The annual basketball game is more expensive on Series X and PS5.

At release on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, NBA 2K21 will be $10 more expensive than its already full-priced counterpart on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It will release with a recommended price of $69.99 (USD), a $10 premium over the $59.99 price of the current-gen offerings.

Is this just a sign of things to come or is this Take-Two, by way of their 2K publishing label, adding on a "next-gen tax" in hopes that it won't bite them in the ass? Well, a look at the other details surrounding the release of NBA 2K21 should answer that question.

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 release of NBA 2K21 is due on September 4. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions are slated to be released alongside the release of the new consoles later on in the year. 2K says that the new versions have been built "from the ground up for next-generation consoles."

Even on the same console generation, there are multiple editions. Of the two editions that are coming to the current generation of consoles, only the $99.99 "Mamba Forever" edition will grant you access to the "free" next-gen upgrade. You will not get an upgrade to the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 versions of the game if you do not spend $40 more on your current-gen copy of the game.


Thus far, NBA 2K21 is the only game that is doing something like this. By "this," I mean NBA 2K21 is the only one charging consumers more for even the chance at upgrading to the next-gen version of a game. It's also the only game that has come out with a $10 next-gen tax if you want to buy only the next-gen version of the game.

Those who are looking to buy the game on PC should also note that you will be getting the current-gen version of NBA 2K21 and not the "next-gen" version of the game. The differences between the two titles have not yet been revealed by 2K.

Everything about this is a practice that should not be supported in any capacity.