NBA 2K20

 Xbox One
User Score
1.6

Overwhelming dislike- based on 336 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 336
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 336
  3. Negative: 278 out of 336
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  1. TrentRey
    Sep 9, 2019
    4
    This game is filled with so many little bugs. The grind for this year's game isn't too bad for mycareer. It is actually much easier to get a player to overall 99. The game is the same but a lot of the animations needs some tweaks. The load time and lag for this game are ridiculous. It takes forever to update a player's attribute. Playnow online is kind of unplayable at the moment. In theThis game is filled with so many little bugs. The grind for this year's game isn't too bad for mycareer. It is actually much easier to get a player to overall 99. The game is the same but a lot of the animations needs some tweaks. The load time and lag for this game are ridiculous. It takes forever to update a player's attribute. Playnow online is kind of unplayable at the moment. In the middle of the games, 2k server for that mode might go down. If you're excited about myteam this year, don't be. This mode needs a lot of improvement. They should've focused on that mode and just tweak a few things in mycareer. Overall, the game isn't good at the moment.

    Is it worth buying?
    Right now, no, but later on yes.    … Expand
  2. RJG
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A full blown gambling device with too much basketball that is full of bugs, glitches and marketing people who love false advertising. IMO… Expand
  3. Evrorad
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    Game is a waste of money. The money they want you to spend is crazy. We need to teach them not to do this. Go back to old school basketball.
  4. JJPK
    Sep 7, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Game was released half finished. Can’t play certain modes, and others crash mid game. Rewards disappear or can’t be accessed. Game play in modes you can actually use is clunky and frustrating. I don’t recommend this to even the biggest basketball fans.… Expand
  5. Maverickneo
    Sep 10, 2019
    0
    GREAT Casino and gambling game. It seems like they added some sort of basketball simulator to the gambling game. This is greed at its best. The basketball game is a full blown $60 expansion to NBA 2k19. "expansion" being they only changed the roster and charged you $60. The game is the exact same copy as 2K19
  6. Heeheeayuwoki
    Sep 8, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is practically the same thing as 2k19,the park is the same and pretty much the whole thing, shame… Expand
  7. Lukecali97
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    How dare you put a basketball game in my casino game if I wanted to play basketball I would go outside and play it and I can’t go to a real life casino because I’m 8 years old and they won’t let me in for some reason
  8. Legion245
    Sep 10, 2019
    0
    DO NOT BUY THE GAME

    Also, the negative reviews of this game aren't trolls, they are people who don't like gambling being put in a game about Basketball and who don't like a Ctrl+c / Ctrl+v game every year. There is nothing new in the game, besides va roster update. O wait, yep, there is something new, a Casino. Which seems to have had way more attention than any improvement to the base    DO NOT BUY THE GAME

    Also, the negative reviews of this game aren't trolls, they are people who don't like gambling being put in a game about Basketball and who don't like a Ctrl+c / Ctrl+v game every year. There is nothing new in the game, besides va roster update. O wait, yep, there is something new, a Casino. Which seems to have had way more attention than any improvement to the base game.

    Magaleck, maybe fanboy a little less, and also stop being a 2k Shill.

    There is no way this game should get a 10 in any review. It's an exact copy of last year's game, and the team seems to have spent more time on including GAMBLING machines in the game than actually improving it in anyway. Don't support this action, it ruins the games we love. And don't criticise parents, they have enough to do, that's why they use the ratings to see if they can trust a game to not be bad for their kids. It's rated as an E under ESRB, and even under their own guidelines, simulated gambling is a T rating. All of this behaviour by a developer is wrong, and not what we should be condoning. Yes as an Adult, if I want to go and drop $50,000 or $100,000 in Vegas, I will. But I don't want that shoved in my face or my child's face when I'm playing a Basketball Game. Which I think we should all remember, is what this is meant to be.    … Expand
  9. BIGBOSSCHADDY
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    You can full on gamble real money for rewards. Unacceptable for a paid “basketball” game. I highly encourage everyone reading this to boycott the game and do not purchase.
  10. mannybanks
    Sep 7, 2019
    4
    There is no improvements in this game over last year nba 2k19. The only good thing is that you can choose what badges you want on the down side you cant go to the training facility to grind them anymore which defeats the purpose. The servers are also horrible. I paid for the legendary edition and still haven't received the extra content
  11. sidelineshift
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    This game is laughably horrendous. As of the weekend of it's release. It's unplayable. Progression bars are getting frozen for everyone, error codes occur in every game mode, people continuously get dashboarded or blue screened while in game, gameplay took 100 steps backward from 2k19, and the marketing team along with the developers blatantly false advertised many features leading up to release.
  12. MaxCred
    Sep 13, 2019
    3
    Abysmal game. weaker graphics than previous years, rec and pro am are cheese fests.

