NBA 2K22 Reviews
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.
Overall, "NBA 2K22" is a qualified basketball game, its core play is still outstanding, more smooth ball movement, but some of its innovations are hard to satisfy fans, and the presence of some old problems can affect the gaming experience. If you're a series player, NBA 2k22 may lack surprises.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Although NBA 2K22 is the best and only new generation basketball game on the market, it is far from being a perfect game and continues to annoy with its microtransaction-oriented structure.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
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.
The basketball gameplay is magnificent, the visuals and audio are too. Now 2K, just get rid of the overly offensive microtransactions and advertisements... please.
NBA 2K22 offered what I admire the most in the sport: dynamic matches, great athletes, famous teams and a lot of fun. The gameplay and production are excellent, with high quality in its multiple play modes. Though there are some inconsistencies when the versions are compared, the title's most substantial caveat is related to its online modes. If the player can ignore these issues, they'll find a complete and addicting game, especially for basketball fans and connoiseurs.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
NBA 2K22 offers a more immersive career mode with a system of quests and objectives, but which is unfortunately poorly exploited with numerous and long loading times in addition to display problems related to the online aspect of the title. The new generation experience is long overdue despite a successful atmosphere during matches while microtransactions spoil clashes against other players.
Review in French | Read full review
At this point, I don’t even know what else to say. NBA 2K22 is gorgeous and plays better than its predecessors. Visual Concepts does improve upon its predecessors with each new installment, but the cringeworthy story mode, obscene usage of product placement, and the abusive microtransactions are just too much to handle.
It is amazing how a publisher can make a game with content and game modes this enticing then bury all it under a pile of microtransaction rubble. This franchise deserves better yet despite everything, NBA 2K22 is a rich and enjoyable game you can play for a long long time...
Review in Turkish | Read full review
NBA 2K22 is another good entry in the fantastic NBA 2K series. Its reworked shooting mechanics, impressive visuals on Switch, and loads of NBA content will keep any basketball fan's attention for hours on end. While many modes received no noticeable additions, and there's a heavy desire for spending money on microtransactions, NBA 2K22 is still a must-play for Switch basketball fans.
NBA 2K22 features the best gameplay in the series to date, but also succumbs to the weight of its other feature sets. While a step in the right direction in terms of gameplay, its over-reliance on a player's time or money (and sometimes both) continues to be the hurdle keeping the series from achieving new heights.
NBA 2K22 is a sound step forward for the series. While it doesn't always hit the mark thanks to the grindy MyCAREER mode and microtransaction-heavy MyTEAM, the gameplay and presentation is still second to none.
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.
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.
NBA 2K22 is a nice addition to the franchise even though PlayStation 4 players get the shorter straw in terms of content.
NBA 2K22 makes some smart and interesting changes and refinements. Unfortunately, they aren't a large enough leap to truly dazzle the audience
NBA 2K22 has provided a unique experience and wholesale changes to many phases of the game, including a style of play that has become more challenging and difficult than ever and mimics real NBA players.
I have my gripes with NBA 2K22 for sure, but for the most part, it delivers such an entertaining Basketball experience that it’s hard to dislike it. MyTEAM is a wonderful game mode full of life that could keep anyone playing for hours, and MyCareer is as addictive as always, and also cut back on some of the mode’s previous issues. Although I’m not ecstatic about defending and shooting, they’re things that can be worked around by a good player and won’t derail my enjoyment of the game anytime soon.
I was honestly looking forward to NBA 2K22 with the real-life NBA 2020 season a write-off due to covid, I thought that this edition would have been a big jump in all areas of the game from the 2020 and 2021 editions but sadly it wasn’t. Here’s hoping that Visual Concepts will keep building on the great foundations and add something spectacular in the 2023 edition! Don’t get me wrong it is still a great game. It’s just not the jump in improvement I may have been expecting. If you want a visually stunning basketball game, a superb soundtrack, and aren’t worried about grinding away for VC points, then this is the one for you! I award NBA 2K22 the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Overall, NBA 2K22 plays like a strong offering from 2K, a welcome change from recent years.