Having some form of roguelike in your game is the industry standard these days. NBA 2K25 got into the mix with Breakout, a board game that sends your MyTeam on a run for shiny new treasures. Player feedback said the true psychos of MyTeam wanted the mode to be even more challenging, and NBA 2K26 has obliged.
Now Breakout features a special mode called Gauntlet, and it will test players' skill as well as the depth of their collection. The game board is a straight line in Gauntlet, but as the difficulty level increases, you can only use each player once per run.
That's going to be hard, especially in the early going before you've unlocked good cards. But there are objectives to complete that will unlock your star player again.
Also, there are more opportunities to get rewards and customize your run. It was frustrating last year to have an undefeated run and get an injury card as a prize. Now, you can continue a run after facing a gatekeeper team (basically the bosses of Breakout mode). The gatekeeper takes away one of your three allowed prizes or losses, allowing you to continue your run until you have earned three rewards.
Some spots on the Breakout board will unlock Ball Drops, Ascension Picks, Wheel Spins, Vault Door openings, and other rewards. Better yet, these free spots don't count towards your three reward limit for a run.
I loved Breakout at launch, and I still love the concept. But as the season wore on, it turned into a board game collecting dust on my digital shelf. These changes sound like the invigorating rush that Breakout needed.