    I really don't know where to start with this game because there is so much wrong to touch on. First let me get to the positives. Presentation is top shelf stuff. The soundtrack, TNT style presentation is well done. The commentator rotation has all the names you've come to expect from Chris Webber,    Abysmal game. weaker graphics than previous years, rec and pro am are cheese fests.

    I really don't know where to start with this game because there is so much wrong to touch on.

    First let me get to the positives. Presentation is top shelf stuff. The soundtrack, TNT style presentation is well done. The commentator rotation has all the names you've come to expect from Chris Webber, Kevin Harlan, Kirk Kellogg and Bill Simmons.

    Now for the bad

    My Team features casino like games to win upgrades in the myteam mode. You've probably heard about this fiasco already. The pay to win formula in 2K is criminal. Marketed to kids with scooters and Halloween style neighborhood themes but yet has full blown gambling. Even worse yet, gambling aspects use real money to win fake money.

    Now lets get to the bread and butter of the recent 2k installments, my career. This is where 2K is absolutely embarrassing and Mike Wang should be fired.

    The statistical system in My career/neighborhood doesn't keep accurate stats and some categories have no stats. Your rec center stats for example, in the menus when you check stats.... there's nothing there. Just zeros.

    Gameplay wise Pro am and Rec are cheese fests. Once again players can steal passes with their backed turned to the ball. That's inexcusable. Bump steals still happen. You can have an HOF unpluckable badge and 95 ball handling yet get ripped by a lumbering center. There is zero logic or relation to actual basketball in this game.
    Mid range jumpers are more difficult to hit than well contested 3 pointers. As a matter of fact, teams of 99 rated players just run along the 3 point line waiting to catch the ball and green bar fall away 3 pointers. Absolutely pathetic.

    Centers can outrun point guards on fast breaks. I don't mean Anthony Davis type centers. I mean big heavy centers.
    Glitches galore on top of the fundamentally horrid gameplay mechanics.

    People, please stop buiyng these games.    … Expand
  13. bdbell84
    Sep 14, 2019
    0
    Buggy and still a cash cow. Why can’t this just be like all other iPhone apps—free. You see ads all over the place in billboards and stuff, you have to pay to win still...NBA Live 19 is looking good still lol
  14. RafaelBarrera
    Sep 13, 2019
    0
    Please, do not buy this game. It's a casino. i really think that governments should take a look to these games... It has pegi 3+ and it should be 18+... This game truly sucks. The animations look even worse than in 2k19, it has so many glitches, looks like a beta stage more than gold.
  15. A5AP_KTA
    Sep 10, 2019
    2
    I only give it a 2 because on a perfect day with no lag and no glitches the core gameplay is ok. 2k19.5 with more problems
  16. cbsly621
    Sep 14, 2019
    1
    Do not buy, the game has been exploited early by cheaters who glitched to 99 overall with all hall of fame badges.. this has already put new players like me at a major disadvantage. Its something 2K has acknowledged, but yet to address or even take action on. Trash
  17. Johnb091986
    Sep 16, 2019
    3
    Microtransaction at every turn good gameplay (tbh just feels like the last)but its all MONEY MONEY MONEY!
  18. ulukaj
    Sep 12, 2019
    0
    Disgusting slot machine. This devolution of games must be stopped immediately. Still it is not much of e review bombing since the gameplay itself is absolutely identical to last years edition. Therefore this game actually deserves 0 and morally maybe even negative one...
  19. draediamond
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    Ummmm....the game was released in beta stage. They didn't play test this. No way they did. For all the glitchy game play, lies, and freezing, they could've at least brought a new park and affiliations. They straight up lied about the badge expansions because for a majority of the "new" badges they just took out basic skills that were given since the beginning of 2k and turned it into aUmmmm....the game was released in beta stage. They didn't play test this. No way they did. For all the glitchy game play, lies, and freezing, they could've at least brought a new park and affiliations. They straight up lied about the badge expansions because for a majority of the "new" badges they just took out basic skills that were given since the beginning of 2k and turned it into a badge. That's a lie. Game can't even keep track of stats. Even if they update some of this, I'm keeping this at 0 because no game should be advertised as if they tested it extensively (with celebs and community playing lol) and then release it IN BETA STAGE. Can't even guarantee that you're loading into a friend's neigbirhood for the 3RD STRAIGHT YEAR. Enough said right there. 2k lied. 2k lied. 2k lied. 2k lied. 2k lied. 2k lied.… Expand
  20. koalafishmutant
    Sep 16, 2019
    0
    this game is broken and non playable at all.
    Loadings are longer than in 2k19.
    90% of MyTeam online matches crash during playtime with various errors.
    By the way after this you are losing contracts, which are worth gold.. What a shame to release such a crap instead of game.
    I want my money back.
  21. JGids
    Sep 12, 2019
    0
    **** this game and it’s AGGREGIOUS microstransactions. This game is a literal gambling simulator targeting minors, should be illegal, and the ESRB should be ashamed of themselves for letting this **** game out the door. AWFUL. DO NOT BUY!
  22. xankazo
    Dec 26, 2019
    0
    Abusive microtransactions in just a reskined game. Shame on you, 2K. Not worth it even at half price on sale.
  23. nba2kistrash
    Sep 15, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Spoiler Alert!!

