second Life type of game. Why do they even call the open world "The City"? Last time that I checked, a city is full of cars, buses, andCorrect me if I'm wrong, but I thought this was supposed to be a basketball game. The developers seem to put more effort in The City stuff than the actual basketball gameplay mechanics itself. At this point, the basketball feels like a minigame for a Second Life type of game. Why do they even call the open world "The City"? Last time that I checked, a city is full of cars, buses, and pigeons. I fail to see any of that in this so-called "City". The quests are trash. The trivia minigame about rappers is pathetic. The multiple choice makes it obvious who not to pick in the minigame.

    Apparently $70 plus microtransactions isn't enough for these greedy developers. They decided to put Jake From State Farm in the game as a character you can interact with. So many in-game ads in the game. I would have not mind seeing him in the game if the lip syncing wasn't so garbage. I don't recommend this game at all.    … Expand
  27. mulkster77
    Apr 9, 2022
    0
    Gross. Every individual in the credits of this game should feel embarrassed to talk about it in public. This game scams children. A revolting display of pay to win.
  28. Hackslashshoot
    Sep 15, 2021
    0
    This game desperately needs auto generated neighborhood/park matches this idea of walking around a park trying to get a pick up match is a colossal waste of time and extremely annoying. The community consist of bunch of toxic terds that have 0 basketball IQ and mumble a slew of incomprehensible nonsense that I guess are supposed to be insults but really just attest to their lack ofThis game desperately needs auto generated neighborhood/park matches this idea of walking around a park trying to get a pick up match is a colossal waste of time and extremely annoying. The community consist of bunch of toxic terds that have 0 basketball IQ and mumble a slew of incomprehensible nonsense that I guess are supposed to be insults but really just attest to their lack of intelligence and manners.… Expand
  29. Marcus123
    Sep 22, 2021
    0
    This game is 1 big commercial.. 1 big advertisement.. 1 big micro transactions.. Its sad. 2k sucks with this monopoly game
  30. danilson
    Oct 23, 2021
    0
    Just when you thought no online game could b1e worse than fifa then think again. this game is utter trash, im amazed how people play this crap. this is not basket ball, this is hot garbage. Lets start with the online experience and the massive amounts of input lag due to the "servers" being powered by a mobile phone. Also when you play domination (offline) the hardest level AI is very easyJust when you thought no online game could b1e worse than fifa then think again. this game is utter trash, im amazed how people play this crap. this is not basket ball, this is hot garbage. Lets start with the online experience and the massive amounts of input lag due to the "servers" being powered by a mobile phone. Also when you play domination (offline) the hardest level AI is very easy to beat with 2 plays, but try drivel past the AI and it just keeps pace with you. So you have to grind the game with 2 plays, pause the game have a sleep and fiish the trash game. All this the AI does not get punished for 3 seconds in the paint, it has stepped back over half way line with the ball and no back court violation, it has cheating animations, and when you are smacking the boring predictable AI by 20 it invents constant fouls while driving to the bucket. Over all a ver very bad game, do not buy and do not listen to the morons who give this game a 90, clearly the likes of IGN France (IGN, trash tier publication) have been paid off.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
29
#29 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 42
  3. Negative: 1 out of 42
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 19, 2022
    60
    NBA 2K22 offers very good gameplay mechanics, but the series’ focus on simply playing basketball is fading. In the story mode, the developers experiment with open world and put too much emphasis on side activities related to sponsors. As a result, the city in NBA 2K22 is a one big advertising billboard. Willingness to try new things is generally commendable, but this is not the way to do it. [12/2021, p.63]
  2. Gamersky
    Dec 2, 2021
    72
    NBA 2K22 maintains the consistent quality of the series, but some of the old problems of the previous game and the unchanging game mode also makes the game experience lack of surprise.
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  3. JeuxActu
    Nov 4, 2021
    80
    2K Games and Visual Concepts can finally breathe : NBA 2K22 is the episode of reconciliation. With a Career mode which has been enriched and is gradually transformed into a Second Life game with sport (be careful with off-topic anyway), the MyTeam mode which includes the Seasons system and gameplay which tends even more towards simulation, NBA 2K22 is clearly a really good game.
    Read full review
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