Today, 2K has revealed the suite of gameplay enhancements coming alongside the current-gen versions of NBA 2K26 when it drops on September 5th. Bear in mind that these enhancement will only be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2, though a more vanilla version is still going to be available for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
On current-gen, 2K26 is getting a new Motion Engine which 2K is calling the biggest change to player movement since 2K21. This new engine utilizes machine-learning and 2K's ProPLAY technology to convert real NBA game footage into more lifelike movement on the digital court. More specifically, dynamic lower-body physics adjusts the exact positioning of players' legs and feet on the fly to make them launch, plant, and cut more realistically. Rhythm shooting has also been enhanced to include more responsive jumpshots that look and feel more like the real thing.
On the other end of the court, defensive improvements, new collision physics, redesigned post defense and new rebound timing feedback. The 2K team is also giving controls a facelift with more intuitive and free-flowing gameplay, as well as new mechanics like wrap passes, quick protect, no dip catch-and-shoots, and more.
Finally, enhancements to AI give your NPC teammates a bigger brain, allowing them to act more dynamically on both ends of the court, but especially when trying to help generate offense. To get you up to speed on all of the new updates for 2K26, the Learn 2K tutorial suite will include more intermediate training to help players refine their game.
Check out the gameplay trailer below, and first Courtside Report
here, featuring NBA 2K series gameplay director, Mike Wang, breaking down all of this year's changes in detail. Looks pretty sick (and pretty realistic) so far.