    This is the worst game ever made, coming from the worst series ever made. This is the first half of my review, go to ps4 2k20 to see the end.

    Here’s a breakdown of what’s wrong:

    First, basketball (like most sports games) aren’t ready for, or aren’t being made for, the video game medium. Designing a game where you pass the ball perfectly, but it flies out of bounds because your of pass rating being a 98 instead of a 99 is a total disrespect to gaming. Think of it this way—Imagine you are playing call of duty: You see a guy, you shoot him, the bullet flies and it hits him dead in the head. But wait... no damage? Oh no! Your guy had a 98 accuracy rating, so even though you compensated for the accuracy and recoil of the gun, and you accounting for all factors of your movement and the enemy movement and the bullet fly time, and even though you did everything perfectly, the game takes away for success because the rating of the character you were using shouldn’t be able to do that.

    Therein lies the problem with why sports games cannot have fidelity and faithfulness to skill at the same time. How do you program a game to have people of the same height run at different speeds without giving a number to the speed they should be running? It’s not an easy answer... The answer is to have hundreds of more skill sliders, and have them be hidden to the player. Have each player have first step speed, second step speed, third step speed, all the way through when they would gas out, then have the same stats but with acceleration, then do the same with with jerk (the rate of change of acceleration, then do the same with with jounce (the rate of change of jerk), then also do the same thing for each step with stride length, and have each bar affected by stamina, as a dynamic modifier, no a single state itself. It’s tons and tons of more work—but hey, maybe don’t put out an iteration every year and take time to get it right. Each player should have thousands of hidden statistics that influence a game, and none of them should result in canned animations-where the ball would be 100% a swish, but it bounces out because your shooting rating isn’t high enough. Have the statistics guide the physics, not the other way around.

    Now that’s just the problem with all sports games, and this particular game exhibits that worse than most: but this game excels at being terrible.

    The in game currency is disgusting. It’s a cash grab—completely transparent cash grab. The game is designed to starve you for vc as much as possible, and then make everything rely on that. There’s so much to say about this, but most people already understand. If you make your game content locked behind pay gates, then the majority of players won’t have fun... and what’s locked behind vc in this game? having a player above the 64 starting rating, or a second player above the 60 starting rating, all animations from dribbles to dunks, EVERY CLOTHING ITEM (you wear a brown paper bag until you get vc, which you’re saving for stats so you never buy clothes unless you’re foolish or have spent real life money)... essentially the entire game depends on you getting this one currency, and the currency you can get for real life money—your results depend entirely on how much real life money you spent, that’s the definition of pay to win.

