*LATEST* NBA 2K23: Everything we know about The City (2024)

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NBA 2K23 announced the newest features for its current-gen, online neighborhood called The G.O.A.T. Boat last week. Using the base of the ‘Cancha Del Mar’ cruise ship from NBA 2K22 as their blueprint, the G.O.A.T. Boat was the first glimpse of what the neighborhood will have to offer in NBA 2K23.

Fast forward to today, NBA 2K23 has now announced its full reveal of the next-gen NBA 2K23 neighborhood online experience known as The City. From the time it was introduced in NBA 2K21, The City has developed into a big success on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, something NBA 2K has continued to build upon with better features and more engaging content.

In NBA 2K22, fans got a good feel for of how deep 2K can go with this immersive online feature. With that said, it appears that NBA 2K23 took their progression a few steps further this year. Here is everything we know about The City in NBA 2K23.

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READ NOW: The latest news and updates on the new player ratings in NBA 2K23.

What is ‘The City’?

The City is the online neighborhood in MyCAREER for next-gen users (PS5 and Xbox Series X). It has become by far the most involved and captivating experience to date in NBA 2K’s MyCAREER online mode, and NBA 2K23 is on its way with what could be the best version of The City yet.

The City in NBA 2K22 introduced a lot of new content. That said, let’s get straight to it and see what NBA 2K23 has included in The City this year.

NBA 2K23: The City

NBA 2K23 has finally revealed its newest features for the The City and there’s plenty to be excited about. One of the best ways to experience the authenticity of basketball culture has been through The City. Well, lo and behold, NBA 2K23 made sure to bring that to life in their latest installment.

With loads of new content and details they expanded on, let’s go through them and see what we can look forward to in NBA 2K23’s, The City.

Traversal Times

Adhering to the requests of the fans, NBA 2K23 decided to make its city layout much smaller. Believe it or not, The City is 30% smaller in comparison to NBA 2K22, making for a more compact but integrated experience.

The point after all is to be able to do what you need to do as swiftly as possible and why bother having to jog around the map for a few minutes to do so. To fix that issue, NBA 2K23 opted to introduce Fast Travel stations throughout The City, with some appearing as subway stations.

Affiliation Boroughs

In NBA 2K23, boroughs have taken on a new meaning. They added new thematic destinations that reflect the true essence those specific communities represent. Whether it’s the Vipers Affiliation area to the North Side Knights to the Wildcats borough, NBA 2K23 went all out with their settings, bringing their new world a whole new shape and form.

The Block

The block is what NBA 2K23 refers to as the “mecca of all competition”. This will be the place where you can find all of the competitions you can play in competitively encompassed in one single feature know as the ‘The Block’. Here are the modes The Block will include:

• The Theater (all-new for NBA 2K23)
• Pro-Am (an all-new building featuring 3v3 and 5v5 experiences)
• The REC (an all-new building exterior and interior)
• Ante-Up
• Club 2K
• Black Lives Matter court (new design and now a 3v3 experience)
• Kobe Court (new design and now a 3v3 experience)

The Theater

In NBA 2K23, the Theater will be replacing what we knew as the Warehouses in previous NBA 2K installments, and for the better. Warehouses used to be scattered all over the city, but now, there’s one central hub to participate in for instant, matchmaking game modes. Much like a movie theater experience, fans will be able to enter the lobby and select the theater or auditorium they’re ready to play in.

With that said, one of the best parts of this new mode, is the complete swap outs of the four event playlist that will take place every Friday (Pacific Time). In other words, every Friday you’ll receive four new events in the playlist, with each week providing a whole different experience for you to delve into and enjoy. With launch less than three days out, NBA 2K23 has already provided us with the Week 1 events:

Week 1 Four Event Playlist

• Theater 1:Loser’s Out– A 2v2 experience where you can come alone or bring a friend with you. The only catch is that the opposing team gets possession after made baskets.
• Theater 2:Hustle– A 3v3 experience where you can come alone or bring your friends.This mode features a 12-second shot clock to keep a non-stop lightning pace of play.
• Theater 3:Comp: Squads Only– A 3v3 experience where you bring your own crew.Comp modes bring competitive game tuning to the table where only the strongest will survive.
• Theater 4:Rooks: No Squads– A 3v3 experience where squads aren’t allowed. A great place to level up your MyPLAYER; the only players allowed entrance are those rated 75 and under.

