NBA 2K22 release date and special editions revealed

NBA 2K22 covers
(Image credit: 2K Sports)

The NBA 2K22 release date is set, and you'll be headed back to the court by this time in September.

The official NBA 2K release date is the same across all supported platforms - that's Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X - and it's coming on September 22. The game will be available in three different editions at launch, and if you're planning to upgrade your console (while staying within the same console family) any time soon, you may want to pay extra for the Cross-Gen Digital Bundle for $79.99 or the NBA 2K22 NBA 75th Anniversary Edition for $99.99. The standard version will be $59.99 on last-gen and PC or $69.99 on new-gen, and both it and the cross-gen bundle will feature Luka Dončić as their cover athlete.

The anniversary edition's cover features the power trio of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant. Naturally, it also bundles in a bunch of special bonuses to give you a leg up in the game - here are the extra contents you'll get for picking up NBA 2K22 NBA 75th Anniversary Edition. 

  • 100K VC
  • 10K MyTEAM Points
  • 10 MyTEAM Tokens
  • Sapphire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant MyTEAM Cards
  • 22 MyTEAM Promo Packs (Receive 10 at launch, then 3 per week for 4 weeks)
  • Diamond Jordan Shoe MyTEAM card
  • Coach Card MyTEAM Pack
  • 10 Boosts for each MyCAREER Skill Boost type
  • 10 Boosts for each Gatorade Boost type
  • 4 Cover Athlete T-Shirts for your MyPLAYER
  • MyPLAYER backpack and arm sleeve
  • Custom-design skateboard for MyPLAYER

Meanwhile, a special cover for the standard edition available exclusively at GameStop and EB Games in North America will set NBA 2K franchise history by featuring its first-ever woman cover athlete: the Chicago Sky's Candace Parker. If you gotta collect 'em all, you'll also want to keep an eye out for the Japan-exclusive cover featuring Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards.

Now that the annual news dam has burst, 2K Sports plans to roll out more announcements in the weeks leading up to NBA 2K22's launch, including our first look at gameplay features, planned updates, and a proper reveal for the soundtrack. It's common for sports franchises to hit their stride with their second entry in a new console generation, so we'll be watching closely to see what 2K Sports is cooking up this time around.

See what else we're looking forward to through the end of this year and beyond with our guide to new games 2021.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.