NBA 2K18

NBA 2K18 is a basketball simulation game which, like the previous games in the series, strives to realistically depict the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as present improvements over the previous installments. The player mainly plays NBA games with real-life or customized players and teams; games follow the rules and objectives of NBA games. Several game modes are present and many settings can be customized. In terms of commentary, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett appear as guest commentators.

Along with the current season's teams and players, previous games in the series have featured NBA teams from past eras, such as the 1995–96 Chicago Bulls and the 1985–86 Boston Celtics. NBA 2K18 adds seventeen more such teams, including the 2007–08 Denver Nuggets and the 1998–99 New York Knicks, as well as 'All-Time Teams', teams for each franchise consisting of the greatest players in the respective franchise's history.

NBA 2K18 was officially confirmed in January 2017, and was released worldwide on September 19, 2017; players who pre-ordered the game received it on September 15, 2017. It is the first game in the series to be released for the Nintendo Switch; it was also released for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows. Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics is the cover athlete. When the game's cover was revealed, Irving was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was later traded to the Celtics before the game's release.

As a result, developer Visual Concepts announced that a revised cover featuring Irving in a Celtics uniform would be released due to the trade. The special edition versions of the game, which include various physical and digital extras, feature Shaquille O'Neal as the cover athlete. O'Neal was previously the cover athlete of NBA 2K6 and NBA 2K7. In Canada, DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors is the cover athlete.

NBA 2K18 received "generally favorable" reviews for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game, while the Nintendo Switch version received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

In their 8.4/10 review, IGN wrote: "NBA 2K18 impresses by making players behave more like their real-life counterparts than ever before." Game Informer gave it a 9/10, writing, "NBA 2K18 has a few holes in its game – the series needs to improve its writing, the ballyhooed MyCareer Neighborhood hub falls flat, and the tech powering the series is nearing retirement age. That said, boil the game down to its essentials and you have a rock-solid, well-balanced sports sim that provides an immensely entertaining shoulder-to-shoulder same-couch multiplayer experience."