NBA 2K22

 Xbox Series X
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. New Game Network
    Sep 20, 2021
    74
    NBA 2K22 continues to assert the series' reputation as one of the best sports sims in the business. It's an incredibly enjoyable game to play, even if the options surrounding the on-court action continue to be maddeningly inconsistent.
  2. GameCritics
    Nov 22, 2021
    70
    It appears that NBA 2K has finally started to take the “next step” into greater gaming possibilities. Though MyPlayer needs a good amount of tuning and streamlining before reaching the heights of past story modes, it hints at bigger things down the line. But, based solely on the thrilling, beautiful, on-court presentation and gameplay, 2K22 is still a tremendous achievement.
  3. Xbox Achievements
    Sep 21, 2021
    70
    As solid as it’s ever been on the court, NBA 2K22 is still an astonishingly good sports game, but its continued reliance on cynical microtransactions in MyCareer and MyTeam leave a sour taste.
  5. GamingBolt
    Sep 14, 2021
    70
    NBA 2K22 makes some appreciated improvements to on-the-court gameplay and tries some refreshing, if not entirely successful innovations in MyCareer that make this year’s version feel like a bit more than just a roster update.
  6. Player 2
    Sep 17, 2021
    67
    It isn’t terrible but there is no denying that the NBA 2K franchise is on a downward trend. The focus on everything but the Basketball is this game’s biggest sin, one that almost ruins the entire experience.
  7. Vgames
    Sep 19, 2021
    60
    Yes, this is still the best way to play a simulation of the beloved sport, but with each passing year it seems like there's less and less emphasis on the Basketball itself and most of the time and effort go to improving "The City" and the microtransactions filled "MyTeam". You know - the fluff.
  8. Shacknews
    Sep 17, 2021
    60
    As a big basketball fan and avid player of sports games, it’s hard not to have a love and hate relationship with the NBA 2K series, and NBA 2K22 is no exception. The basketball gameplay itself is as good as it’s ever been, and it genuinely feels satisfying to move the ball around, shoot, and play defense. However, modes like MyCareer are heavily bogged down by useless baggage, and a strong emphasis on microtransactions. Spotty servers mean that even the best parts of the game are often hard to enjoy. MyNBA is the only aspect of NBA 2K22 that provided a thoroughly enjoyable experience with practically nothing to complain about. NBA 2K22 gets in its own way, but there’s some genuinely great things there if you’re willing to endure it.
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  1. Xboxygen
    Sep 21, 2021
    By significantly improving the experience of an NBA game in terms of gameplay, sound and graphics, the game has never been so beautiful, exciting, immersive and realistic. With an oustanding amount of content and game modes, all of which are at least of high quality, it's impossible not to find something to enjoy. However, the big disappointment comes from My Career. The idea of interweaving it with the universe of The City technically seems pleasant and logical given the direction the studio has been taking for years. Unfortunately, the presence of outdated RPG mechanics and the inconsistencies of a career of an NBA star player correlated to a life simulation of a neighborhood player (even a "legendary" one) become more and more problematic and annoying as you go on. The experience even becomes exasperating despite a promising start and interesting story situations because of The City's environment which suffers from technical shortcomingsfurther ruining the immersion. In the future, truly separating the My Career and My Player modes would make it possible to enjoy the best of both worlds rather than persisting in this flawed marriage doomed to failure, if that's not too much to ask.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2021
31
#31 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2021

