Each year, Visual Concepts delivers one of the most consistent in-action products in all of sports video games through its NBA 2K franchise. While the heavily refined gameplay is primarily to thank, the immersion delivered by the NBA 2K series is as good as any other sports series at immersing yourself in the on-the-court action and feeling the energy of the arena.
Today, Visual Concepts released a blog post detailing how the development team worked to create a more immersive basketball experience through NBA 2K26. New shaders bring out subtleties in players’ skin, muscles, and jerseys, as well as each arena’s lighting and floors; this is particularly noticeable in arenas that use pyrotechnics, as the haze takes a short period to dissipate, impacting how the lighting shines in the arena during the start of play.
The arena atmosphere also enjoys an improvement this year, with a massive boost to crowd variety, with twice as many character models with a wider range of body types, heads, and age groups to better represent the NBA fan base. Those fans will also have more props like rally towels, foam fingers, and rubber chickens that appear during key moments and special games. Fans will also sometimes wear LED wristbands that aid in creating light shows in the crowd during pre-game introductions and big moments during games.
Those big moments extend beyond the games, as the NBA Cup is now fully integrated, and all seven NBA regular-season trophies have ceremonies that occur at the winning player’s first home game after winning the award. Banners to celebrate championships are shown being raised to the rafters to add to the overall pageantry of the in-game experience.
NBA teams also have team-specific features within the flow of the game, with all 30 NBA arenas designed to contain all the small-detail features of the arenas they’re emulating. That includes the PA announcers and the broadcast commentary. On top of more real in-arena PA announcers, the broadcast booth adds Tim Legler as a commentator, joining the existing Kevin Harlan, Greg Anthony, Stan Van Gundy, Shams Charania, and others. Additionally, more international correspondents have been added. Finally, as the clock ticks down, the commentary’s urgency will more accurately reflect the game’s stakes.
Visual Concepts’ VP of NBA 2K development, Erick Boenisch, exclusively answered Game Informer‘s questions about these presentation improvements. You can see his responses below.
NBA 2K has long been arguably the best-looking sports game on the market. Why was capturing the in-the-arena atmosphere such an emphasis this time around, and how did the development team go about identifying the places that needed improvement?
Every year, our team does a full audit of all NBA arenas, because you’d be surprised how often things change, so we pay close attention to every little detail.
Here’s one example: The Lakers reshuffled their retired jerseys and championship banners at the very top of the arena, way up in the rafters. We all watched WNBA legend Candace Parker’s jersey retirement ceremony and noticed when they unveiled the jersey, the placement looked different compared to our game. I checked our build, confirmed the layout was outdated, and we immediately started pulling new references to update it for 2K26.
Even though most players will never pan the camera that high, we still made the fix. Why? Because we care about those establishing shots, those tiny moments of realism. That kind of obsessive attention to detail is what defines Visual Concepts and the NBA 2K series. We want fans to know that when they step into an arena in our game, they’re experiencing the real thing, down to the banners in the rafters.
On that same note, the game already looked so good that when I saw new shaders for both players and floors, as well as new lighting, I wondered how much impact it could truly have. Is there a way to explain how much it will help without just putting a side-by-side image or video with 2K25?
Absolutely. While visuals have always been a strong point for the NBA 2K franchise, we made a major leap this year, especially with our court shaders. For example, last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s court at Paycom Center looked a bit washed out, if not on the dull side. This year, it has that lifelike look that makes you want to just reach out and touch it.
The floor shader alone makes a massive difference, especially since the court is a continual showpiece on the screen in every frame of gameplay. It’s definitely one of the most noticeable visual upgrades in 2K26. This is particularly evident when comparing 2K25 vs. 2K26.
We spent months fine-tuning every floor, because not every arena is the same. Some courts have a more flat finish, while others have a higher-gloss shine. We went through each arena with the new shader, established a visual baseline, and adjusted the shaders and lighting to reflect their real-life counterparts. It’s a level of detail that adds to the overall immersion in a way that’s hard to quantify – until you see it in motion.
But so many of these small details of almost like, “Okay, who would even notice this?” Can you talk about how all of these tiny visuals and atmospheric details add up to create something greater than the sum of its parts?
I always say every detail matters to someone. There’s always that person. Maybe they’re a shoe person; doesn’t even look at the player, just immediately checks if the laces are right or if the material on the midsole is accurate. Then there’s a tattoo person, who asks, “Did you update LaMelo’s tattoo behind his left ear?”
There are hair people, too. A player will change their style yesterday, and someone’s already asking why it’s not reflected in-game today. Every detail matters to someone, and that’s part of the beauty of our cultural crossover with NBA 2K. The connection between the game and real life is so deep, it’s mind-blowing to me.
