Summary

• The NBA 2K series has had some hits and misses, with successful games showcasing robust features and gameplay.
• Some entries, like 2K18, received low user scores despite critical praise, lacking innovation and major changes.
• Standout entries earned high Metacritic scores due to innovative features and improvements, and remain some of the most notable basketball sim games in gaming.

The series of sports simulation video games known as NBA 2K is commonly seen as the premiere basketball gaming franchise, but there is no doubt that some of the games in the series have been stronger than others. Although it has received yearly updates since its original release in 1999, helping to keep the title relevant for each basketball season, not every game has felt like a slam dunk. The best NBA 2K games have robust features, polished systems, and dynamic gameplay that make them evergreen.

Appropriately debuting with NBA 2K, the franchise became an instant threat to EA Sports' NBA Live, the basketball title that was at the top of the food chain at the time. Over the decades, 2K so routinely beat Live that the competing publisher, EA, canceled games and rebooted its series. With more than two decades' worth of entries, it's interesting to look back at which of the NBA 2K titles are its best. Ranking the best NBA 2K games helps showcase the heights of the franchise, and determinations for placement in this list are based on reviews and Metacritic scores.

20 NBA 2K18 (Released September 2017)

Metacritic Score 80, User Score 1.8

NBA 2K18 may have earned an 80 from critics on Metacritic, but the User Scores it received on the site were some of the lowest seen, at an abysmal 1.8. This installment features Kyrie Irving on the cover and had only made some minor changes because 2K was seeing consistent success without the need to reinvent itself. Still, it added interesting things like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett as guest commentators and more classic teams. The real kicker was the addition of All-Time Teams, putting together squads of every franchise's greatest players, which was made better in later iterations of the title.

19 NBA 2K20 (Released September 2019)

Metacritic Score 78

NBA 2K20 is far from a franchise height, feeling like just another NBA 2K installment in many ways. These issues were compounded by monetization that turned many fans and critics off from the game. A 78 on Metacritic is a solid score but represents fairly low marks for a generally acclaimed series overall, and sadly, the series only saw further decline with its next year's entry only hitting a score of 68. NBA 2K20 was criticized primarily for lack of innovation or change from its previous year.

18 NBA 2K6 (Released September 2005)

Metacritic Score 81

NBA 2K7 marked the second straight year that Shaq was on the cover, as his first cover appearance was for NBA 2K6. He joined Allen Iverson as the only two players to get multiple solo covers at the time. The praise was very strong for elements like the soundtrack, presentation, and gameplay, earning NBA 2K6 an 81 on Metacritic. On the flip side, there were some issues with some of the controls, and it felt kind of like the previous entry since not all that much was added to improve or build upon it. It might not seem like a big thing, but the menu style was heavily criticized, with some even calling it downright ugly.

17 NBA 2K8 (Released October 2007)

Metacritic Score 81

NBA 2K8 still had some issues to be worked out, particularly with its dated visuals that were putting off its player base. Even with its graphical disappointments, however, it shined by providing a fully revamped Association Mode. Despite not having many other improvements to offer its fans, this Mode and some other minor tweaks to features helped give it a Metacritic score of 81 and showed an upward progression that would continue in the upcoming years.

16 NBA 2K19 (Released September 2018)

Metacritic Score 82, User Score 2.9

When a gaming series has been around for so long, it is bound to run into traps of sameness and even staleness at points. NBA 2K19 is a clear representation of this. Critic reviews were certainly not poor, with an 82 on Metacritic, but it missed the mark compared to some prior entries and fell victim to some review bombing from users who were disappointed in it, bringing its User Score to 2.9. The game mostly nailed everything that it had in the past, but by this point, it was a lot of what fans had come to expect and know. It needed something to rejuvenate things, which didn't happen.

15 NBA 2K10 (Released October 2009)

Metacritic Score 82

It could be argued that the greatest player to ever grace the cover of these games was Kobe Bryant, the cover athlete for NBA 2K10 and who made a return appearance for NBA 2K21. NBA 2K10 was a very important entry in the series for one key reason: it was the installment to mark the debut of the MyPlayer mode, which remains a favorite over a decade later. Of course, the mode had some things to work out, but it was still a well-received addition to the franchise. The game did have a handful of technical problems, especially upon release, but not enough to hold it back from an 82 score on Metacritic.

