Reviewed on XBOX Series X
A Fast, Flashy Return to Street Basketball
I’ll admit it, the moment I saw NBA The Run in action, my brain immediately jumped back to the glory days of NBA Street.
The oversized plays, flashy dunks, quick-fire matches, and larger-than-life personalities all scream arcade basketball. And for the first few hours, I was absolutely loving it.
NBA The Run doesn’t try to be a simulation. It isn’t interested in mimicking every aspect of professional basketball. Instead, it focuses on delivering quick, energetic 3v3 matches that are easy to jump into and hard to put down.
At least initially.
The Roster Absolutely Delivers
One area where NBA The Run knocks it out of the park is its player roster.
With over 30 NBA All-Stars alongside a handful of street basketball legends, there’s plenty of variety on offer. More importantly, players actually feel different from one another.
Signature jump shots, unique animations, playstyles, and special moves help give each athlete their own identity. It never feels like you’re simply swapping character models while playing the exact same game.
I found myself regularly rotating through different lineups just to see how they handled on the court.
Courts Packed With Personality
The locations are another standout.
From iconic streetball-inspired environments to courts that feel ripped straight out of basketball culture, every arena has its own atmosphere.
The developers clearly understood that street basketball is as much about the setting as it is the game itself.
Crowds react, music pumps through the speakers, and every court feels alive. It’s the kind of presentation that helps elevate what could have otherwise been a fairly standard arcade sports title.
The Match Variations Keep Things Interesting
One of the smartest additions is the rotating rulesets.
You might jump into one game where every basket is worth a single point, then immediately enter another where dunks suddenly count for three.
These changing objectives force you to adjust your approach and experiment with different players rather than relying on the same strategy every match.
It’s a simple idea, but it works surprisingly well.
Knockout Squads Is The Real Star
Out of all the available modes, Knockout Squads quickly became my favourite.
There’s something chaotic and unpredictable about teaming up with random players and trying to make a deep run through the bracket.
Matches are short enough that bad teammates never become a major issue, and good teammates can create some genuinely memorable moments.
Even when things go wrong, you’re usually only a few minutes away from jumping into another game.
The Problem Is Longevity
Unfortunately, this is where NBA The Run starts to struggle.
The first several matches feel fantastic.
The next several are still enjoyable.
But eventually a pattern begins to emerge.
The excitement that comes from the game’s presentation and arcade-style action slowly starts to fade as you realize you’ve seen most of what the game has to offer.
Wins start feeling routine rather than rewarding. Matches blur together. The progression systems aren’t quite strong enough to keep pulling you back for “just one more run.”
I found myself enjoying individual games while simultaneously feeling less motivated to continue playing.
That’s not a great sign for a multiplayer-focused title.
A Strong Foundation That Needs More Content
The core gameplay is solid.
The roster is excellent.
The courts are packed with personality.
The arcade-style basketball is genuinely fun.
What NBA The Run needs now is more.
More modes. More progression. More reasons to stick around for the long haul.
Without that additional content, it risks becoming a game players enjoy for a weekend before moving on to something else.
Final Thoughts
NBA The Run succeeds at capturing the spirit of classic arcade basketball.
It’s fast, stylish, easy to pick up, and delivers plenty of entertaining moments during shorter play sessions. The excellent roster, fantastic court designs, and rotating match rules help keep things engaging longer than they otherwise would.
However, the lack of long-term depth and growing sense of repetition prevent it from reaching the same heights as the games that inspired it.
For casual basketball fans looking for quick bursts of arcade fun, there’s plenty to enjoy here.
Just don’t expect it to replace your main multiplayer game anytime soon.
7/10
