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NBA 2K21 New Features: Everything We Know So Far

By Joe Filsinger

NBA 2K21's reveal trailer, which premiered at Sony's PS5 event in June, showed off next-generation graphics with a super-sweaty Zion Williamson.
NBA 2K21's reveal trailer, which premiered at Sony's PS5 event in June, showed off next-generation graphics with a super-sweaty Zion Williamson. / Courtesy of 2K Games

NBA 2K21 new features have yet to be revealed. Even with a current-generation release date of Sept. 4, a lack of concrete information is par-for-the-course for 2K Games. Judging by their track record, one can assume the current-generation edition of NBA 2K21 to be more of the same, while more information regarding the next-generation edition will come at a later date. The next-generation version's release date is unannounced.

The most obvious improvement in NBA 2K21 will be the graphics. 2k Games gave gamers their first glimpse at next-generation graphics with a short trailer they premiered at Sony's "The Future of Gaming" event in June. The trailer shows off 2K21's new graphics with a clip of Zion Williamson practicing in an empty gym. We see an incredibly-realistic player model, improved lighting, and, of course, more sweat. Current-gen players should expect NBA 2K21 to look like NBA 2K20.

NBA 2K21 New Features Wishlist

While not an in-game feature, 2K games has announced that a purchase of the NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition will grant players access to both current and next-generation editions of the game. This is a different approach than they took with NBA 2K14, as players' only option then was to buy PS3/360 and PS4/Xbox One editions separately.

Considering NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition comes with 100,000 Virtual Currency (the primary means of improving your MyPlayer), one would hope that MyPlayers will be able to transfer to next-gen from the current-gen edition. Virtual Currency is expensive and hard to come by, so it would be a shame if players dumped it all into their current-gen MyPlayer and then had to start over in the next-generation edition.

Even though 2K Games has focused less on single-player content in recent years, there has never been a better time for 2K to do a new edition of the "Jordan Challenge Mode" from NBA 2K11 than with a "Kobe Challenge Mode" in honor of the late Lakers legend and NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition cover athlete, Kobe Bryant.

NBA 2K11 is often hailed as the best entry in the series, and the "Jordan Challenge Mode" is a major reason why. This mode allowed players to relive the greatest moments in Michael Jordan's career through a series of 10 challenges. Who wouldn't want to play as Kobe during his three-peat with Shaq, back-to-back titles in '09 and '10, and cap it off with his 60-point farewell performance at Staples Center in '16? Mamba out.