User Reviews

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User Score
4.1

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 51
  3. Negative: 27 out of 51
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Sep 14, 2021
    9
    NBA 2K22 is the best title in the series’ history. Big improvements on defense make a difference, and the revamped shot meter is a step upNBA 2K22 is the best title in the series’ history. Big improvements on defense make a difference, and the revamped shot meter is a step up from NBA 2K21. The truth for many years has been that what you get out of an NBA 2K games depends entirely on what you’re looking for. The gameplay remains rock-solid, and a wide variety of modes provide a huge variety of experiences. Many of the series’ biggest strengths remain virtually unchanged for years, though, while some new additions feel somewhat terrible. Let’s start with the biggest addition to NBA 2K22. The City is a sandbox that you create a character and work to the top. Playing basketball is a big part of this, with street ball, leagues, and a variety of challenges to help you develop your player into an NBA superstar. There’s just as much to do off the court, though. Grow your personal brand, build your style, get into races; this mode is filled with things to do. Too bad so much of it feels off. The city is definitely big, but getting around this huge place is never fun. Your character moves so slowly, and he gets caught on nearly everything. You can hop on a skateboard, or in time a bicycle, but none of these control all that well. Moving around the city doesn’t have to be the draw, but it shouldn’t feel this awkward when you spend so much time doing it. That’s before getting into the nightmare of branding here. Any sports game is going to feature brands. Things like Nike, Adidas, they’re part of the culture. So playing on the Mountain Dew court or seeing banners in the background are hardly deal-breakers. Do I really need to sit through lectures on the importance of Gatorade or hang out with Jake from State Farm? There’s a line, and The City is over it. Even if The City isn’t for you, there’s still a wide variety of ways to play in NBA 2K22. Many players will jump into My Team, where you collect cards, level them up, and build the best team you can. It’s actually a lot of fun. Trying to go free to play here is awful, with the pace of unlocks horribly balanced. This entire mode is designed to force players to spend real-world money. That’s no big deal in free-to-play games, but when it’s a part of upward of $100 title, I’m a little less inclined to be forgiving. Offline, there’s always single matches, a playoff experience, or the mode which has kept me busy for twenty years: franchise. This allows you to take over a team or group of teams and lead them through the years. This mode hasn’t really changed. There are a few minor tweaks like the ability to remove teams from the league instead of just adding them, but they’re minor. Still, it’s so fully loaded that there’s a ton of fun to be had. You can also jump into a single-player WNBA experience now, which is nice, though it’s pretty bare-bones compared to The City. It focuses on the basketball and removes running around a janky city in slow motion. Once on the court, everything turns around. The team at Visual Concepts has done a fantastic job of building on the game’s already great base. The little things this year feel bigger than in many others, though. The shot meter introduced last year was solid, but I had some difficulty finding the right timing with it. This year’s version does a great job of helping players get a feel for a team full of players and even the defense has seen an overhaul. Perimeter defense feels a lot better now. It feels awesome to silence a crowd and terrible when you just can’t despite your best efforts. Funneling players to your bigs feels natural, and shot-blocking has taken a huge leap. It feels natural, allowing big men with great shot-blocking ability to put their stamp on the game in a way that has been difficult in recent years. AI is also improved. Defenders move together, recovering smoothly. On offense, off-ball movement is the best in the franchise. Finding open shooters after they cut around your pick and roll is awesome. The perfect shot now leads to a little cinematic, which did a nice job of highlighting the moment without taking me too out of the game. Perhaps these are too common, but it’s nice to see a reward for getting my timing right. The rest of the game’s presentation is a mixed bag, though. It looks great on the court with fantastic player models and strong lighting. You really feel the power of the PS5. With everything else looking so good, though, the developers still not quite getting the eyes right stands out, though. Perhaps more importantly, the game’s menu system is a mess. Over the last couple of years, Visual Concepts have worked to streamline what had become a deeply dense menu. There are so many options here that presenting them all in the open can feel a bit overwhelming. Now you’re only shown a limited set of options that look great. The problem is that now it’s almost impossible to find certain features but hands down this is the best version of the franchise to date.
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  2. TheSoulman
    Sep 12, 2021
    0
    The Mycareer is supposed to be fun. However, they made the college section so difficult on purpose so you have to buy vc to upgrade yourThe Mycareer is supposed to be fun. However, they made the college section so difficult on purpose so you have to buy vc to upgrade your character first. If you don't finish college with a championship, you cannot upgrade your character fully. It is a total scam.… Full Review »
  3. Marcus123
    Sep 22, 2021
    1
    This game is 1 big commercial.. 1 big advertisement.. 1 big micro transactions.. Its sad
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