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There has been a lot of improvements made in NBA 2K26. This article covers 10 major changes made over last year’s title.
NBA 2K26 is the latest installment in the NBA series of video games. Developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K, NBA 2K26 features multiple improvements over last year’s title. If you are someone who has been playing these games for a while, some of these changes are so massive that you will notice them very quickly. In this article, we will take a look at 10 improvements 2K made this year compared to NBA 2K25.
Major Improvements NBA 2K26 Made Compared to NBA 2K25
1) Better Player Movements
The first thing you will almost instantly notice is that the athletes now move much more realistically. This year, 2K worked a lot on their motion engine, making players’ movement feel much smoother, responsive, and realistic.
2) Improved AI
While this was not a major issue previously, NBA 2K26 features a better AI. Your teammates as well as the AI opponents are much more smarter, more intelligent, and more responsive than NBA 2K25. Do note though, that this does not automatically mean that the game is tougher when playing against the CPU. But the weird movements that your opponents often made will be less noticeable this time around.
3) More AI Difficulty Modes
Ten new difficulty settings have been added this year. You can adjust the Shot Timing Ability sliders, fine-tune defensive rotations, etc. With these settings used properly, the immersion, as well as the control that you have in your hands this time, is very impressive.
4) Better Visuals
Even though the difference is not really groundbreaking, 2K26 does feature slightly better graphics. Moreover, the lighting is also a little improved. The court, as well as the audience, looks much more life-like.
5) New MyPlayer Options
There have been a lot of new hairstyles added in the MyPlayer mode. When creating a new character, you get to choose from a lot more options when it comes to hairstyles, clothing preferences, sneaker options, etc.
Also Read: All Clothing and Sneaker Brands in NBA 2K26
6) Enhancements to the MyNBA and MyGM Game Modes
Multiple upgrades have been made to the MyNBA game mode. You can witness the pre-season board meetings, which add more immersion and provide a better experience. The online playoffs have seen major improvements as well. Moreover, simulation has also been further improved. You can expect to see a 25-30 per cent faster simulation if you are skipping certain matches or off-court events.
7) Integration of WNBA
While the WNBA has been around in NBA video games for a few years now, 2K26 featured the most extensive representation ever. Considering the rising interest in WNBA globally, this was something that gamers were expecting from a long while now. WNBA athletes can now join the NBA stars in MyTeam as well, making it a pretty big improvement.
8) Ball Control is Also Finer This Time
Various new mechanics have been added in NBA 2K26, which makes ball control feel more like-like. This is undoubtedly the biggest gameplay change made this year. You can play dedicated wrap passes, flashy passes, euro steps, etc.
9) Tougher Defense
2K implemented a smarter and more realistic feedback on contact. Mid-air contests and even bump animations are significantly better than 2K25. All this combined makes the defense feel a little tougher and even smarter than before.
10) Overall Experience
With all the points mentioned above blended perfectly, NBA 2K26 does feel miles ahead of its predecessor. Despite making several huge improvements, 2K and Visual Concepts still made it possible for the game to run well on even older generations of consoles, including Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
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