NBA 2K21 Cross-Platform Details: How to Upgrade Game for PS5, Xbox Series X
All of the upcoming NBA 2K21 covers have been revealed and now pre-orders have officially started. With Thursday’s final cover reveal putting a spotlight on the Mamba Forever Edition featuring Kobe Bryant, we also saw details for next-gen upgrades. That may have brought some confusion for gamers, so we’re here to help with the NBA 2K21 cross-platform details.
NBA 2K21 cross-platform details: Free upgrade available, next-gen pre-order
What we learned on Thursday with the pre-order details is that there’s only one way to officially get a free upgrade to PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. The NBA 2K21 cross-platform details basically involve purchasing the Mamba Forever Edition for the Sony PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
The game is available for pre-order at Gamestop and NBA 2K Store.
By purchasing that edition, gamers will receive the next-generation Standard version of the game for PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, free of charge. There’s no official release date for when that will happen, but we know the next-gen consoles arrive sometime before or during the holiday season 2020.
By the way, don’t worry if you decide to purchase the Physical copy of Mamba Forever Edition or Digital, as both will let you upgrade digitally on your console. From 2K’s fine print:
Physical copies of NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition current gen will include a code in box to redeem for a digital copy of NBA 2K21 Standard Edition on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, within the same console family.
Otherwise, gamers who purchase the 2K21 Current-Gen Edition featuring Damian Lillard on the cover and get a PS5 or Xbox Series X will have to buy the next-gen game when it comes out.
Another option is to skip the Current-Gen and wait for the Next-gen version. It appears the price is $10 higher for the PS5 and Xbox Series X version of the game, at $69.99 each.
Keep in mind, the Mamba Forever Edition for PS4 and Xbox One has a cost of $100. So that would technically mean a $30 savings for those who purchase the Mamba Forever Edition, rather than buying both the current-gen and next-gen games separately, barring any holiday sales deals.
MyTEAM Cross-Progression, Shared VC Wallet
There’s also no need to worry about losing MyTeam progress when it comes to the NBA 2K21 cross-platform upgrade. 2K is using a MyTeam Cross-Progression and a Shared Virtual Currency (VC) Wallet to make things smoother for the transition.
Basically, all of your points, tokens, cards, and progress in MyTeam will move from one console (PS4, Xbox One) to the other (PS5, Xbox Series X). With the Shared VC wallet, you’ll have access to the Virtual Currency you’ve accumulated on both the current and next-gen consoles when playing the game.
That should bring a big sigh of relief for many gamers who thought they may have to start all over and work their way back to where they were. Luckily, it appears 2K has everyone covered.
The new NBA 2K21 game officially arrives on Sept. 4 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and Windows PCs. The official date for PS5 and Xbox Series X is TBA but should arrive in 2020.
Visit our 2K news page to stay updated on more of the latest NBA 2K21 news.