    Soooooo many other problems. The community is trash—try playing neighborhood without seeing a backflip. don’t worry i’ll wait—people are taunting constantly, it reminds me of black ops 3 dancing at the end of the game—it’s not celebratory, it’s antagonistic. The community is also low skill gap, angry, impatient and young. The difference in skill between the world’s best player and the average player is fully contained in the randomness that comes from different players stats—if everyone was 99 in everything, the world finals would be a coin toss. Whether you win or lose, you’ll get messages from your random teammates or the opponents, and these are short, juvenile insults like “you trash”, even though they went ice cold and you had all the points and rebounds. When playing quads, you’ll notice teams of 2 playing and only passing back and forth between them, forsaking open shots for their buddy to touch the ball. And most players spring around everywhere, and this really can’t be blamed on them, the flow of the game is abysmal. Watching a 5’7” player get outran by a 7’3” with 20 less speed is maddening.    … Expand
  24. Rbangs93
    Sep 17, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 2k19.5 :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)… Expand
  25. camz_47
    Sep 17, 2019
    0
    Found little improvement since 2k19. Added features like FIFA want to take even MORE money from you and unless EA learns that this isn’t acceptable nothing will change with their egregious greed.

    You cannot have pay mechanics like this that is intended to be played by children. I remember when games had content, something to unlock to keep you playing. Pay to win has no place in main    Found little improvement since 2k19. Added features like FIFA want to take even MORE money from you and unless EA learns that this isn’t acceptable nothing will change with their egregious greed.

    You cannot have pay mechanics like this that is intended to be played by children. I remember when games had content, something to unlock to keep you playing. Pay to win has no place in main stream, upfront paid games!    … Expand
  26. Drewgle
    Jan 21, 2020
    0
    One of the most unrealistic, most horribly made sports game to ever be created. The online gameplay is literally a joke. Jump shooting is close to impossible, and don’t even try to go in for a layup with anyone because it will not go in, apparently in the nba it is impossible to make a layup. This game is the only basketball game out there so that’s why it’s the “best” there’s no other nbaOne of the most unrealistic, most horribly made sports game to ever be created. The online gameplay is literally a joke. Jump shooting is close to impossible, and don’t even try to go in for a layup with anyone because it will not go in, apparently in the nba it is impossible to make a layup. This game is the only basketball game out there so that’s why it’s the “best” there’s no other nba game. Someone else needs to step up and make an actual good nba game. Shoutout to NHL and FIFA (EA) for being actual good sports game.… Expand
  27. lianamac
    Aug 6, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game sucks ass all my bf does is play it and ignore me and i’m not here for it what’s the point of playing basketball on a screen when you can play it in person this game deserves to be gone in trash and never come back i would like my boyfriend back pls and thanks. honestly i just hate this game… Expand
  28. Geroski
    Sep 8, 2019
    0
    I had to return the game through Microsoft. I'm sorry 2k but you know this is an unfinished product with loads of broken promises.
  29. Bryzzo
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    I will rate it zero every year until they add Rookie difficulty on My Player. It's a disgraceful money grab.
  30. nevMatic
    Sep 9, 2019
    0
    People need to understand that we hold the power against these companies via our word and wallet. Do not buy this hot garbage cash grab. Only if the game was free to play would these practices be tolerable but they're not. Online gambling needs to be shut down
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Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best Xbox One Game of 2019
13
#13 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. GameCrate
    Oct 1, 2019
    88
    Overall, NBA 2K20 is still the best basketball game on the planet and that doesn’t look to be changing any time soon. While some fans may be upset about microtransactions, it’s not a requirement to play the game. At this point, however, it seems like as long as NBA 2K is the best game out there, microtransactions will be here to stay.
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  2. Xbox Tavern
    Oct 1, 2019
    80
    The shame of all this is that without these practices, NBA 2K20 can stand tall as the best basketball sim available. Even running unopposed with the retirement of the NBA Live franchise, it continues to get better and better on the court, but serious issues surrounding that experience leave it feeling less and less impressive year on year. Here’s hoping 2K can end that trend.
    Read full review
  3. GameCritics
    Sep 23, 2019
    85
    With new console hardware expected to arrive by late 2020, there’s a good chance much of 2K Sports’ design and programming teams are hard at work making the most of new technology. However, that doesn’t excuse the visual and gameplay gaps that shouldn’t be here. That said, NBA 2K20 is still a fantastic basketball sim with enough modes and features to keep fans busy until those revolutionary next steps start to come in over the next few years.
    Read full review
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