PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

There is a lot to love about NBA 2K22 which makes it one of the best basketball games out there. Besides just looking and feeling amazing, a lot of time and effort was put into ensuring this game wasn’t just a rehashing of last year’s version. From its smart tweaks on the court to its heightened level of realism in nearly every aspect of its gameplay, NBA 2K22 is the ultimate fan experience and delivers a season worth of thrills where it matters most.

Thanks to an impeccable production, NBA 2K22 feels more immersive and realistic than ever. Its gameplay is slower and more true to the game of basketball. Even though the RPG features of My Career are pretty bad, its content is still extremely rich. It all makes for the best NBA 2K in years.

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.

Immense in substance and respectable in form. 2K22 is worthy of the new generation of consoles, with gameplay and a career mode that erase the many faults of the past year.

NBA 2K22 does what it takes to make fans fall in love with the franchise again.

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.

When we talk about gameplay and content, there's no rival to NBA 2K22, with a better defense on the court and so much improvements in every mode. The City is almost as big as every map in a sandbox... Unfortunately, the microtransactions are always there, in every move or step you take, and is a real pity in a great game like this.

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

NBA 2K22 shines on the court, while it 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 succeed.

2K22 is a step in the right direction, fixing and improving some of the concerns from the previous entry. There are still a few things that need work, but it is, overall, a fantastic basketball simulator.