NBA 2K21 Update Adjusts Dribbling Controls, Full Patch Notes Detailed

Developer Visual Concepts has rolled out a brand-new NBA 2K21 update for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One that makes some tweaks dribbling and more. The full patch notes are outlined below.

The most prominent change to NBA 2K21 with this update is dribbling. The Ball Handling requirement to unlock Pro Dribble moves has been lowered from 85 to 80. Meanwhile, dribble moves while in the Park have been moved to L3 (on the left stick) and the speed boost rewarded after certain dribble moves has been reduced.

The update also makes some visual adjustments to NBA 2K21. Most notably, text readability throughout various in-game menus has been improved, as well as the game's art and lighting.

Elsewhere, the update tweaks some gameplay elements. This includes increasing the size of the shot meter, improving the responsiveness of shots from certain post moves, adjusting and the effectiveness of defensive movements, and stabilizing the experience while in college games.

NBA 2K21, which launched on September 4, was met with generally middling reviews. We scored the game a 6/10 in our NBA 2K21 review, saying, "NBA 2K21 shows that the lone basketball sim we have now has largely stagnated. It's a full package, for sure, but one that demonstrates little-to-no motivation to meaningfully improve upon itself." The game will launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/Series X this November with a $10 increase, a decision parent company Take-Two Interactive has defended.

NBA 2K21 Patch Notes (September 28)

General

• Fixed an issue that would lead to players getting removed from online matches when greening shots due to divergent settings.
• Improved audio logic for PA announcer, crowd, halftime and studio show, sideline reporting, and special guest commentators.
• Player likeness improvements for Damian Lillard.
• Improved art, lighting, and text readability for various menus throughout the game.
• Fixed a rare hang that could have happened upon joining the 2K Beach Neighborhood from a friend invite in the Squad app.
• Fixed a minor graphical issue when the Tall Scrunch Socks and the Compression Pants were used together.
• Fixed an issue that was causing existing tattoos to disappear when applying new tattoos in the Neighborhood.
• Fixed a hang that would happen occasionally when using the Nav Menu in the Neighborhood while also using the Playa Del 2K (MyCourt) menu.
• Fixed a display issue in the Boost Stand where the price would sometimes be displayed incorrectly.
• For Neighborhood Park/Rec/Pro-Am games, the Ball Handle requirement to unlock Pro Dribble Moves has been lowered to 80.
• Moved Park dribble moves to L3 (left stick click) for more consistent dribbling controls.
• Improved frame rate performance for the Switch version of the game.
• Fixed a PC-only issue where the user might get stuck on the Pro Stick Aiming selector screen at the main menu.

Gameplay

• Increased the size of the shot meter, based on feedback from the community.
• Reduced first step acceleration (aka "speed boost") out of certain dribble moves.
• Lowered the effectiveness of pull-up jump shots.
• Fixed an issue that was causing CPU big men defenders to get matched up against guards.
• Added the ability for more moves to yield ankle breakers and defensive reactions.
• Improved responsiveness of shots coming from certain post moves.
• Excellent Release jumper animations now play with green center-aimed shots on the Pro Stick.
• Fixed a Pro Stick shooting exploit that allowed for easy aiming when holding the Pro Stick prior to receiving a catch.
• General improvements to defensive movement, including more responsive shifts, cuts, and stops.

MyCareer

• Optimized performance, camera angles, and other visual elements for scenes in The Long Shadow.
• Fixed an issue where if a player skipped the story in-between high school games, their injury carried over to the NBA.
• General stability improvements in college games.
• Fixed an issue where the Takeover meter may fail to increase in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue where halftime would sometimes not trigger during MyPlayer Builder games.
• Fixed an issue where the coach wouldn't put you in the game during overtime games in high school.
• Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause the Game Recap Totals screen to not display properly following MyCareer NBA games.
• Fixed a hang that could happen when a jump ball was triggered in MyCourt's new Personal Workout drill.
• Fixed a hang that could happen for PC users when using the mouse to customize the Gatorade GX Bottle.

MyTeam

• Adjusted Single-Player Triple Threat and Triple Threat Online difficulties, based on community feedback.
• Added a new page to the back of Player Cards that lists the Upgradable Badges for that player.
• Fixed a hang that could happen during the lineup matchups overlay from the Domination menu.
• Fixed an Xbox One only issue that allowed the game clock to continue counting down while inbounding the ball.
• Improved physics for Ball Drops.

MyLeague and MyGM

• New NBA Playoffs Mode bracket, matching the start of the current Playoffs.
• Fixed an issue when overlays appeared with the incorrect year in WNBA Playoff mode.
• Many more fixes included to improve the overall experience of NBA 2K21 across all game modes.