NBA The Run hits the streets June 9

For fans of the arcade style and gameplay of the NBA Street series, developer Play by Play Studios might have a worthy successor in NBA The race. The game will be released on June 9 and its development was overseen by Mike Young, an artist on the original NBA series The Street, according to a Game Informer October 2025 report.

Rather than relying heavily on the simulation aspects of a game like NBA 2K26, NBA The Race focuses on smaller, 3-on-3 basketball games and slightly more exaggerated action. Players will fight their way through a four-round “playoff tournament” taking place on basketball courts around the world, before competing in a boss fight of sorts on one of “four specially designated final courts.” The game offers three main modes, Knockout Squads (where you play as one player in a team of three), Knockout Solos (where you play as a whole team), or Knockout Friends (where you can create custom private tournaments). You can play as fictional characters or choose from a roster of over 30 real NBA players, like Steph Curry, Luka Dončić, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid.

NBA The Race debuted in 2024 under the name The race: the sequeland was later revamped once Play by Play Studios received the official NBA license to play with, Game Informer writing. Sports games are more popular than ever, but this new game will launch into a world vastly under-equipped with new arcade sports tiles, especially those officially sanctioned by the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association. Assuming everything goes as planned, The race could be the start of a renaissance.

NBA The race will be available for $30 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam on June 9. A Deluxe Edition of the game with three additional unlockable players and in-game currency will cost $40.