NBA The Run is ready to fill the void of good street basketball games

Heavily inspired by NBA Street, NBA The Run is a stylish and confident arcade basketball game.

The arcade basketball genre has been destitute since the NBA Street series fizzled out in the late aughts, and NBA The Run hopes to give it a shot in the arm. I got to hit the court with the new street basketball game from Play by Play Studios, and left impressed by how well it captures the essence of NBA Street.

NBA The Run, which actually started as The Run: Got Next before securing the license to the NBA and its star players, does not hide its inspirations. In fact, the first voice you’ll hear when booting up the game is Bobbito Garcia, the iconic voice of NBA Street Vol. 2, who is back in full force for NBA The Run.

Garcia’s involvement is representative of an overall style that really struck me during my time with the game. From crowd reactions to record scratches to various arcade sound effects, the vibes are immediately different from those of the straightforward basketball sims that have dominated the last two decades.

The same can be said for the actual gameplay. While it’s still basketball as we know it and love it, there’s a much smaller emphasis on pure shooting and dribbling skills. It’s easy to time an open shot, making the challenge more about all of the style moves and passes you can use to get open. Standard matches are played to 21 or 15, with different scoring rules similar to what you’d see at a local pickup game. NBA The Run also mixes up the formula with special modes that alter your strategy. I played one game in which dunks were worth three points, while all other shots were only worth one.

NBA The Run’s roster is made up of real basketball players with attributes based on their real-world counterparts. Stephen Curry is great at shooting threes, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a beast in the paint, and LaMelo Ball is an excellent ball handler. When jumping into a match, the two teams are automatically divided into Shirts vs Skins.

In just a few games of NBA The Run, I found myself laughing and strategizing with my teammates, reacting in real-time to the game’s quirky commentary and over-the-top animations. It’s exactly what you would imagine if you closed your eyes and imagined a modern NBA Street, but I think NBA The Run has a shot to create its own legacy.

These impressions are based on an early build of NBA The Run played on Steam. NBA The Run launches in June 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 

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