NBA 2K27: Game reveal shows off GOAT potential - everything that's new

2K has shown the NBA 2K27 game reveal and if the features shown are all successfully pulled off, this could be the greatest basketball game of all time.

During a stream at Intuit Dome, home of the Clippers, in Los Angeles on Tuesday (18 August), new gameplay, The City, MyPLAYER, MyTEAM and MyNBA updates were shared, along with brand new reveals too.

NBA 2K27 looks to be a refinement of the series. To note, Early Access has been brought forward to 26 August for those who pre-order the Superstar or Ultra editions.

Starting with gameplay, tweaking defence seems to the biggest focus from developers. Stops are much easier to pull off and making three-pointers is more tricky now. Defence is much faster too.

Dribbling moves are much more in-depth and customisable as you can mix and match more components of dribbling than ever before. It's even more granular and incredibly detailed, meaning there are loads more customisation options to pull off dribbles exactly how you want them. There are more than 7,000 new animations in NBA 2K27 too.

The City sees male and female players compete side-by-side for the very first time in the series. All of the players are built on the same features too.

There are brand new environments with five different ones at launch which are randomly selected in each game. Rucker Park has been added in Street Kings.

Crew HQ is a new addition, which is a home base for you and your friends, where jerseys can be customised and kits displayed to show off who is in your team. Practice can be done here too.

Speaking of practice, for newcomers or those looking to refine their skills, Casual Corner has been added, which is an accessible option for players getting to grips with the game or certain mechanics.

This means you don't need to jump straight in at the deep end if there are a few things you want to improve in a low-stakes space, with 3v3 or 5v5 games available. Matchmaking is also done on skill but can be tweaked if you want a different challenge.

Dribbling has been improved in NBA 2K27 / 2K

In MyPLAYER Builder, a female player can be built for the first time. For veteran players, there is a badge-focused option for customisation and badge tokens are used to equip different badges to create different builds. There are 19 new badges.

Players start with 20 tokens across six different disciplines and then build from there. Badge progression is done by earning more as you play, with tokens unlocking the more you play which can be assigned to different roles or reversed along with specific badges that are baked into builds based on actions you perform on the court.

The six different categories this covers are finishing, shooting, playmaking, defence, rebounding and physicals. Not all badges can be equipped at the same time, meaning you may have to prioritise certain categories and styles over others.

Rebirth is back with four tiers and the higher the level, the more tokens you unlock. That means you don't have to start from scratch every time you want to create a new player.

A big reveal was 'NBA 2K HQ', a brand new companion app that launches on Friday (21 August). You can access the player builder, make edits and configure your player exactly how you want them to be.

Builds can be shared with others via QR codes. It's very impressive and looks incredibly detailed. This clearly isn't an afterthought but something that looks as though a lot of time and effort has gone into.

That's because you can message team members and friends, track progress on crew weekly goals and earn more rewards every time you use the app. Face scan technology in the app has been improved too.

Eras is being added into MyCAREER / 2k

In MyTEAM, any player cards can be exchanged for the first time. Every card really matters now. There are rotating multiplayer modes throughout the year, starting off with Triple Threat in Season One. Player XP progression is changing too.

In MyNBA, there's a revamped free agency and improved contracts, along with new player relationships and GM trust. Developers said they heard requests from players to go back to basics and say they have taken this on board.

There's also MyNBA Legacy, a player-locked save that allows you to pick any player in the modern era, playing through the career of any current player of your choosing.

Developers are also working on improved detections for automated cheating devices which go live after launch. Enforcement will be retroactive to day one of NBA 2K27 for those found to be cheating.

And in MyCAREER, a brand new feature to the mode is Eras. Players can play in all different kinds of famous eras, creating and reshaping history in some of the biggest and best franchises the NBA has ever seen.

In MyCAREER itself, there are 11 chapters and the mode is twice the length of NBA 2K26. You can also team up with a friend in co-op who can hop in and out at any time. This will also contribute to accruing VC and Seasonal XP.

All of these changes and tweaks sound incredibly encouraging on the face of it. NBA 2K26 was a great basketball game in itself and with these key tweaks being made to NBA 2K27, the latest entry in 2K's iconic series is on track to be the very best basketball game of all time.

But let's see what it's like to play first before declaring anything definitive.

Elsewhere from Indy100:

• NBA 2K27 first look as release date, editions, cover stars and more are revealed
• NBA 2K26: Three things you absolutely need to know before you play the game

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