It’s been over two decades since we last saw an entry in the NBA Street franchise. Once regarded as a premier sports franchise, NBA Street is now simply remembered fondly by millennials and Gen-Z. Many players have strong memories of creating their own baller and taking to the streets to play with some of the best basketball players of the 90s and 2000s.
While NBA 2K has certainly filled the role of a realistic basketball game in the market since the mid-2000s, there was something alluring about NBA Street’s 3v3 gameplay, where rules were more of a precaution than anything else. Sure, there might be some nostalgia at play in our memories of NBA Street, but fans have been clamoring for a basketball game of that nature for years.
Enter NBA The Run, a new IP that is seen as the spiritual successor to the iconic franchise. While we never got NBA Street V4, NBA The Run might just be the game that players have been waiting two decades for.
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What Is NBA The Run?
Just like NBA Street, NBA The Run is a licensed basketball game that features 3v3 streetball-style gameplay. The game features cartoony graphics to match the outlandish gameplay on the court. You can play with a variety of current NBA stars across several unique streetball courts. The game is currently online-only and offers both Solos and Squads game modes, allowing you to take on an opponent one-on-one or team up with two other friends.
We’ve seen a solid chunk of gameplay thanks to a closed beta test in April 2026, and there’s another coming in mid-May. While there was certainly some work to be done, NBA The Run looks and feels like the spiritual successor to NBA Street that many fans are hoping it to be.
If you played any of the three NBA Street games, then you’ll likely remember just how much of that game took place in the air. Whether you were jumping for an alley oop, dunking from the paint, or shooting a long-range three, you were usually in the air if you weren’t dribbling up the court. NBA The Run follows that same style of gameplay, featuring a ton of verticality and airborne mechanics that keep the game moving fast and exciting. Of course, the game still offers dribbling mechanics that let you snatch an ankle or two, so there’s plenty of depth for all sorts of playstyles.
Can NBA The Run Match NBA Street’s Polish?
One of the most satisfying aspects of NBA Street, which made it so addictive and memorable, was the crispness of its mechanics. Throwing a behind-the-back pass, blocking a shot, shooting from range, and every other mechanic felt so smooth in the moment, and it made you want to continue playing. There was true satisfaction in chaining together a combo that led to a dunk or a wide-open shot.
From what we’ve seen from NBA The Run so far, it still needs some work in this department. While the game does feature similar mechanics and gameplay style, it’s also lacking in a few key areas.
Namely, NBA The Run feels a little stiff for a game that’s supposed to be fluid and fast-paced. The mechanics are there, but pulling them off can feel like a chore or nearly impossible under certain circumstances. Players have been calling on the developers to make the game feel more responsive, which would significantly improve gameplay.
Another common complaint from the community is the sound design of NBA The Run. If you remember anything about NBA Street, it’s likely the sounds. Whether that’s the iconic soundtrack or the audio cues that happened during a game, the sounds made the game truly special. NBA The Run does offer in-game music and audio cues for certain mechanics and big moments, but there needs to be more audio cues to signal when something occurs. For example, there’s currently no audio cue when the ball catches fire; it just happens without any notification.
Finally, one major distinction between NBA Street and NBA The Run is that the latter is only made up of NBA stars. In NBA Street, you could create your own baller that was customized perfectly to your liking, and other teams had random players as well. However, in NBA The Run, teams can have multiple Steph Curries or Anthony Edwards, leading to some imbalance in how games play out. There’s nothing wrong with only offering NBA players, but there should be stricter restrictions when building a team to make it more varied.
Is NBA The Run The Long-Awaited NBA Street V4?
To sum everything up, NBA The Run absolutely has the potential to fill the void left behind by NBA Street. Will it be a perfect successor that makes you feel the same way you did when playing NBA Street V2 on the PS2? Maybe not, but Play By Play has a solid foundation on its hands that doesn’t feel like any other basketball game on the market.
Regardless of how well it matches up to NBA Street, though, NBA The Run should have an eager community that wants it to succeed. The question that remains is how well the game will respond to player feedback and whether it can keep players interested after it launches later this year.
Published: May 12, 2026 09:08 am