NBA 2K26 details Gen 9 improvements that will be available on Nintendo Switch 2

2K today offered details about gameplay enhancements coming to NBA 2K26 on Gen 9 systems, including Nintendo Switch 2.

A big element the publisher is touting is the Motion Engine, which is said to be “the biggest change to player movement since NBA 2K21.” 2K is also promising “more authenticity, personalization and renewed focus on skill-based gameplay with enhanced Rhythm Shooting, new advanced controls on Offense, and much more.” Other features planned include an evolution for ProPlay (tech that translates actual NBA footage into gameplay and realistic animations), enhanced Rhythm Shooting, new advanced controls on Offense, and more.

Here’s the full rundown:

All-New Dynamic Motion Engine: Leveraging machine-learning technology, ProPLAY powers an all-new Motion Engine in NBA 2K26, making actions feel more lifelike and realistic across all on-court movement. Dynamic lower-body pose matching adjusts the exact positioning of players’ legs and feet on the fly and ensures they launch, plant and cut realistically. The new Motion Engine is the biggest change to player movement since NBA 2K21 offering a fresh and authentic feeling.
Enhanced Rhythm Shooting: Enhanced Rhythm Shooting in NBA 2K26 gives players full control over every aspect of the shot. Players who take advantage of the Rhythm Shooting mechanic will experience more responsive jumpshots that resemble true lifelike shooting motions. With these improvements to Rhythm Shooting, NBA 2K26 features a more skill-based environment that blends authenticity with competition for a more rewarding experience.

Authentic Offense: Just like in the modern NBA, big men will be able to leverage all-new Signature Go-To Post Shots, including shimmy floaters and up-and-unders. Players can also now mix and match advanced layup styles from their favorite athletes around the league to create their own custom layup packages. To emphasize skill-based gameplay on higher difficulty levels, Green or Miss Shot Timing will be universal while Layup Timing is permanently enabled.
Defensive Improvements: Improvements to defense include new body-ups and collisions, redesigned Interior Defense and new Rebound Timing Feedback. System-driven technology, powered by ProPLAY, generates player-to-player collisions that are more reliable than previous motion-captured animations. This, plus new dynamic motion, brings fresh freedom to the movements of both dribblers and on-ball defenders. Meanwhile, Interior Defense has been redesigned to make it easier to put a body on shooters when they’re finishing around the rim and make body-to-body contact in the air.

New and Revamped Controls: New and revamped controls provide a more intuitive, deliberate, and free-flowing gameplay experience. Overall game speed rewards players with fast decision-making and quicker reaction times. Additional improvements and features include a Quick Protect mechanic so ball handlers can shield themselves from steals, no-dip catch-and-shoots, slow motion Eurosteps, dedicated controls for wrap passes, randomized button selections when attempting alley-oops on higher difficulties and directional screen setting.

AI & Coaching: Enhanced AI adapts strategically to a player’s every move on both sides of the ball. A new intelligence module enables offensive AI to actively look for scoring opportunities through drive-and-kick plays to generate offense outside of standard plays. Other defensive improvements and additions include enhanced double team defensive logic, improved AI defenders logic, expanded playbooks, AI difficulty improvements and AI Shot Timing Ability in Play Now and MyNBA, allowing players to separately adjust how skilled AIs are at timing jumpshots and layups.

Learn 2K: NBA 2K26 offers new Intermediate Tutorials that bridge the gap between our existing tutorials and drills for fundamental and advanced techniques and offers the ability to learn more about different types of layups, dunks, pick-and-rolls and more.

Get a look at a trailer showing off the improvements for NBA 2K26 below.

Gameplay Reveal

Nintendo Switch 2 is getting NBA 2K26 on September 5, 2025. We have more news about the system here.