NBA 2K Is Doing Something It’s Never Done Before

NBA 2K is doing something that it’s never done before, and it’s been a long time coming. Ever since Electronic Arts killed its NBA Live franchise in 2023, NBA 2K has been the leading basketball sports sim on the market, and it’s only getting better with each passing season. NBA 2K 26 launched in late 2025 and has been going strong ever since, adding new content with each new season. Like its predecessors, the game includes plenty of real-world stats, player likenesses, and more than enough team logos to keep it as realistic as possible, and even more is on the way.

On February 18, 2026, 2K revealed that its Season 5 debut on February 20 would include all-new college-themed content. According to the press release, Season 5 includes 16 iconic universities and their best players before they turn pro, so it’s time for gamers to embrace their school spirit and jump into the action with their favorite NCAA basketball players. Zak Armitage, Senior Vice President and General Manager of 2K Sports, revealed that “2K is building the definitive basketball universe, uniting the NBA, WNBA, and soon the collegiate ranks under one banner.” The new college basketball experience will arrive in early 2027, and Season 5 is giving gamers a glimpse in the meantime.

The NCAA Is Officially Coming to NBA 2K

This is a big deal, as anyone familiar with the complex licensing issues and laws surrounding college players in previous games knows. It used to be that games could include their images and names without offering any compensation. Players won the right to profit off their likenesses following a Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Alston in July 2021. Some NCAA titles had already halted production years earlier over various lawsuits and didn’t return as a result of the SCOTUS decision, as paying players would cut into profits. Fortunately, with this new expansion, a ton of talented players will find a new revenue stream from 2K’s hottest title. NBA 2K 26 marks the first time in 16 years that active college basketball players are being featured in a AAA game.

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Putting all the legal stuff aside, the new offering in Season 5 includes some of the hottest players out there. These include a ton of past and present college-themed cards, bringing in new and old players in entirely new ways. The schools added in Season 5 include UCLA, Duke, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Michigan, Michigan State, Louisville, Purdue, Kentucky, Florida, UNC, Baylor, Houston, Ohio State, and UConn, all of which have some serious talent. To kick off the MyTeam experience for the new season, players receive a “College Celebration Box with 5 Free Agent Option Packs, allowing you to quickly collect and play with the sport’s leading playmakers.”

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NBA 2K26 Makes Every Arena Feel Unique

There’s plenty more added content at players’ fingertips with the NBA 2K 26’s Season 5, and it’s out right now, so it’s time to take advantage and dive back into the game. This is an excellent way to experience college content in the most advanced NBA sim to date, and it’s only a glimpse of what 2K Games has in store for its 2027 release, which will dive much deeper into collegiate-level sports. NBA 2K 26 is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Steam, and the updated new Season and content are available on all of them. 

How excited are you to finally see college players in NBA 2K? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!