The hype for NBA 2K24 doesn't stop growing. The expectations for this year's title are at an all-time high, with fans being eager to get their hands on the game.
NBA 2K has released a lot of information about the new title recently. It announced all editions, their cover athletes, and above all, it introduced the ProPLAY technology.
The ProPLAY feature can revolutionise the franchise gameplay. Because of that, it has garnered a lot of attention from fans. It's something that can definitely make or break NBA 2K24.
Release date announced
We finally know the official NBA 2K24 release date! Fans can hit the court on Friday 8 September. This release date is right in line with previous years, which is excellent to see.
While there are plenty of editions (we'll get onto that) with lots of bonuses, none carry any early access. That means everyone will be attacking the rim at the same time!
Pick your style
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant is the face of NBA 2K24. The Lakers legend will be on the cover of the Kobe Bryant Edition and the Black Mamba Edition.
The Kobe Bryant Edition is effectively the standard edition, and will check it at £59.99 for Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC, while it will be £69.99 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It's a shame to see 2K stick to this two-tiered pricing structure when titles like Madden have abandoned it.
The Black Mamba Edition will be £89.99 on every platform, and comes with a whole bunch of extras:
- 100k VC
- 15k MyTEAM points
- 2K24 Option pack box
- One 10-pack box MyTEAM promo packs
- Kobe Bryant Cover Star Sapphire Card (24 era)
- 1 diamond shoe
- 1 ruby coach
- 1 two-hour double XP coin
- 10x six types of MyCAREER skill boosts
- 10x three types of Gatorade boosts
- 1 two-hour double XP coin
- 4 MyCAREER t-shirts
- 4 Backpack
- Electric skateboard
- Arm sleeves
The 25th Anniversary Edition checks in at a massive £129.99 and will only be available until 10 September. It comes with all of the above, with the amount of some items increased, as well as:
- A 12-month subscription to NBA League Pass
- A Ruby Cover Star Kobe Bryant “Rookie Card”
- a new Black Mamba MyPLAYER Capsule featuring a Black Arm Sleeve, Purple Oversized T-Shirt, a Yellow T-shirt and a Kobe Player Panel
Just like in NBA 2K23, NBA 2K24 will also have a WNBA Edition. This time only one athlete features on the cover. The superstar chosen for that is non-other than WNBA All-Star Sabrina Ionescu.
Similar to last year, the WNBA edition will only be available at GameStop in the US and Canada. It's expected it will have the same pre-order rewards as the Kobe Bryant Edition.
New features
As mentioned above, NBA 2K24 will introduce the ProPLAY gameplay technology. The goal of this technology is to provide a "generational leap in authenticity" when it comes to gameplay animations and movements.
ProPLAY will use real NBA footage and incorporate it into the game. This way, the movements and animations of players will be more accurate than ever before. It will drastically improve the gaming experience and immersion of players.
But ProPLAY wasn't the only new feature announced for NBA 2K24. After a long wait, crossplay is finally coming to the NBA 2K franchise.
Fans had been requesting this feature for years, and they will finally be able to experience it. Well, at least those who play on the PS5 or Xbox X|S will be able to. Unfortunately, the crossplay feature is not coming to the old-gen consoles.
However, what is coming to all the platforms, is the new Mamba Moments game mode. This mode will allow players to relive the biggest moments of Kobe Bryant's illustrious career.
It's a great way for NBA 2K to pay homage to one of the best to ever touch a basketball. At the same time, it gives fans a unique game mode, that will provide them with hours of entertainment.