NBA 2K22 Reviews

NBA 2K22 is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
IGN
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Sep 14, 2021

NBA 2K22 has the best offensive flow in years, matched by improvements to defense. Still, technical problems persist and microtransactions are hard to ignore in some modes.

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Unscored
Sep 21, 2021

Fundamentally you’re paying £60 for a very good game, perhaps the best in the history of the 2K series, but for all the commendable work on gameplay, production and new features, 2K22 should be considered one of the most egregious exploitations of a player base in the history of gaming.

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7.8 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2021

NBA 2K22 makes some smart and interesting changes and refinements. Unfortunately, they aren't a large enough leap to truly dazzle the audience

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88 / 100
Sep 17, 2021

Microtransactions are a trouble one more time, but, despite them, NBA 2K22 is one of the best sport videogames in history, because of its playable class on the court, its graphic muscles and its bench full of options. Visual Concepts wants to win the ring one more season.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 16, 2021

‎NBA 2K22 follows the triumphant path of its predecessors. A very fine gameplay and with corrections in defense to balance it as much as possible, a neighborhood rebuilt and adapted to the cruise of the "Cancha del Mar" that limits differences with the Next Gen and a MyTeam that increasingly enjoys more and better free content. The game shines with its own light and brings out all the juice to the current consoles with a great graphic section.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

6 / 10
Sep 17, 2021

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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7 / 10.0
Sep 16, 2021

NBA 2K22 continues to set the standard for gameplay, with changes this year that ensure a much more realistic and satisfying pace of play. But it's the same old story: it's one of the most aggressive games in the industry when it comes to micropayments, and its star modes can't be enjoyed unless you're willing to pay.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8.2 / 10.0
Sep 21, 2021

NBA 2K22 shines on the court, while struggles in the city. Visual Concepts did a great job getting back on the right steps its basket simulation, and the new shooting system feels good, the new defensive AI is tough and, overall, everything is in the right spot. The new MMORPG-like MyCareer is an ambitious and enormous attempt to maximize the retention of the players. Well, it tries hard, but it doesn't succeeds.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Sep 18, 2021

2K Sports makes one hell of a basketball game and that'll let you tolerate these scheme-based game modes IF you can actually get on to play them.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 28, 2021

NBA 2K22 requires a more tactical approach, making on-court play the best it has been, but VC still stalls enjoyment.

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Sep 17, 2021

NBA 2K22 provides something for everybody, from intense local matches with friends, to an immersive franchise mode, to an integrated online community.

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GamingTrend
David Flynn
Top Critic
40 / 100
Sep 14, 2021

NBA 2K22 is less a video game and more an advertisement for the sport. The controls are obtuse and unresponsive, slowdown is constant, the story is bland, and it's simply not fun to play.

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Sep 15, 2021

NBA 2K22 is an almost impossible game to rate, because it’s a damn good basketball game at its core. The biggest problem is how it tries to be anything but a basketball game, and while that doesn’t damage the overall quality on the court, it makes it hard to root for it. It’s the ‘03 Lakers, and I hate the ‘03 Lakers.

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8 / 10.0
Sep 14, 2021

NBA 2K22 does many things well, most of which has already been done well in the past. Exceptional, challenging gameplay keeps the strength of the game close to its chest, and NBA 2K22 offers an impressive spread of modes to complement that gameplay. Apart from a few misguided choices, the biggest crippling factor this year comes from how The City takes a good idea and stretches it way too thin. NBA 2K22 is great for hardcore fans of the franchise, but it doesn't leave the door open for many others.

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Wccftech
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 18, 2021

NBA 2K22 is the franchise's best entry in years, offering well-balanced changes on the court and a bold, yet welcome, revamp of MyCareer and The City hub. Microtransactions still frustrate at times, but they're not as aggressive or tasteless as they've been in the past. For the first time in a while, it feels like the NBA 2K dev team is hungry, and they've cooked up a real championship contender this year.

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75 / 100
Sep 17, 2021

It’s time for Visual Concepts and 2K Games to go back to the drawing board with their microtransaction philosophy. At this point, it’s hard not to feel like they’re gouging the player. Especially given the exorbitant prices their premium edition versions cost. And it’s so damned frustrating to dislike as much of 2K22 as I did because behind every extra dollar asked of me was an excessively smooth compressed spin or step-back jumper to put a smile on my face.

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8 / 10
Sep 19, 2021

NBA 2K22 spreads itself a little too thin off the court, but it genuinely takes strides on it. The game's rewritten defensive system makes for a much more enjoyable experience across all modes, where you feel rewarded for using the ball effectively and engineering open looks. MyCareer's first foray into non-NBA activities could do with fleshing out, and there's still an overreliance on advertising and microtransactions. But with one of the most complete Franchise modes on the market, and with exceptional presentation across the board, this is a series at the top of its game again.

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Sep 27, 2021

There is also a wide range of modes in NBA2K22 that will allow players to do more than just play basketball and experience the different aspects of the NBA. But the game is plagued with a lot of microtransactions that may not fully hinder your experience but should just be toned down and not shoved constantly in your face.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2021

NBA 2K22 has a few things that make this upgrade feel worthy. The new play mechanics are excellent, and it continues to excel on the presentation front. The microtransactions are still super gross and I wish some of the other modes such as Blacktop would get a proper overhaul as they are starting to feel dated. Still being the only NBA game in town it does upgrade nicely. I found myself deleting the old version to play this one, and not being a huge NBA fan that is saying something.

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8 / 10
Sep 15, 2021

NBA 2K22 is another fine entry in the franchise that continues the developer's habit of delivering satisfyingly solid ports of their basketball sims on Nintendo Switch. Yes, most of the modes don't try anything massively new - beyond MyCareer's revamped Neighbourhood setting - and the loading screens will have you pulling your hair out from time to time, but refined core gameplay and enough content to keep you playing until the end times make this one an easy recommendation for b-ball fans.

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