14 NBA 2K15 (Released October 2014)

Metacritic Score 83

In a lot of ways, the mid-2010s was the golden age for the franchise as NBA 2K kept adding new features to keep things fresh and spice up an already great game. With NBA 2K15, MyCareer was made better than ever before and added a coaching advice feature. Its innovative new scanning feature was also introduced, allowing players to scan their faces and have them appear in the game. This allowed for NBA players to be personalized to look pretty much like the person behind the controller, and was a fun immersive feature that helped the game earn an 83 on Metacritic.

13 NBA 2K7 (Released September 2006)

Metacritic Score 84

NBA 2K7 was a satisfactory entry to the series only marred by disappointing character models and poor animation. While those issues were very clear and were a detriment to the game's overall presentation, the game shined in almost every other area. The gameplay was again a hit, but it also had well-received aspects, like Association mode and Street mode, which helped earn an 84 on Metacritic. One cool but small addition came as a great PlayStation exclusive feature, where players could shoot free throws by mimicking the real-life motion of taking a shot.

12 NBA 2K9 (Released October 2008)

Metacritic Score 84

By this point, it was abundantly clear that the NBA 2K franchise was light years ahead of NBA Live. Although the 2009 version of the EA Sports game was solid, NBA 2K9 just kept adding to an already impressive legacy, putting NBA Champion Kevin Garnett on the cover. The main reason for the positive reception and 84 on Metacritic was how realistic the experience was. Not only was the gameplay up to par, but things like halftime shows and commentary were fantastic, while the HD visuals were easily the best to that point. The only negative was that it didn't add many new modes.

11 NBA 2K14 (Released October 2013)

Metacritic Score 84

NBA 2K14 earned a solid score with an 84 on Metacritic, which showed some consistency for the franchise with most of the games landing in the mid-80s. 2K14 brought in the LeBron James: Path to Greatness mode, Euroleague teams, and a stellar soundtrack. In fact, James did more than just simply pose for the cover, and was also a part of curating the soundtrack for the game and worked as an unofficial producer for the game developers. This helped to make it feel more like a realistic NBA experience.

10 ESPN NBA 2K5 (Released September 2004)

Metacritic Score 85

The ESPN license was added to the series in a big way with ESPN NBA Basketball before ESPN NBA 2K5 arrived. The ESPN presentation was arguably the show-stealer, but it was gone after this installment. This was a historic entry as it was the final NBA game released by Sega before the company's history was changed by a sale to a larger corporation. The game featured Ben Wallace on the cover, making him the first player other than Allen Iverson to do so. This featured modes like 24/7 and Association, and although both features were met with mixed response, the game earned a score of 85 on Metacritic.

9 NBA 2K16 (Released September 2015)

Metacritic Score 87

NBA 2K16 was another NBA 2K edition with a great cover athlete, Stephen Curry, on the front and a game that more than lived up to its legacy. A year after the success of NBA 2K15, 2K Sports looked to up the ante once more, and it mostly got it right. The coolest new addition this time around was the ability to relocate a team while playing MyGM or MyLeague. That meant players could bring back iconic franchises like the Seattle SuperSonics and show off their creativity with how they designed their unique teams in the game. The game earned an 87 on Metacritic and remains a fan favorite.

8 NBA 2K13 (Released September 2012)

Metacritic Score 88

Although NBA 2K13 didn't outdo the two installments right before it, it did justify its Metacritic score of 88 by keeping up the momentum of the sports game renaissance that was happening in the gaming community around it. Although it highlighted up-and-coming athletes for its cover; Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, and Blake Griffin, the game stuck with its movement of including more classic teams. In NBA 2K13, both the 1992 and 2013 US Olympic basketball teams were added. The game also featured a Shoe Creator mode with legitimate name brands and an All-Star Weekend mode.

