HIGHEST RECORDED STEAM COUNT
52,826 simultaneous players
Recorded in May 2026. Steam Charts’ historical record; earlier or between-sample peaks may be missing.
Multiplayer · STEAM APP 3472040
Is NBA 2K26 dead?
NBA 2K26 player count, trends & update status · Steam app 3472040
HealthyCooling off · -45.8%Compare game
COOLING OFFHealthy · Cooling off
No, NBA 2K26 is not dead. It’s cooling off after a big spike. Steam averages fell 45.8 (September 2026 vs August 2026), but 5,354 were still playing at Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC.
A drop is not a death certificate. We don’t predict shutdowns.
5,354 on Steam now13,034 24h high−45.8 Sep vs Aug
Checked Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC · Steam API · Steam-only count
Why Steam only?
These numbers count Steam clients running NBA 2K26 right now, including solo, idle and AFK sessions. They don’t include PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, mobile, Battle.net, Epic, the EA app or other launchers, and they don’t show queue times or server status.
Direct from SteamOct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC
POPULATION HEALTH & MOMENTUM
How this is calculated Healthy
2,500–24,999 Steam clients
Cooling off · -45.8% · September 2026 vs August 2026
A lower comparison-period average is not a shutdown or a prediction that the game is dying.
9125 average players versus 16826. Source: Steam Charts monthly averages.
Steam players online5,354At the recorded observation time
24h observed high13,034From 45 recorded samples
24h change+6.1%Requires a comparable sample 24h ago
NBA 2K26 is a multiplayer game from The publisher. Right now 5,354 people are running it on Steam (Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC). In September 2026 it averaged 9,125 concurrent players, down 45.8 from August 2026, with a monthly peak of 21,969. That’s a cool-down, not a collapse. Big launches always settle.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Is NBA 2K26 dead? FAQ
Is NBA 2K26 dead in 2026?
No, NBA 2K26 is not dead. It’s cooling off after a big spike. Steam averages fell 45.8 (September 2026 vs August 2026), but 5,354 were still playing at Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC. Our current health signal is Healthy, with a cooling-off tag.
How many people play NBA 2K26?
5,354 people were playing NBA 2K26 on Steam at Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC. The high over the last 24 hours was 13,034, and the September 2026 average was 9,125. Steam only: console players and other launchers aren’t counted.
Is NBA 2K26 dying?
Its Steam average fell 45.8 from August 2026 to September 2026. That’s a cool-down, and we don’t treat it as a death sentence. 5,354 were still playing at Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC.
Is NBA 2K26 still being updated?
No patch posts found on Steam in the last 90 days. That doesn’t prove abandonment; some studios post elsewhere. Latest publisher post: Greatness Series is LIVE (Sep 18, 2026).
Is NBA 2K26 worth playing in 2026?
If you want a crowd, you’ll find one. It also has a single-player mode, so the player count matters less if you play solo.
Steam only: console players and other launchers aren’t counted.
UPDATE CADENCE
Is NBA 2K26 still being updated?
No patch posts found on Steam in the last 90 days. That doesn’t prove abandonment; some studios post elsewhere. Latest publisher post: Greatness Series is LIVE (Sep 18, 2026).
Dates are publication dates, not verified deployment times. We use publisher patch tags and conservative headline matches; previews and test updates are excluded.
Evidence & freshness Check each source separately
- Player countWithin refresh window
- Monthly historyWithin refresh window
- Publisher feedWithin refresh window
- Store listingWithin refresh window
- Player reviewsWithin refresh window
Freshness describes when we collected a source, not when the game was updated. Missing data is never zero. Review samples and partial daily coverage are labeled separately; a fresh source can still be incomplete.
The latest movement
- -192 Steam players since Oct 6, 2026, 06:30 PM UTC (-3.5%). A snapshot comparison, not a daily growth rate.
- -0.00 percentage points in overall positive reviews since Oct 5, 2026, 02:05 PM UTC. 15 net change in review total; edited or removed reviews can affect this.
Population compares consecutive observations; publisher posts use a separate seven-day window. Neither establishes why the audience changed.
THE SINGLE-PLAYER PERSPECTIVE
Worth playing on your own?
Steam lists both single-player and multiplayer modes. The population signal concerns activity; this section adds the solo perspective.
