NBA 2K21 Next-Gen Reviews
NBA 2K21 on next-gen delivers a fun and deep hoops package unlike anything else we’ve ever seen. It’s not just about enhanced visuals. There is more under the hood in almost every area. This isn’t a perfect game. There is room for improvement in multiple areas, but what it does excellently far outshines the smaller, and much-easier to absorb shortcomings. 2K has again set the standard on a new console, and everyone else is playing catch-up. The fact that this game was developed during a pandemic is inspiring.
Visual Concepts has taken profit of PS5 and Xbox Series X-S in the most realistic sport simulator we have ever seen. It uses some things from the previous generation, but it also adds new features, such as improved graphics, The City and new modes for the WNBA. A new dynasty is coming.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
NBA 2K21 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S is a big step forward for the franchise and easily the best version of this year's basketball franchise. There might be the feeling that features were shorn from the current gen release to give it more impact, but from the inclusivity of featuring the WNBA in MyPlayer, to the sprawling The City online hub and the stunning graphics and gameplay improvements, this will keep you and your new console happy well into 2022.
It should be no great shock that next-gen NBA 2K21 is the best-looking basketball game ever made. What's perhaps more surprising is that 2K has added two substantial modes (in the new WNBA career mode The W and the massively multiplayer The City) to make it the most feature-packed one ever too. Much of its content still has the weight of microtransactions hanging over it, but as long as you don't mind ignoring that and putting in the grind instead, this is a great purchase for NBA fans: especially if you held fire and haven't played 2K21 on Xbox One yet.
NBA 2K21 Next Generation is everything that 2K Sports had promised; the gameplay is refined and corrected compared to the version of PS4 and Xbox One, the WNBA is expanded in an incredible way and The City makes street basketball can be enjoyed like never before in the franchise. All this is accompanied by pristine performance and the visual component characteristic of the new generation of consoles.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Not only does NBA 2K21 Next Generation feature true to life visuals and insanely fast load times, but it also has new and improved game modes for you to check out that makes this the definitive version of NBA 2K21 without any question.
A significant improvement in every respect.
NBA 2K21 nails the 3 when it comes to gameplay and performance, all but sending the PS4 version to the annals of history. However, game mode choices and lack of MyPlayer transfer keep the PS4 version relevant when it comes to time investment and previous playtime. With The City being more spread out and barriers put up between modes, NBA 2K21 on PS5 feels disconnected. Consider what your needs and wants are with this game before choosing which version to buy.
Next-gen NBA 2K21 is the playable version of this game. Renew game systems, change many of its mechanics in depth. But while it improves on many of the things that already were, many of its essential mechanics persist. Without being perfect, this is the game 2K21 fans deserve.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Graphics worthy of the new generation, zero loading screens, full utilization of the DualSense (for the PS5), changes, additions and improvements in all modes, make NBA 2K21 for the new generation, a truly fresh and at the same time great game.
Review in Greek | Read full review
NBA 2K21 takes some great steps to bring the series into a new generation and impress on the court, but some parts of its game still need work
Visually stunning, and just fun to play, NBA 2K21 is an awesome sports title for fans of the genre to own and appreciate before developers decide to completely overhaul their engine heading into the next generation.
NBA 2K21 Next Generation takes full advantage of next-gen hardware, improving graphics and physics but also adding more content and welcome new modes; playing at 4K 60fps with great graphics and truly alive arenas is a real joy. We just wish 2K would pull back a bit on their microtransactions push.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Feel, play, and win like the NBA superstar you always dreamed you were!
NBA 2K21 is an impressive overhaul of an already excellent basketball simulation. There are times where it over-extends; The City, for example, is an awesome idea in principle, but its sheer scale can leave it feeling deserted. Still, while we have legitimate gripes with the game's implementation of VC, there's no denying that next-gen hooping feels fantastic. And with so many modes and features, as well as industry-leading presentation, there's no doubt that 2K Sports is starting this generation off strong.
A first glimpse of the future on new generation consoles: this is what this next-gen NBA 2K21 offers, with additional content, enhanced gameplay, even better graphics qualitative and a very convincing optimization, with finally non-existent loading times. But the room for progress and work is still important, with technical slag to erase, a lack of risk-taking at the career level for men but also for women. Projects which we can not wait to see the progress for the future. In the meantime, this opus, although being a big preview of the next-gen, does the job.
Review in French | Read full review
Visual Concepts has maintained the core of how it wants its games to feel with bringing NBA 2K21 to the next generation.
Stellar on-court action is slightly brought down by the now-standard obnoxious microtransaction system
Still, there’s no doubting that NBA 2K21 on next-gen consoles is the most authentic representation of the sport yet. And even better, it’s got the most expansive and engrossing selection of modes and features. If you’re a basketball fan who’s lucky enough to own a next-gen console, you ought to consider NBA 2K21 a must-buy. The only drawback is that if you’ve already played it on your current-gen console, you won’t be able to carry forward any progress other than that made in MyTeam.
NBA 2K21 on PS5 offers a big improvement to gameplay, and whilst the inclusion of The W is great, The City needs more time to grow. Gameplay is superb when not in The City, and the combination of MyLeague and MyGM is a welcome change to a flagging mode.