7 NBA 2K17 (Released September 2016)

Metacritic Score 88

NBA 2K17 earned its Metacritic score of 88 by taking the MyLeague Mode that had been introduced in NBA 2K16 and expanding upon it to allow all 30 existing teams to be relocated, and expansion teams could be added. This made it so players could create a unique league with their own teams, cities, and more and could even control and change rules within the league. This was previously unheard of and allowed for more creativity and customization in the game. The gameplay, presentation, and the other usual aspects were also heavily praised, with All-Star basketball player Paul George gracing the cover.

6 ESPN NBA Basketball (Released October 2003)

Metacritic Score 89

For the 2004 basketball season, things took a bit of a deviation as the NBA 2K series tried to rename themselves. Although it confused some players looking for their NBA 2K4 game, it was titled ESPN NBA Basketball. This was the only year the series would release a game without the iconic 2K in its title and, despite fans not appreciating the new name, it was still a popular game with a Metacritic score of 89 and was the penultimate title before the official formation of 2K Sports. ESPN NBA Basketball featured unique facial designs for every player, improved the passing system, focused on the 24/7 mode, included a lot of streetball aspects, and was heavily praised for gameplay, graphics, and presentation.

5 NBA 2K3 (Released October 2002)

Metacritic Score 89

NBA 2K3 is from the early days of the basketball simulation series and truly was part of when the game was at its peak. Developers were off to a good start, with the first three years being some of the highest-rated entries ever. There was not much innovation during these early years, sticking with many of the gameplay mechanics that had been working, although there were some key updates made for 2K3, particularly the updates made to Franchise Mode which helped it to feel more in-depth. NBA 2K3 also marked the start of a partnership with ESPN, making the game feel more real than any up to that point and it earned a Metacritic score of 89.

4 NBA 2K2 (Released October 2001)

Metacritic Score 89

In the beginning days of NBA 2K games, the series was made by Sega, and therefore the first two games had been exclusively made and released for the Sega Dreamcast. This changed with NBA 2K2, as it was made more widely available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube consoles. This entry was also an important one for the series by being the first to introduce realistic player abilities. This meant that taking shots at the right place on the court mattered for specific players, and laid the groundwork for things like player personalities in later installments. This game also added modes, improved the defensive side of things, and added legends and was given a Metacritic score of 89.

3 NBA 2K11 (Released September 2010)

Metacritic Score 89

NBA 2K11 was a marked improvement over the titles in the series that had come out in the years just before it, which had begun to feel as though the series was in a slow decline. With NBA 2K11, the NBA 2K line was rejuvenated, earning itself a score of 89 on Metacritic. While there were many reasons for this, the most exciting was having Michael Jordan on the cover, who hadn't been in a game in several years. Its new Jordan Challenge mode was heavily praised as players got the chance to recreate his most iconic moments. A good soundtrack and features like the D-League in Association mode combined with excellent core gameplay to position NBA 2K11 at the peak of the franchise.

2 NBA 2K12 (Released October 2011)

Metacritic Score 90

Rather than simply sitting back and letting NBA 2K11 do all the work, developers at 2K Sports took the concepts it introduced and improved upon them for NBA 2K12 by adding Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the new cover athletes and leaning into the idea of honoring past stars and classic teams. Enhanced realism compared to previous games helped this game on its path to a 90 on Metacritic. The NBA 2K MyPlayer mode got a major upgrade, helping to make it one of the most popular modes in any sports game. The use of updated rosters was welcome since rookies weren't initially included due to the NBA lockout that year.

1 NBA 2K1 (Released November 2000)

Metacritic Score 93

It's amazing to realize that the highest-rated games in the history of the series came so early into its run, with 2K1 earning a 93 on Metacritic. NBA 2K1 can still be a rock-solid throwback for nostalgic fans, even if it's no longer the standout it once was. It goes to show that these games helped change things, even though these entries didn't have nearly the customizable options or in-depth features that the future ones did. The initial NBA 2K had solid reviews, but NBA 2K1 bumped things up a notch with improved gameplay and was the first to feature online multiplayer.

Sources: Metacritic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)