Moreover, NBA 2K23 does have a few additional events in store for fans that they will release throughout the year. Let’s take a look:

Events To Expect This Year

• Double or Nothing: Earn Double XP when you win.Losing teams earn 0.
• In The Bank: Shut down your opponent and a point is added to the vault.First team to hit a shot from beyond the arc will collect the current balance.Bring your perimeter defenders here!
• Pulling Weight: Every player on the team must contribute towards their offense equally (more on this one when the time comes!)
• Living The Dream: Your MyPLAYER will play to their true potential. Attributes and badges are maxed for that build during this event.

Dreamville Studio

The Dreamville Studio is a very cool new feature. Since pursuing a career in hip-hop/rap is a side hustle you can explore in NBA 2K23, gamers will now have a chance to meet and work with J. Cole in the game.

However, there’s a catch. The catch is that when you use your MyPLAYER, you must befriend Dreamville artists like Bas, who can help you connect with the Grammy-nominated talent himself. This gives you a real life feeling for what it takes to meet someone who has such a high profile.

The Arena

NBA 2K23’s ‘Arena’ is the new location where you’ll play your MyCAREER games but also where everything outside of the game will transpire as well.

From walking into the exclusive ‘Player’s Only’ entrances, to getting the chance to flex your new style in front of photographers, to completing side quests and press conferences, the Arena has elevated the NBA experience to another level and provides an all new feel for what it’s like to be in the NBA.

The Event Center

The center comes with a fresh design and new level of flair. With a lot of returning events set to take place, NBA 2K23 intends to introduce several new events as well as awesome prizes worth competing for.

A big part of this new flair, is how fans will know it’s event time. When an event gets announced, a transformation of the building will take place as it grows into its full size, and along with it, a full fireworks show will be going on as well.

There’s lots of events that NBA 2K23 will release this year, including events that are partnered with the 2K League.

Jordan Building

The Jordan Challenge Building is back and with a flashy new design that glows a signature red at night time. This area will provide you with an easy-access portal that will grant fans to participate in the Jordan Challenge game mode. If you complete all 15 challenges, you will get the following three items to wear in The City:

• UNC Michael Jordan jersey for your MyPLAYER
• Gold Jumpman necklace for your MyPLAYER
• No. 23-emblazoned calf sleeve that provides a +1 boost to your MyPLAYER’s Dunk rating

Seasons

NBA 2K23 decided to stick with last years formula and just enhance it with a better user experience. To go with a fresh set of rewards, and a lot of them, fans will be able to access all new content and do so with no additional costs. More is yet to be announced about Seasons, particularly in preparation for Season 1.

The City In NBA 2K22

The City in NBA 2K22 was a site to behold. It made for an engaging experience with how much it granted you to customize and improve your player. Going above and beyond with their new graphics, diverse selection of game modes, and fun challenges to complete, NBA 2K22 delivered the best next-gen neighborhood experience to date.

Here are the new features that NBA 2K22 introduced last year that could be expanded on in NBA 2K23.

Detailed Imagery

One of the most prominent new features of The City in NBA 2K22, was the visual experience of the neighborhood. From the way the lighting hit off buildings to the picturesque monuments located throughout The City, the goal for NBA 2K was to create an environment that brought their MyCAREER online realm to life and they managed to do just that.

New Locations

A big part of why NBA 2K22 was so successful with The City last year, was because of how many layers it provided for fans to delve into. They added new types of NPC’s such as baristas, reporters, hip-hop/rap artists, and a handful of former NBA players. This brought a new level of engagement and expanded the things you could do and achieve in the neighborhood.

Seasons

Becoming a Legend in ‘Seasons’ was a process but NBA 2K22 made it worthwhile. Though NBA 2K22 did require gamers to reach level 40 in four different seasons to become a Legend, it didn’t have to be consecutive and the slew of new rewards fans would get for completing each season, was extensive. In addition, Seasonal XP made leveling up much easier and provided a better user experience.

Style & Fashion

The NBA is big on style and fashion as many players illustrate each and every season. As a result, NBA 2K22 went the extra mile with bringing that to life in The City. Allowing you to partner with a variety of different brands that come with merchandise discounts, NBA 2K22 added a variety of new gear and saw to it to release several apparel drops throughout the season.

Less Waiting

Probably the biggest turnoff for anyone that’s played in The City or any of the neighborhood modes previously, is waiting to get on the court. Previously, waiting would take too long and discourage a lot of fans in the process. Well, NBA 2K22 did a much better job with that in The City by adding four new matchmaking buildings to use for all players around the clock.

Moreover, NBA 2K22 added new modes that would grant you a chance to improve your skills. Be it 3v3 vs A.I., 1v1 Player vs Player, or Cage Matches, the new ways to play allowed for a lot more flexibility for players to get on the courts and have fun.