Like many online sports games, NBA 2K26 uses anti-cheat measures that limit your ability to access all of the game’s features when not connected to the internet. While this obviously includes modes that feature online play, it can also limit your access to certain offline modes and features as well. If you’re considering playing your 2K on the go with a mobile option like a Steam Deck, or wondering if you can still play your game during an internet outage, it’s important to know what modes are available.
Can You Play NBA 2K26 Offline?
Yes, there are options for playing NBA 2K26 while not connected to the internet. The modes available to you when disconnected from the way are:
Play Now
The first heading with options for you is Play Now, where you can quickly jump into one-off games across several modes. Potential Play Now modes when offline are:
- Quick Play: The traditional one-off game experience, Quick Play allows you to pick your team and the opposition and jump into a game in short order. You can customize rules, difficulty, and other key considerations to make your gameplay as well-suited to your preferences as possible.
- Eras Quick Play: The Eras feature of 2K, which allows you to use real rosters from NBA teams through the decades, is one of the coolest features in the game, and with Eras Quick Play, you get that same expanded opportunity by doing a Quick Play game with teams from the first season of any of the game’s five eras.
- Blacktop: Pickup basketball on street courts is the heart of basketball, and with Blacktop modes, you can see how your NBA pros stack up in the fast-paced, loose style with everything from full five-a-side down to one-on-one ball.
MyNBA
If you’re a fan of franchise modes that allow you to build a team through season after season, then MyNBA is the stop for you, and the good news is it is available as an offline mode:
- MyNBA: The traditional franchise experience, MyNBA puts you in control of a franchise that you can guide from a purely backroom capacity, or take over on the court to play your games for your team as well.
- MyGM: This mode is for players looking to add a little story to their franchise experience. When starting up a game mode, you can choose to have a random story experience or to play out your chosen team’s pre-created storyline designed to match the real-world challenges each team faces currently.
- MyNBA Lite: This mode offers a simplified approach to MyNBA, streamlining the process and allowing you to complete seasons more quickly and with a lower level of responsibility on some of the tasks required for success in traditional MyNBA, like draft class scouting and cap management.
- The Playoffs: If you want to jump right to when the games matter, The Playoffs does just that. You can customize the field, including placing teams on either half of the bracket, and adjust rules such as how many games it takes to win a round, or just jump right in with last season’s bracket.
WNBA
The WNBA is well-integrated in NBA 2K26, and that extends to the offline options. Unfortunately, not all options in this section can be accessed offline, as The W stands in as the WNBA version of MyCAREER and is unavailable accordingly. Offline options for WNBA gamers are:
- WNBA Quick Play: Just like with the standard Quick Play, this is a mode for players looking to jump right into a game with no larger stakes or consequences beyond winning or losing that individual game. Pick your teams, set your rules, and get balling.
- My WNBA: The W’s version of NyNBA, this mode puts you in the shoes of a WNBA GM, trying to draft, sign, and trade your way to a championship roster, whether you’re playing the games yourself or simply handling the back-room responsibilities to put a winning team on the court.
- The Playoffs: Skip the regular season and jump right to the good stuff with an 8-team playoff bracket. Choose your teams, set the rules, and play out the playoffs to find your next WNBA champion.
Learn 2K
The NBA 2K series has received a lot of praise through the years for continued efforts to simulate the feel of playing basketball at an NBA level more and more each year, but that can make it so that there’s a lot to keep track of. If you’re ever struggling in an area, or just new to the game altogether and unsure how to play effectively, the Learn 2K section can help:
- Tutorials: Learn the basics of the game in a guided modes that teach a new skill, then work you through drills to get comfortable with it. There are Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced sections to peruse.,
- Film Room: This section features videos teaching you tips and techniques, along with written notes to help you come to grips with the lessons being taught and improve your play.
- Mini-Games: Just as playing games at practice can make it fun to develop your skills in real life, the min-game section of Learn 2K lets you work on your skills while completing games designed to be fun, like HORSE or Knockout.
- Freestyle: Open gym time is a valuable skill for any developing basketball player, as it allows you to try out your skills in a no-pressure setting and to practice just how you want to. Freestyle mode is the 2K equivalent of having a shootaround and lets you refine your skills.
- Practice Plays: While freestyle playmaking can lead to some of the most fun highlights in sports, the best teams also know how to run an effective set offense. This mode lets you practice using pre-made plays so you’re comfortable enough to get buckets with them when it counts.
- Scrimmage: If even playing around with a Quick Play is a bit more pressure and stakes than you’re after, Scrimmage mode has you covered. Get out and practice in gamelike conditions with no concern about whether you’ll be a winner at the end.
While being offline can be a challenge for a 2K player by limiting your options, it doesn’t fully remove your ability to enjoy your game. Choose one of these modes and get out on the virtual hardwood (or blacktop) and get those buckets.