When you layer every one of those details together, that’s what makes NBA 2K26 feel like the most authentic sports game ever made.
Why were the crowds such a big emphasis this time around?
Crowds were a major focus for us in NBA 2K26. We have been so focused on pushing forward with groundbreaking tech, like ProPLAY, that some of the atmosphere elements didn’t evolve as much as I would have liked in recent years.
This year, we changed that. While we continued innovating on the gameplay side, including introducing the all-new Motion Engine derived from ProPLAY, we also made time to make noticeable improvements.
To start, we doubled the number of crowd models – more heads, more bodies – and introduced a broader variety of ages, ethnicities, body types, and outfits. You’ll even notice more lifestyle brand clothing now. We also doubled the crowd animation instances, meaning you’ll see less people standing up and sitting down at the same time. Again, just like courts, crowds take up a big portion of the frame, so to get them right and reacting to the on-court action in a believable fashion, it adds a fresh layer of authenticity and immersion to the incredible NBA 2K26 experience.
I personally love the small touches, like the trophy ceremonies or added contextual awareness from the commentary team. How does this additional layer of immersion serve the on-court product of the NBA 2K franchise?
It gives players something more to play for – something that makes the experience feel alive and earned. We’ve added a few new features to truly capture the pageantry of winning in the NBA. Starting with trophy ceremonies: If a player wins MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, or receives any of the regular season NBA awards, players will now see the award presented during the first game of the following season. A player will have to get through the offseason, free agency, the draft, and preseason before they finally reach that first game of the next season, making it feel like a real continuation of their journey. It’s a small moment, but incredibly satisfying and realistic that we have gone to that level of detail to celebrate the players.
Also new this year is the addition of dynamic banners, and as a franchise player myself, I couldn’t be more excited about this one. As you win titles, actual banners will be raised into the rafters to celebrate your championships. What’s really cool is that they’ll continue to update throughout your MyNBA/MyCAREER as you win more titles and awards, a tangible reflection of your team’s legacy and place in NBA history.
What does the addition of Tim Legler do for the booth?
The NBA 2K development has always taken pride in its presentation and commentary, offering the best commentary in any sports game, hands down. We’ve built a deep roster of multiple commentary teams, complete with sideline reporting, color analysis, and play-by-play, which really makes our game feel unique.
This year, we added Tim Legler to the team. As a former NBA player, he knows the ins and outs of every situation, and his insight brings even more authenticity and depth to the presentation. When you add new talent like Tim to our best-in-class commentary, along with the real PA announcers for each arena, and TV-style overlays, you get that NBA 2K26 package that just can’t be matched anywhere else.
Obviously, the late-game commentary will happen with closely contested games, but is the inverse true? Will the commentators be a bit more relaxed during a blowout? Or will they get into side conversations, or talk about what this means for either team against the broader backdrop of the season?
One of the things I’m most proud of with our commentary is how we’re always aware of the situation on the court. Throughout the game, the commentary adjusts to the moment. In the first half, for example, you’ll see the commentators be a little more loosey-goosey. The announcers will have longer conversations – threads that play out between baskets.
You may see guests like Shams Charania drop in during the second or early third quarter to deliver league updates and add flavor. But when the fourth quarter hits and the game is close, the tone changes noticeably. The energy picks up, the commentary becomes laser-focused on the outcome. Instead of hearing about how the Mavericks did last year or speculating on Cooper Flagg’s future, you’re getting high-intensity, game-specific analysis. It’s all about drama and potential turning points.
The commentators are always in sync with the game’s tone, which makes for a more immersive and intelligent experience. That level of situational awareness is something we’ve really refined for 2K26, and I think it stands out as a very strong level-up in our presentation.
As someone who recently attended his first NBA Playoff game, the atmospheric difference between it and a low-stakes regular-season game is palpable. How is the team using all of these new additions to capture that magical feeling in the arena?
Going to a playoff game is an unmatched experience. People are much, much louder than in a regular-season game. Fans are wearing the custom Playoff shirts left on the seats. Some teams have incredible traditions. All of this is reflected in NBA 2K26.
Our commentators will look back on regular-season matchups – like noting if one team won two out of three against their opponent – which adds real narrative context. They’ll have a higher sense of volume for the entirety of the game in playoff games. There’s even custom graphic packages and presentational overlays, including looks at the other side of the bracket, all of which contributes to that immersion.
It’s that level of presentation that makes playoff games feel truly different from regular-season games. If you’re playing a conference finals or NBA Finals game and it feels like just another regular season matchup, then we’ve missed the mark, and that’s something we take seriously. For Visual Concepts, that distinction is critical.
For more on the NBA 2K series, check out our review of last year’s game, NBA 2K25, here. NBA 2K26 comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on September 5.