NBA 2K26 review

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Image credit:2K

NBA 2K26 offers some on-court improvements over its predecessor, while its other new wrinkles are a bit hit and miss.

• Developer: Visual Concepts
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Release: September 5th 2025
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: $69.99/£59.99/€69.99
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti, Windows 11

I regularly go against my best consumer instincts and check out the yearly iterations of sports games . It’s not something I’d likely be doing without some Steam press account magic letting me dodge the yearly cash sacrifice for a game that usually shares a huge chunk of DNA with its direct predecessor; a sense of deja vu is inevitable, unless you’ve been sensible enough to either let a few years pass or wait until you’ve spotted a new feature that piques your interest.

With NBA 2K26, there was one such addition in my mind. As someone who’s been keen to see 2K’s ball-to-basket series get rid of the invisible wall it’d put up between its simulations of men’s and women’s basketball for a good few years, the first-time addition of WNBA players to one of the marquee male-dominted modes caught my attention. Granted, it was MyTeam, the depressing pit in which you fork over either real money or fake money - acquired across hours of grinding - to buy trading cards that may or may not be dished out via something resembling a slot machine .

I wouldn’t be deterred from at least giving it a go, though. Given the nature of basketball, with its emphasis on height dictating different playstyles and requirement for close-knit teamwork, I figured mixing WNBA ballers in with NBA giants might make for a more unique contrast in experience than, say, playing with a mixed team in EA Sports FC.

In practice, I wasn’t disappointed. I opted for a starter pack that gave me the entire lineup of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, then built it out with some extra cards and short-term high overall loanees that leant more female than male, making sure I retained some lads to work into my lineup.

Over the course of some breakout and triple threat park matches, most of which have minimal margin for error despite their less formal trappings, I’ve found getting the right mix of baller genders to be satisfyingly difficult. Naturally, the average NBA squad has a height advantage in any matchup, which can make securing rebounds and scoring close to the basket a very tall order for an all-WNBA squad. So, you’ve got to lean into skill and speed, either by finding ways to quickly streak to the rim in transition (or after breaking a defender’s ankles), or relying on your shots from distance.

In terms of the former, I’ve had a lot of fun with Jordin Canada, whose relentless pace and great handles make her feel like a five foot six Allen Iverson. For threes, I’ve taken to relying on Kayla McBride, while the best all-round package I’ve found has been an 89-rated Kelsey Plum, who excels in both of those areas. In terms of a trios squad, teaming up Plum and McBride with the 85-rated Moses Malone (who you get in the tutorial) made for some fun wins, with the retro big man’s inside defensive presence and rebounding prowess helping balance out the areas that even taller WNBA players like Angel Reese tend to struggle in.

Image credit:2K / Rock Paper Shotgun

Disappointingly, I’ve found that the teams I’ve gone up against - whether AI or player-controlled - tend to still be mainly blokes. With CPU-controlled opponents, I figure it might be down to a WNBA-heavy squad potentially being an easy win if someone’s decided to play with three forwards or centers, so that’s something devs Visual Concepts will need to address going forwards.

In terms of the on-court action, part of what made those games a blast are the tweaks 2K26 makes to the shooting, rebounding, and movement. I’ve got a more mixed view on the former, which is literally hit or miss. Getting a perfect release, which has been signified by the meter turning green for a good few years now, appears to be easier in a number of 2K26’s modes. Which is a good thing, because the chances of making the shot if you don’t release right on cue seem to have been drastically nerfed. The result is that you get to go on immensely satisfying runs when your shots are dropping, but being on the other side of that and trying to grind out points sometimes feels impossible. Get into a park match against someone who’s got their jumper timings down to a T and has players who aren’t easy to block? You might as well not try on defense.

Going up against the AI makes that less of a concern, and it’s in MyPlayer mode where the game really start to sing. I opted to play as a center, the tallest and slowest player on the court who generally spends most of their time getting physical near the basket. The lingering annoyance of your rookie player starting off as a useless lump that’s a bore to control is still there. They can only be upgraded using the virtual currency, which feels deliberately grindy, and can also be bought using real money because of course it can.

