NBA 2K21 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X Is Basically a Whole New Game

When 2K announced that the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of NBA 2K21 would cost $10 more than their current-gen equivalents, lots of folks raised their eyebrows. Whether or not we see the $69.99 price point stick from here on out, some new details released today do go to show that NBA 2K21 is shaping up to be a very different on next-gen.

Today, NBA 2K developers Visual Concepts have released the first official details on the expanded MyCareer mode and MyNBA, two exclusive features coming only to the next-gen versions of 2K21. For fans of traditional career and league management play, the next-gen versions are promising a lot more than current-gen NBA 2K21 delivers.

For the first time in the series, MyCareer on next-gen NBA 2K21 will include the G League, NBA's minor leagues. This means there'll be more variety in the ways your MyCareer arc can play out; high school, college, and G League time can all potentially factor into the path you take to the NBA. Also coming to next-gen are the first-ever WNBA versions of MyPlayer and MyCareer, called MyWNBA and The W respectively.

MyNBA is a revamped version of NBA 2K's league management modes. In it, players will be able to create new leagues with anywhere from 12 to 36 teams and even pluck promising talent out of the G League.

As revealed earlier this week, the next-gen versions of NBA 2K21 are also moving beyond the series' staple social hub, The Neighborhood, toward a much larger version called The City. In The City, players will be able to play casual games, join a specific Affiliation, complete quests to unlock cosmetic items, and just generally hang out—in many respects, it gives off serious Fortnite Party Royale and PlayStation Home vibes.

Again, none of this stuff is coming to NBA 2K21 on PS4 or Xbox One, and it's all being added on top of the technical advancements in graphical fidelity and player animation that are exclusive to the next-gen versions. For that extra ten dollars (or for a total of $99 for those who bought the cross-gen Mamba Edition bundle), Visual Concepts is promising a whole lot more game. Fans will get to see for themselves if the whole package is worth it when NBA 2K21 has its two launch day debuts for Xbox Series X/S on Nov. 10 and for PS5 on Nov. 12.