NBA 2K21 had a very successful launch selling more than 8 million copies by the end of 2020. The game has come a long way in terms of graphics and physics, which was the perfect time for the next-gen consoles from PlayStation and Xbox.
NBA 2K21 is still the flagship game of the series, and one of those games is a great birthday gift for any basketball-loving child. Still, this will definitely change after 2K Sports and Visual Dynamics announce their new entry in the long-running series.
Until now, there isn’t enough official information about the NBA 2K22, but we’ll highlight some of the things we can expect of the upcoming game.
NBA 2K22 Release Date
If we analyze data and behavior from the past, every new NBA 2K is announced in the first half of every year. Last year, NBA 2K21 was teased during Sony’s PS5 reveal in June, the same as the previous 2K20.
It is worth noticing that all of these announcements didn’t give out too much information about the game. They were basically teasers of the graphics and new features in the game. So, even if we see an official announcement this June, it is unlikely that 2K Games and Visual Concepts will reveal much about the game.
As far as the release date goes, we won’t get a new game until companies are ready to start talking about it.
Since we don’t have enough information about the release date, we can only assume that we can expect the upcoming game sometime in September ahead of Black Friday in 2021 and before the holiday season. This was standard practice for 2K games so far, and we think that they’ll continue on the same path with their new game.
However, the NBA 2K21 release date was staggered. They released the game for Xbox One, Ps4, Windows, Stadia, and Switch in September, but the real potential of the game was released on November 12th on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
This means that there is a chance that we’ll see the same situation where the game will be staged for this year, but we think that NBA 2K22 will be released on all consoles at once.
NBA 2K22 Versions
We could expect two or three versions of the NBA 2K22 this year. Fortunately, there will be a no-frills standard edition, and it is very likely that we’ll see one or two bundles with some extras, especially for the holiday season.
When it comes to the previous NBA 2K21, the game is available in two versions: the last-generation and the current-generation platforms.
There is also the standard version and the Mamba Forever Edition with a tribute to Kobe Bryant.
We think that 2K22 will also come for the last and current generation of consoles, which is a good thing, especially since most people couldn’t get their new consoles due to a shortage of supply.
NBA 2K22 Features
Last year, 2K Sports and Visual Dynamics were very reserved about the new features of the upcoming 2K21. We are hoping that they’ll be more transparent this year and reveal more about the new features of the upcoming game before the release date.
We can expect that there will be numerous improvements with a focus on the current-generation platforms. There is a high probability that some of the current features will be reworked. You can also expect yearly upgrades and new features to popular modes like MyCAREER.
NBA 2K22 Cover
Last year we got Blazers star Damian Lillard on the cover on the standard 2K21 edition on the last-generation platforms and Zion Williamson on the current-generation platforms. Obviously, we have Kobe Bryant on the Mamba Forever Edition.
We still don’t know who will be on the cover on the NBA 2K22 cover, but we can expect multiple NBA stars across all the versions. Perhaps they will choose one of the young stars of today, like LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards. Check out The TwinSpires Edge list of the youngest players in the competition history for some insight.
We can expect an announcement sometime in June, where they’ll reveal which NBA star will highlight this year’s game.
