NBA 2K19 Reviews

NBA 2K19 is ranked in the 83rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Sep 9, 2018

The only bad thing are the awful, greedy microtransactions.

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Cheat Code Central
Top Critic
3.2 / 5.0
Sep 10, 2018

Quote not yet available

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9 / 10.0
Sep 10, 2018

A review code was provided by the publisher.

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Heavy
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Sep 10, 2018

NBA 2K19 is still a quality basketball sim full of content and strong gameplay. However, it offers an overly familiar experience and is brought down by a litany of issues that are hard to ignore.

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Generación Xbox
Javier Bassols
Top Critic
9.1 / 10.0
Sep 10, 2018

With a renewed My Team, a smarter AI and displaying realism in every detail, NBA 2K19 is pure basketball.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Sep 11, 2018

NBA 2K19 is the ultimate basketball simulation, with balanced gameplay and meticulous presentation.

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EGM
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

NBA 2K19 had a real opportunity to learn from last year's mistakes, and in some ways it did. The Neighborhood is more convenient, the Prelude is way more interesting, and the gameplay has seen some subtle but important improvements. Unfortunately, all this is marred yet again by the game's predatory microtransaction system, which turns the MyCareer stuff into a grind-heavy, pay-to-skip farce.

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IGN
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

For many, basketball is more than just a game, and NBA 2K19 doesn't take that lightly. It throws every resource it has into the theatrics of the sport, creating charismatic presentation, a well-written story mode, and strong core gameplay. The series' persistent weaknesses are still apparent in areas like the transition game and ludicrous microtransactions, but there's so much variety to how its extensive MyLeague mode plays out that there's always a reason to look forward to the next game of basketball.

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86 / 100
Sep 11, 2018

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7.5 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

NBA 2K19 is better than ever on the court, but, like a lot of top NBA stars, the game is a bit too obsessed with making money by any means necessary. NBA 2K19 struggles to strike the right balance – the game offers some refreshing story and gameplay improvements, but they don't quite make up for an aggressive monetization scheme that hasn't been updated in any meaningful way. Much like its Special Edition cover star LeBron James, you can't help but respect the accomplishments of NBA 2K19, but sometimes you may not actually like the game that much.

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9.4 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

Year after year 2K shows how is possible to improve one product which is near perfect. Jab dropping graphics and realistic mechanics join to make NBA 2K19 the best sports game in the market.

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Gamersky
Top Critic
8.7 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

The brand-new MyCareer mode makes NBA 2K19 still worth a try. Although NBA Live makes a progress this year, NBA 2K19 is way ahead of it. One-year interval surely can't bring any revolutionary changes, but 2K still gives us something interesting.

Review in Chinese | Read full review

Sep 11, 2018

The game makes the necessary adjustments to huge flaws from the previous year, with nice additions added in that keeps the 2K machine going as the Top Simulation Basketball Game on the market.

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Forbes
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

Because of the way NBA 2K18 fell off last year, I tried to find the potential for major problems further into NBA 2K19's release cycle, but I couldn't. Whether you're a person who plays single-player, multiplayer, offline or online, this is the most complete sports game I've ever played. There is no such thing as a perfect sports game, but this is as close as it gets.

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8.2 / 10.0
Sep 11, 2018

NBA 2K19 is the best basketball simulator out there. The depth of its game modes will allow the players to entertain themselves for a massive amount of time. However, microtransactions still remain a strong element, even if they are not as much as in last year's entry.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9.2 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2018

Despite the microtransactions, the new masterpiece of Visual Concepts rules on and off the court. NBA 2K19 is full of features and details and it's one of the best basketball sims, ever.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2018

The most well-rounded sports game on the market once again

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8 / 10
Sep 12, 2018

As a newcomer to the series, I was very surprised but also pleased with how inviting NBA 2K19 turned out to be.

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7 / 10
Sep 12, 2018

This year's iteration of NBA 2K packs plenty of game modes and deep mechanics that occasionally falter. And unfortunately again, VC rules everything around it.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2018

You can do pretty much whatever you want, whether it's play every game with your favorite team, sim seasons and be a manager, invent your own team, bring in legends to the modern NBA, or play through cinematic stories. It's a lot to take in and sift through, but if you have a passing affinity for basketball, a mode is likely here for you. NBA 2K19 is a top-tier sports game, even on the Switch. It's just a shame the microtransactions are ever present.

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