Image credit:2K / Rock Paper Shotgun

Once I’d managed to get a decent baseline, though, I was flying through the air to catch rebounds, employing the new timing meter to ensure I lept at just the right moment. The jostling under the rim feels nice and weighty, and close-range scoring via layups and post moves now seems as effective if you’re keen to more than a pure slamdunk merchant. What Visual Concepts have dubbed their “MyPlayer Freelance Engine” has also vastly improved your AI teammates’ off-the-ball intelligence, making them much better at picking you out with passes at the right time - without you having to grind the offense to a halt every time via repeated calls for the ball.

This brings me to the narrative of this year’s MyPlayer mode, dubbed Out of Bounds. These are relatively simple, often cliche-heavy tales simply designed to put a bit of story meat on the bones of your created baller’s short journey from nobody to NBA hero. Out of Bounds certainly doesn’t disappoint in that regard. With college basketball now back on the map in terms of standalone games thanks to its athletes finally being paid for the use of their names, images, and likenesses, 2K’s NBA game has had to dip back into the bin of royalty-free routes to stardom. As such, after playing a couple of high school games in remote Vermont, 2K26’s MyPlayer jets off to Los Angeles to take part in a club league that’s treated like university ball’s more casual cousin.

To be fair, a single four-game season there isn’t the be-all-and-end-all, with a trip to Europe on the cards as you aim to up your draft stock. Ooh, thought I, 2K have included teams from real-world European basketball leagues in the past, are those back? Sadly not. Instead, you’re suiting up for mirror universe Real Madrid and rubbing shoulders with yet more created players. There are at least nice establishing shots of cities like Malaga and Madrid to make things feel a tiny bit more real. 80% of your player’s dialogue is boasting or pouting, to the point where they feel genuinely unlikeable at certain points, though that’s to be expected. Oh, and the Madrid season’s storyline is mostly based around you earning the approval of a Slovenian teammate whose personality and mannerisms have been shamelessly ripped from GTA IV .

Image credit:2K / Rock Paper Shotgun

Having had enough of shooting guard Roman Bellic, you may well bolt for 2K26’s array of management modes. Understandable - I’ve spent much of my time with previous NBA games’ equivalents, if only for a reprieve from constantly being advertised at. This time, though, I’ll save you some trouble: don’t bother. Whether it’s MyGM, MyWNBA, or the MyNBA Eras mode that’s essentially been my only excuse for playing more than 30 hours of these games over the past half decade, you’ll be disappointed in how little they’ve progressed.

There are a couple of minor changes. Some new GM scenarios to start from and more of a structure to yearly owner goals. A new expansion team in the form of the Golden State Valkyries. The option to make your Eras sim run slower, but purportedly smarter, or to speed things up and sacrifice some depth of computer thought. The first two are ok, but hardly worthy headliners.

The last one, meanwhile, genuinely seems to have changed almost nothing. Teams with an abundance of players at one position will still trade for, draft, and sign more players at that position without offloading one of their established crop to get better elsewhere. Offseasons still end with very good players left unsigned because computer teams haven’t managed to manage their cap room effectively, making them very easy to pick up on cheap one-year deals once the season kicks off.

That seems particularly problematic when it comes to WNBA sims, with a lot of star players being on short-term deals, meaning plenty of talent can be left on the table amid the bidding wars - then signed for pennies. Computer-made trade proposals do seem a tad more logical this time around, but I still saw instances of teams pulling questionable moves, like trading multiple future first-round picks for one mid-round pick during drafts.

Oh, and you can still phase through your staff in MyGM mode. |Image credit:2K / Rock Paper Shotgun

All in all, it’s the usual fridge full of good and bad ingredients, making for a soup that tastes slightly different to last year’s - but not noticeably superior. As such, unless there’s a specific change you like the sound of, 2K26 is probably a year to skip. It’s best summed up by its version of The City - the explorable hub where MyPlayers wander around and join impromptu street games. Rather than 2K25’s ridiculously extravagant urban sprawl, complete with pirate ship area, mech workshop and Michael Jordan-themed coliseum, this time, almost everything is tightly packed into a nondescript shopping centre and park.

Am I going against my instincts by preferring when this basketball game had a huge pirate ship, which was likely at least partially responsible for 2K25 taking up about 50GB more hard drive space than the still-almost-100GB 2K26? Almost certainly, yes, but that’s what reviewing yearly sportsathons can do to a guy.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

NBA 2K26

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch , Nintendo Switch 2

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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