Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete
FairA$19.99
Addictive design
Deluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releasesPay once (premium)
NBA 2K26
Released 5 September 2025 Developer Visual Concepts Publisher 2K
NBA 2K26 is the 2025 edition of the annual basketball simulation, with real NBA and WNBA teams and players. You can play single matches, run a franchise, build your own player through a career and meet other players in an online hub called The City, or collect player cards for an online team in MyTEAM. It is made for basketball fans and has a heavy in-game spending side.
Money health
HarmfulChance, compulsion or exploitation
Addictive design
Moderate3 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in
Average price
A$109.95average of 2 store prices
Spending ceiling
No ceilingRepeat purchases, no limit
Australian rating
Gambling themes, chance-based in-game purchases
How it makes money
Harmful: chance, compulsion or exploitation
NBA 2K26 is a paid game (A$99.95 on Steam and A$119.95 on Xbox for the standard edition, with dearer editions) that also sells Virtual Currency (VC) in packs from 5,000 VC (A$3.35) up to 700,000 VC (A$249.95). VC buys player upgrades in MyCAREER, cosmetics, and the random card packs in MyTEAM; each season also has a paid Pro Pass (A$16.95) or Hall of Fame Pass (A$32.95). 2K says pack odds are the same for everyone and are shown before purchase. VC cannot be moved to the next year's game, NBA 2K27, which came out in September 2026, and 2K has already switched off the online side of older years.
How you pay
- Pay once
The base game is a paid purchase: A$99.95 on Steam and A$119.95 on the Xbox store for the Standard Edition.
- Editions
Standard, SLAM (A$119.95 on Steam, A$139.95 on Xbox) and Superstar (A$159.95) editions exist, and a new year's game arrives each September: NBA 2K27 followed in September 2026, and VC cannot move between years.
- Loot boxes
MyTEAM card packs can be opened with VC, which can be bought with real money. 2K shows the odds under 'More Info' before purchase and says specific cards are not guaranteed. The ACB classes the game M for chance-based in-game purchases and gambling themes. 2K's NBA 2K27 support page says buying MyTEAM packs with VC is restricted in some regions, such as Belgium, Brazil and South Korea.
- Battle pass
A Season Pass tracks progress in MyCAREER and MyTEAM. The Pro Pass (Season 9, A$16.95) gives 40 premium levels of rewards, including up to 45,000 VC, and the Hall of Fame Pass (A$32.95) adds 10 skipped levels and a 15% XP boost.
Techniques it uses to keep you paying or playing
- Game currency
VC comes in seven packs, from 5,000 for A$3.35 to 700,000 for A$249.95 on the Xbox store. It is earned slowly in play too. MTP, a MyTEAM-only currency, is earned by completing challenges.
- Pay to win
VC is spent on MyPLAYER attributes and animation packages in MyCAREER, and on packs in MyTEAM, so players who spend can build stronger players and teams for online play than those who only earn.
- Starter pack
Season 9 Bonus Offers (A$32.95 each) bundle 75,000 VC with extras such as a 2XP coin or a 100 OVR player pack, limited to one redemption per 2K account.
minor part of the game - Always online
VC and MTP can only be earned while online. 2K has shut down the servers of older years (NBA 2K24 and before, and a September 2026 support notice covers NBA 2K25), which removes MyCAREER, MyTEAM and the ability to earn VC from games people bought.
Fairer alternatives
Similar games with a healthier money model
Stardew Valley
FairA$13.78
Addictive design
Subscription to play onlineGame library subscriptionPay once (premium)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
FairA$79.95
Addictive design
Paid DLC and season passesDeluxe editions, pre-orders and re-releasesSubscription to play onlinePay once (premium)Daily rewards, streaks and pressure to returnCollect-them-all pressure
What it costs
Price: A$109.95
| What | Where | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition SLAM Edition A$119.95; Superstar Edition A$159.95. |
Steam (AU) · PC ↗ | A$99.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Standard Edition SLAM Edition A$139.95; Superstar Edition A$159.95. NBA 2K27 Standard is also A$119.95. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$119.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Superstar Edition | Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$159.95 | Oct 2026 |
| 5,000 Virtual Currency (smallest pack) | Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$3.35 | Oct 2026 |
| 75,000 Virtual Currency 35,000 VC is A$16.95; 200,000 VC is A$82.45; 450,000 VC is A$164.95. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$32.95 | Oct 2026 |
| 700,000 Virtual Currency (largest pack) | Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$249.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Pro Pass: Season 9 40 premium levels, up to 45,000 VC back. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$16.95 | Oct 2026 |
| Hall of Fame Pass: Season 9 Includes the Pro Pass, 10 skipped levels and a 15% XP boost. |
Microsoft Store (AU) · Xbox Series ↗ | A$32.95 | Oct 2026 |
Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.
Reviews from across the web
What the critics said
-
8/ 10
IGN ↗
Found the smooth on-court play better than ever and the MyCAREER story strong enough that the imperfections were easier to ignore.
-
8/ 10
GameSpot ↗
Called it the best annual sports game available, while noting the mobile-style microtransactions in MyTEAM put him off that mode.
-
6/ 10
Nintendo Life ↗
Said the Switch 2 version lacks 60fps and has empty online modes because there is no crossplay, though it is still plenty of basketball.
Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.
Age ratings
Classification
Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes). They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the badges above are for. About rating boards
Safety & parental controls
Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?
- Text and voice chat
- Players can interact with strangers
- Contains user-made content (not pre-checked by the developer)
- Needs an online account
An NBA 2K account is needed. Online modes put players in contact with strangers, including in the social hub The City, with text and voice chat available. 2K's account settings, documented for NBA 2K27, let a parent or the player control online multiplayer, the in-game store, user-generated content (including face-scan uploads), voice chat and text chat, through 'Features' on the loading page or 'Parental Permissions' in the NBA 2K HQ app. 2K says it may turn some features off by default for under-18s, and UK teen accounts cannot change MyTEAM pack and loot box store settings. It is not clear from 2K's pages that these controls cover NBA 2K26 as well, so check on the account. Xbox says child accounts may not reach online multiplayer and chat.
Platforms & release
Where you can play it
| Platform | Released | Store |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Switch 2 | 5 September 2025 | — |
| Nintendo Switch | 5 September 2025 | — |
| PlayStation 5 | 5 September 2025 | — |
| PlayStation 4 Last NBA 2K for PS4, Xbox One and Switch |
5 September 2025 | — |
| Xbox Series X|S | 5 September 2025 | Store page ↗ |
| Xbox One | 5 September 2025 | — |
| Windows PC Steam |
5 September 2025 | Store page ↗ |
Further reading
- Official website ↗
- NBA 2K Support: VC and MTP, how they work ↗
- NBA 2K Support: pack odds and you ↗
- NBA 2K Support: Season Pass (Pro Pass and Hall of Fame Pass) ↗
- NBA 2K Support: moving VC between years (not possible) ↗
- NBA 2K Support: server sunsets for older games ↗
- NBA 2K Support: teen and child account settings (NBA 2K27) ↗
- Wikipedia: NBA 2K26 ↗
- Wikipedia ↗
Facts last checked 22 October 2026. Sources: www.xbox.com, www.xbox.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, nba.2k.com, support.nba2k.com, support.nba2k.com, support.nba2k.com, support.nba2k.com, support.nba2k.com, support.nba2k.com, support.nba2k.com, en.wikipedia.org, www.metacritic.com, opencritic.com. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.