NBA THE RUN

NBA THE RUN, developed and published by Play by Play Studios, released 9 June 2026 at US $29.99. It sits at Mixed across roughly 945 Steam reviews at the time of writing, offering fast, arcade-style 3-on-3 basketball played with licensed NBA players across a variety of streetball courts around the world. The core gameplay draws real praise; the launch feature set is where the review base turns sharply critical.

A genuinely fun, skill-based core loop

Reviewers who focus purely on the on-court experience describe it favorably, with several comparing it to a modern take on classic arcade basketball. One reviewer wrote: "Plays like a modern day NBA Jam. The game has a surprisingly high skill ceiling due to the huge amount of moves available to you. The game is superior to NBA 2K26 and 3on3 Freestyle Rebound because it is skill based and not pay to win." Another described losing track of time: "So easy to play through hundreds of games without noticing the time. Get a team, pass the ball." That combination of quick matches and a real skill curve is the throughline across nearly every positive review, regardless of how the reviewer feels about the game's broader package.

A single-player-shaped hole reviewers repeatedly call out

The most common and forceful criticism, appearing across the majority of negative reviews and even several positive ones, concerns what's missing: no single-player content, no offline practice mode, no way to warm up or learn mechanics outside of live matches against strangers. One reviewer wrote: "It has 0 offline/singleplayer. No building a character, not even a way to practice." Another described feeling misled given the price: "I already had my reservations about the game when I found out it would be always online, no couch co-op, no career, no create a player etc... I'm tired of buying games off potential. I want my games to be finished." A third reviewer put the comparison to past arcade basketball games directly: "NBA Street on PS2 had far deeper gameplay... a large roster of teams and courts, giving players plenty of variety... NBA The Run looks modern, but its gameplay feels much more limited."

Communication and teammate reliability as a recurring friction point

Distinct from the single-player complaint, several reviewers describe a more specific structural problem: matches are always online, with no voice chat and only an emote wheel for coordination, and squad matches can be filled with bot teammates that multiple reviewers describe as actively counterproductive. One reviewer wrote: "the bots that get put on your team in Squads are absolutely terrible... they don't pass the ball, they don't inbound the ball until the clock runs down to 0, they get blocked every time they shoot." That combination — no voice communication paired with unreliable bot or human teammates — is cited repeatedly as undermining the otherwise well-regarded core mechanics.

A price several reviewers weigh against the content on offer

A third recurring thread ties the above complaints to value. Several reviewers argue the game's single online mode and lack of offline content don't match its $29.99 asking price, with more than one explicitly suggesting a free-to-play model would fit the current content better. One reviewer wrote bluntly: "This game should really be Free to Play. There's a lack of content, lack of modes... 30 euros pour jouer en ligne. 1 seul mode de jeu" (translated: "30 euros to play online. Only one game mode"). That said, a meaningful number of reviewers push back on this framing directly, arguing the game should be judged as what it explicitly sets out to be rather than compared to a fuller-featured game it was never advertised as.

A responsive, if slow, post-launch update pattern

This review's check of the developer's own Steam partner-events feed found a long public build-up — a 2024 reveal and community FAQ, followed by a gap until closed and open betas in spring 2026 and launch on 9 June — with regular post-launch updates since: new playable legends, roster additions, and a leaderboard system added in an August 2026 update explicitly framed as a response to widespread community requests for competitive ranking, a gap several reviewers had flagged at launch as a serious omission.

Twenty-five achievements and a straightforward monetization model

The game ships with 25 Steam achievements, largely tied to match outcomes, cosmetic collection, and squad play rather than deep systemic goals. On monetization, this review found no separate real-money microtransaction storefront layered on top of the base purchase — cosmetics and player customization appear tied to in-game progression rather than a cash shop, a point several reviewers credit directly, contrasting it with rival basketball titles they describe as pay-to-win. That said, a higher-priced Deluxe edition bundling additional rookie players drew specific criticism from reviewers who note the same players can be unlocked through normal play: one reviewer advised outright, "DONT buy the DELUXE edition you can grind and get the rookie players for free — not worth that extra [cost]."

Regional server coverage reviewers say is incomplete

A narrower but specific complaint concerns server infrastructure outside North America. One reviewer based in Brazil described the game as "super laggy" due to the absence of a South American server, a complaint distinct from the broader always-online criticism above — it's not that online-only is inherently a problem for this reviewer, but that the regional infrastructure to support it fairly wasn't in place at launch for players outside the game's primary markets.

Where it lands

NBA THE RUN has a genuinely fun, skill-rewarding core loop that a significant portion of its review base enjoys on its own terms. But a widely and forcefully repeated complaint about missing single-player and practice content, a lack of voice communication and reliable teammates, and a price point several reviewers argue doesn't match an always-online, single-mode launch are real, substantial limitations. A 5.5 reflects enjoyable mechanics wrapped in a launch feature set that left a large portion of its potential audience feeling shortchanged.