The City is NBA 2K's giant, living virtual playground chock ful of ballcourts, rivals, and corporate sponsorships. It has been so profitable that WWE 2K25 offers up its own version, The Island. 2K revealed some of the latest upgrades to The City in a special courtside report.
“The City has become the epicenter of NBA 2K and basketball culture,” Erick Boenisch, VP of NBA Development at Visual Concepts, said. “Ever since the introduction of the Park in 2K14, it has been our dream to create a place where players can chase the win through competition, community, and status. With things like our new accessible layout, leaderboards, and the new Crews feature, The City is built to give players the opportunity to put Ball Over Everything.”
One of the biggest new features is Street Kings, an experience that allows created players to test their skills against CPU bosses. The mode is playable solo or 3vs3. It will offer up a whopping 40 levels of rewards to customize your player hub. Street Kings' court will replace NBA 2K25's streetball courts, a move 2K is hoping will make The City a little more streamlined.
Streamlining The City's design and overall experience is a huge priority in this year's game. Responding to player complaints that the open world had gotten a little too open, 2K is promising that this year, no matter where your player is standing, you'll be able to see every area in The City. You'll also be able to get quickly from one place to another.
We'll know soon enough what's hype and what's reality as NBA 2K26's early access period begins in a few hours. App Trigger will have live coverage of everything going on.