NBA 2K26 continues to roll this year with new items and a new court to play on in the latest season. With the Park, Theater, Rec, etc, there are plenty of ways to hoop in The City. Some folks start with the MyCAREER story and level up their MyPLAYER from there.
Others upgrade their ballers right away and hit the courts of The City off the jump. That’s when the grind for Rep rewards begins as you try ball out against hoopers all over the world. But the competition can be hot, and shooting is easier than the last couple of 2Ks so a lot of games will end up being dogfights.
Not to mention, when playing with randoms, some players are more focused on scoring themselves instead of making the right plays. And on top of all that, some players do things like lag-switching, which has been a recent major problem and absolutely needs to be addressed.
NBA 2K26 can still be fun, but the mix of all of these things can be quite exhausting. So how can you just get away from it all while still getting your virtual basketball fix? There are a few different ways to chill out when playing NBA 2K26 and here are those ways.
MyCOURT
Let’s go ahead and start with the obvious option, and that’s simply shooting around in your MyCOURT in NBA 2K26. Sure, if you’re a City player, you’re likely already doing this, but for how long before you start jumping into the heat of battle again? Take some time just to shoot around and clear your mind. Throw on some music or even listen to a podcast or talk radio.
If you find yourself getting a bit bored and want a little competition without it being too intense, you can invite your friends or NBA players to your MyCOURT to play games like H.O.R.S.E or shooting competitions. You can also play some casual games.
MyCOURT was one of the best returning features last year, and it’s as awesome as it ever was with NBA 2K26. The customization is very deep, so you can make your court feel your own. Shooting on a court with the logo of your favorite baseball team in the center of the floor is pretty cool (Go White Sox).
Play MyCAREER Games
Sure, many City players start by playing MyCAREER games anyway, but usually they just make the NBA, play some games, and never return. If you want to take a little break from online hoops in NBA 2K26, then feel free to head back to the arena and get some more NBA games in.
You can earn some rewards along the way, which is nice. Plus, NBA games now count towards Season rewards, which is a big bonus. So if you feel like you’re missing out on Season rewards by taking a break from online, well, you’re not.
And for those of you who are interested in virtual photography, playing MyCAREER games gives you a great opportunity to grab some cool pictures using the replay mode. 2K’s replay system operates more like a Photo Mode now, which is very popular with many other video games.
Mess Around With MyNBA
MyNBA is arguably the best mode in NBA 2K26 or any NBA 2K for that matter. This mode allows you to let your imagination run wild and create a league that’s unique. You can remove teams, add teams, change uniforms, change cities, etc. And then you can go ahead and play games all season.
Probably the best thing about MyNBA is the community uploads. You can use user-created rosters for your league and also take advantage of community-created courts and uniforms as well. Want to form a high school league? You can do that. Maybe you want to revive the ABA. You can do that as well.
And another awesome thing is that you can create a player, and player-lock him so he’s the only guy you can use on the court, just like with MyCAREER. This is really fun, especially when you have a cool, custom league all set up. MyNBA is an all-around great franchise mode.
The W
So this is basically the same as MyCAREER except it’s for the WNBA. But it’s a different type of basketball experience. Different league, different players, and a much simpler, micro-transaction-free MyPLAYER Builder. In fact, you can start as an 85 overall right from the jump, so you’re ready to cook the league as soon as you step on the court for your first game.
On top of that, you can progress quickly. Once you fill up your MyPOINTS meter, you’ll get a nice little boost in your overall rating. The only downside is that the archetypes are preset, so you can’t fully set up your hooper’s attributes. But there are plenty of archetypes to fit anyone’s playstyle, plus, you don’t need to worry about VC, as we mentioned.
As you play games in The W, you’ll also unlock free accessories for pro games and free apparel for when you decide to play The W Online, the mode’s 3-on-3, Park-style experience. Sure, you get free stuff in The City, too, but you get more here as you level up. Would be cool to see college jerseys like how The City has now, though.
Play Now
The classics hardly go out of style, and that goes for Play Now in NBA 2K26. The oldest mode in NBA 2K is always there for when you need a quick, simple hoops fix. Set up the minutes, choose your favorite team, and tip it off. And with cool things like All-Time and Historic Teams, you can really have a lot of fun.
Not to mention, there’s the addition of the awesome MyERAs Play Now mode. So, if you don’t feel like diving into the full MyNBA experience, you can do the Play Now version and just choose whatever team you want from any of the eras that are presented.
Want to play with teams that aren’t part of the Historic Teams roster? Then this is the way to experience. Although things were rocky for the Bulls immediately after the Jordan era, it was still so cool playing with the original Baby Bulls that featured Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Jay Williams, and Jamal Crawford among others, while being led by Jalen Rose, who was the team’s veteran.
No matter how many things NBA 2K offers, good old Play Now will always be a staple of the longtime franchise.
