NBA 2K18 Reviews

NBA 2K18 is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
IGN
Top Critic
8.4 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

NBA 2K18 is another step forward on the court, improving on the series' already great gameplay. You're rewarded for smart, controlled basketball when dribbling, driving, and playing defense in ways that make sense for the players you're controlling. In the side modes, results are mixed: the new fusion of Career mode elements into The Neighborhood gives it some new life, but the same can't be said for the meaningless story elements within MyGM, and microtransactions now have too much of an impact on gameplay. There's far more good than bad, though, and NBA 2K18 deserves credit for taking chances.

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Sep 20, 2017

Its generation-long strengths hold true, and just about prevail over an increasingly cynical microtransaction creep. My Career's jump to an open-world setting throws a new gauntlet down to the rest of sports gaming.

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 6, 2017

The franchise, single-player, multiplayer, and collectible card modes deliver hundreds of hours of fun, but expect a fair share of glitches to pervade the experience

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9 / 10.0
Sep 20, 2017

With a robust offering in the franchise, single-player, multiplayer, and collectible card modes, NBA 2K18 delivers hundreds of hours of fun

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8 / 10
Sep 28, 2017

NBA 2K18 is the gold standard for sports simulations, but this year's entry is overloaded with microtransactions.

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7 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2017

Of course, it's no surprise that NBA 2K18 looks good; the series has looked the part since its advent on the Dreamcast, staying relevant visually and staking out its own part of basketball culture. NBA 2K18 continues the trend, capturing the feel of basketball's urban centers in The Neighborhood.

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Luke Plunkett
Top Critic
Unscored
Oct 3, 2017

There's so little to love [in 2K18 MyCareer modes] that all we're left with is the basketball (which you can enjoy in other modes), Brands™ and a mountain of problems.

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USgamer
Top Critic
Sep 20, 2017

There's so much to love about NBA 2K18 on the Switch, but there's no denying that there are some major flaws here, especially in the flagship MyCareer mode. As much as I love NBA 2K's ambition in creating a full portable port, it's tough to wholeheartedly recommend in light of its persistent technical problems and other niggling flaws.

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3 / 10
Sep 21, 2017

You absolutely cannot ignore how NBA 2K18 is a full price game that also integrates the business model of a free to play/pay to win title and the way that the enjoyment you get from it suffers because of it.

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92 / 100
Sep 19, 2017

NBA 2K18 is unstoppable on the court. The new AI, graphics and improved gameplay are unmatched. My Team is better than ever with the salary cap, My GM feels fresh with his cinematic approach and we will be on the neighborhood for months. All of that, of course, if we have enough VC (money) to expend, cause it feels like a pay-to-win too many times.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Forbes
Top Critic
9.1 / 10.0
Sep 17, 2017

Just like LeBron James, NBA 2K18 isn't perfect, but with its ambitious new additions, refined gameplay, and a truckload of options, there's no question, it's still the best in the world.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 26, 2017

An excellent basketball game that still has to be polished to achieve the greatnes of PS4, Xbox One & PC versions.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2017

Probably the best sports game of the year and a great achievement for 2K and Visual Concepts. Brilliant!

Review in Italian | Read full review

9.4 / 10.0
Sep 15, 2017

Simply one of the best sport games that we've seen. An excellent work from 2K Sports and Visual Concepts.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 24, 2017

If you're looking for not only the greatest basketball game but the greatest sports game in existence, this is definitely it. A huge improvement on last year, let down only by its weak attempt at a story mode.

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Sep 19, 2017

2K Sports is getting absolutely brazen with their community, testing the limits of what they'll put up with in terms of microtransactions in 2K18.  Thankfully it doesn't persist into every mode, because there's a lot of good ones to compliment the excellent gameplay and presentation.

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9.2 / 10.0
Sep 21, 2017

A new defensive approach, a new mode and a bunch of fixes are just a few of the spearheads of NBA 2K18, a game that's very easy to learn, but very very difficult to master indeed. The best title of the series without any doubt, and one of the best sports titles published thus far.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.4 / 10.0
Oct 6, 2017

A good entry in the series for those who skipped a year. Virtual currency is pushed everywhere. The Neighborhood is OK. Basketball action is fun and exciting.

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JVL
Malcolm89
Top Critic
16 / 20
Oct 5, 2017

A perfect year on the floor, but errors on many elements surrounding it.

Review in French | Read full review

78 / 100
Sep 26, 2017

… customizing your character's looks as well as improving your character is done with virtual currency.

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