NBA 2K26 reveals cover athletes, September 5th release date
It’s become a July tradition for 2K to reveal its annual NBA game, and today is the tipoff for NBA 2K26, which launches September 5th for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. So, for everything, essentially. Several editions of the game are available to pre-order starting today, with various cover athletes, which 2K also revealed today.
Gracing the Standard Edition of the game is former University of Kentucky standout, reigning NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Champion, and current Oklahoma City Thunder point guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Chicago Sky forward and WNBA All-Star, Angel Reese, headlines the GameStop-exclusive WNBA Edition of the game. Basketball Hall of Famer, 10-time NBA All-Star, and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Carmelo Anthony, is on the cover of the Superstar Edition. And finally, a limited time Leave No Doubt Edition features all three athletes on its cover.
Each edition of the game comes with a variety of in-game extras, as well as price points. The Standard Edition will cost $69.99 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch2, but only $59.99 on the original Nintendo Switch. The WNBA Edition will be $69.99 and only be available for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, in addition to its GameStop exclusivity.
The more premium versions of NBA 2K26 are the Superstar Edition, which is $99.99, and is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC only. As in years past, this version includes a bunch of bonuses, such as 100,000 in premium currency, a bunch of boosts for the MyCAREER mode, and extra card packs for my favorite mode in the game – MyTEAM. Additionally, the Superstar Edition also comes with one week of early access beginning on August 29th, which is perhaps the earliest I can ever remember the game being playable.
Last, but not least is the Leave No Doubt Edition, a limited time version that will only be available to purchase through September 7th for a whopping $149.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This edition includes everything from the Superstar Edition but beefs it up with an additional 35,000 premium currency, a Season One Pro Pass, and a Summer Pass which gets you a pass to use sometime next year, which is an interesting tactic to keep players coming back for more. Along those lines, the Leave No Doubt Edition will also grant you a highly coveted Galaxy Opal MyTEAM card this December, as well as an Invincible card that is scheduled to release in May of 2026. And finally, if you pre-order this edition on the same platform that you own NBA 2K25 on, you’ll get a 10% discount, in addition to the one week of early access to the game.
Shew, okay, that was a lot, but that’s everything we know about NBA 2K26 right now. Stay tuned in the coming weeks as 2K undoubtedly begins to peel back the curtains on the game’s various systems and modes.
