So it did finally come. The day any basketball video game enthusiast would wait for! #2KDay was officially announced, and that day the world laid its hands on NBA 2K26. The official NBA 2K account made the huge announcement along with a series of hype emojis. But judging by the remarks, one could reach a completely contradictory conclusion.
Immediately, people started pointing out the very problems that have troubled this series for years. “Defense patch is needed. It’s a completely offensive game,” says Jim (@JamesREnglish). Which, yeah, that tracks. Every year it feels like offense gets all the love while defense becomes an afterthought. And players are already noticing these on day one.
Then come the technical issues. Sandra (@Tinkso1) is having a problem with the PS5 upgrade not being available after she installed the PS4 disc. “Is it coming later or is this a bug?” she asks. Meanwhile, EastsidazLBC is frustrated that the Leave No Doubt Edition is not available for download on PS4 after paying $150. “Doesnt make sense” they say, and honestly? They’re not wrong.
Then there were those classic “gimme free stuff” comments, which of course, will never be lacking in any 2K launch. Loads of players started begging for codes, VC, free copies of the game. @NPSkills95 just outright asked “Where them codes at?” while @antisociaalclub was like, “Can I get some vc 👀”. And there is a desperate plea from @HoodiiiFlagg: “Send me a code so I can play too man😭🙏🙏”. The struggle is real out here.
What I find interesting are the efforts of many players trying to get together to form crews or find people to play with. @Scarlisle29 says, “Whoever needs a crew message me, I’m level 9 with 20 people” while @maxinedellavo is attempting to recruit for their level 7 crew with only 4/50 members. “We grind and want you to join the crew” they promise. Amidst all the complaints, this is actually kinda wholesome.
And talking about complaints; how could we ever forget the classic 2K hate? @dandrewilly1969 keeps it simple: “2k is ass this year once again”. @MMOX991 calls them a “Tone deaf company” and tells people to “Save your money!” at the same time, demanding they “Pay for wnba!” which, fair on the WNBA representation.
Have to say that my favorite comment goes to @joinkodex for really encapsulating the 2K experience: “Time for the annual tradition of swearing we won’t buy VC… and then buying VC.” That is probably the most real thing I’ve read all day. We all say that we won’t do it, we all complain about microtransactions, and then without fail, we all drop another twenty bucks on VC just so our MyPlayer is slightly less horrendous.
There are some positives talking about! @Alphaburger28 is super hyped about the cover lineup: “fr nah this cover lineup goes crazy 🔥🔥 Melo on the superstar edition is peak nostalgia, I’m locked in already 🏀🎮”. @Christo11301991 is pulling himself 100% into it: “LETSSSSS GOOOOOO!!! All weekend baby!!!😎🔥💯💪🏾”.
@NYPunk starts in here with: “They’re ready to spawn in to just stand around and check their 2K phones 🤣.” And if you’ve been in any recent 2K game for real, that is half the gameplay: just stand around in the neighborhood, check your virtual phone, walk everywhere in slow-mo!
Crossplay complaints are starting to pop up as well. @Bolivier23 just said “Who cares fix crossplay” which suggests that maybe right now crossplay functionality isn’t working properly? Or maybe he’s just generally frustrated with the whole way 2K is handling cross-platform play.
Aside from the bugs: @dillyboyq wants to “fix the ‘error has occurred that prevents gameplay from continuing’ bug PLEASE.” Because what would a new 2K release be without game-breaking bugs on day one?
It’s kind of amazing how predictable the 2K cycle is at this point. Game comes out, everyone gets hyped, immediately notices all the same problems from previous years, complains about microtransactions, deals with bugs, and yet… we all keep playing. We keep buying VC against our better judgment. We keep grinding through the same issues.
What’s really telling is how many people don’t even have the game yet but are already engaging with the community. @ANevens23 says “I do! Don’t have game yet but would love a copy” while @BRANDSNAG2K admits “I don’t even have it Xbox one”. The FOMO is real even for people who haven’t purchased the game.
At the end of the day, it’s another year of NBA 2K. The same complaints, the same excitement, the same cycle of frustration and addiction. Will the defense get patched? Will the crossplay work properly? Will people actually resist buying VC this year? Probably not. But we’ll all be here playing anyway, complaining on Twitter, grinding through another season of virtual basketball.
The most 2K thing ever is how the community is already divided between people who are super hyped and people who think the game is trash. Like @EszeWiked telling someone “🤡🤡🚮🚮 bet ill still bust ya up kid” in response to someone talking trash. That’s the 2K community in a nutshell – everyone thinks everyone else is trash but we all keep playing together anyway.
Happy 2KDay, everybody! Let the download parties begin, followed by blanket complaints about the same issues that have been present since this time last year with nonstop daily play for the next 12 months and concrete assertions about just how much it sucks. And thus the 2K life cycle continues.
