NBA 2K16 vs NBA 2K17
NBA 2K16 is an open-world RPG game from Visual Concepts (2015) while NBA 2K17 is a simulation sports game from Visual Concepts (2016).
What each one is
Steam files NBA 2K16 under Open-World and RPG. In contrast, it files NBA 2K17 under Simulation and Sports.
NBA 2K is back with the most true-to-life NBA experience to date with NBA 2K16. Featuring an all-new MyCAREER experience written, directed & produced by acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee.
Following the record-breaking launch of NBA 2K16, the NBA 2K franchise continues to stake its claim as the most authentic sports video game with NBA 2K17. As the franchise that “all sports video games should aspire to be” (GamesRadar), NBA 2K17 will take the game to new heights and continue to blur the lines between video game and...
At a glance
| NBA 2K16 | NBA 2K17 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 5.0/10 | 6.0/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (52%, 7,371) | Mixed (54%, 8,786) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 90/100 |
| Price | Not listed | Not listed |
| Install size | 50 GB | 70 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | unsupported |
| Released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Developer | Visual Concepts | Visual Concepts |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
NBA 2K16 vs NBA 2K17, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
NBA 2K16Open-world RPG gameNBA 2K17Simulation sports gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
NBA 2K16Sports, Basketball, SimulationNBA 2K17Basketball, Sports, SimulationThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
NBA 2K16Score 5.0 · 52% on SteamNBA 2K17 ✓Score 6.0 · 54% on Steam · 90 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
NBA 2K167,371 reviews · 50 GBNBA 2K178,786 reviews · 70 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
NBA 2K16Not listedNBA 2K17Not listedRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
NBA 2K16 ✓VerifiedNBA 2K17UnsupportedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueNBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: NBA 2K17 (GamingPickz Score 6.0)
- Better on a Steam Deck: NBA 2K16 (verified)
- Lighter on storage: NBA 2K16 (50 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SportsBasketballMultiplayerSimulationSingleplayerRealisticGreat SoundtrackController
Where they differ
Co-opAtmosphericOnline Co-OpRPGOpen World
Character CustomizationFamily FriendlyGamblingNudity
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, NBA 2K16 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. NBA 2K17 is family-friendly and approachable.
System requirements, side by side
| NBA 2K16 | NBA 2K17 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | DirectX 10.1 compatible (512 MB) | NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 430 1GB / ATI® Radeon™ HD 6450 1GB |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core2 Duo | Intel® Core™ i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz / AMD Phenom™ II X4 805 @ 2.50 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Install size | 50 GB | 70 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: NBA 2K16 · NBA 2K17.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for NBA 2K16 and 1 for NBA 2K17. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K17 in scope?
NBA 2K16 has drawn 7,371 Steam reviews and installs in 50 GB. NBA 2K17 has drawn 8,786 Steam reviews and installs in 70 GB.
Is NBA 2K16 or NBA 2K17 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, NBA 2K17 rates higher (6.0 to 5.0). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, NBA 2K16 or NBA 2K17?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.