Steam review totals64% positive33,664 reviews · all languages and purchase types
New reviews · last 30 days63% positive500 sampled reviews · limited coverage · Comparable monthly trend unavailable
Store availabilityListing verifiedSteam US · Store page available · Check store & system requirements
Review percentages describe recommendations, not technical reliability. Recent sentiment uses up to 500 newest reviews; a month-to-month comparison requires complete coverage and at least 20 reviews in each period. An available store listing does not prove offline access, server uptime or purchase availability in every country.
Store checked Oct 6, 2026, 02:35 PM UTC. Reviews checked Oct 6, 2026, 02:35 PM UTC. Read player reviews. See developer involvement below for patch evidence; a finished game does not need ongoing updates.
DEVELOPER INVOLVEMENT
Is anyone still updating it?
Patch evidence and publisher communication, separate from population.
Latest patch evidenceMay 14, 2026NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v7.0 (May 15) · Publisher patchnotes tag
Version in that announcement7.0Only explicit version numbers in the latest patch headline. Not an installed build check.
Patch announcements · past 90 days0Within the retrieved Steam feed. Posts, not distinct releases.
Latest publisher post: Greatness Series is LIVE · Sep 18, 2026
Recent patch evidence & methodology
- May 14, 2026 · NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v7.0 (May 15) Publisher patchnotes tag
- Feb 17, 2026 · NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v5.0 (February 17) Publisher patchnotes tag
- Jan 6, 2026 · NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v4.0 (January 9) Publisher patchnotes tag
- Nov 17, 2025 · NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v3.0 (November 28) Publisher patchnotes tag
- Oct 14, 2025 · NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v2.0 & v2.1 Update headline (automatically identified)
Dates are publication dates, not verified deployment times. We use publisher patch tags and conservative headline matches; previews and test updates are excluded. Untagged updates, other storefronts and changes without announcements may be missing. An older version is not carried forward when the latest patch does not name one.
Single-player perspective: A completed game can remain excellent without frequent patches or a large concurrent audience. Quiet development does not establish abandonment, broken gameplay or loss of offline access. These signals do not lower the population rating.
Source checked Oct 6, 2026, 06:30 PM UTC · 52 retrieved Steam publisher posts. Tracked games refresh daily while the collector is running; opening a report can refresh the 30-minute cache.
THE HEALTH BRIEF
Activity, momentum, and updates.
Monthly momentum-45.8%September 2026 vs August 2026
Highest recorded concurrency52,826May 2026 · Steam Charts
Latest tagged patch announcementMay 14, 2026NBA 2K26 Patch Notes v7.0 (May 15)
Momentum compares completed monthly averages. Patch dates are announcement dates, not independently verified deployment times.
The longer view
Average concurrent Steam players · completed calendar months
28K average players
Source retrieved Oct 6, 2026, 02:35 PM UTC. Steam Charts samples hourly; these are averages, not monthly unique players.
View the monthly numbers
| Month | Average players | Change | Recorded peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 9,125.34 | -45.77% | 21,969 |
| August 2026 | 16,826.24 | -29.75% | 32,136 |
| July 2026 | 23,951.09 | -8.24% | 46,337 |
| June 2026 | 26,101.34 | -6.81% | 45,520 |
| May 2026 | 28,009.11 | +28.93% | 52,826 |
| April 2026 | 21,724.3 | +8.39% | 37,695 |
| March 2026 | 20,041.81 | -0.32% | 34,861 |
| February 2026 | 20,107.08 | +5.88% | 30,804 |
| January 2026 | 18,991.32 | +10.91% | 29,777 |
| December 2025 | 17,123.41 | +19.45% | 28,774 |
| November 2025 | 14,335.63 | +22.14% | 26,548 |
| October 2025 | 11,736.88 | -26.26% | 19,952 |
Milestones that matter
Recorded evidence, with its measurement window.
STRONGEST MONTH IN THIS WINDOW
May 2026 · 28,009 average players
The highest monthly average among the 12 completed months displayed above.
LATEST COMPLETED MONTH
September 2026 averaged -45.8% versus August 2026
A comparison of sampled concurrency. It does not measure individual players gained or lost, or establish a cause.
Latest updates & announcements
From this game’s Steam announcement feed.
Sep 182026ANNOUNCEMENT
Greatness Series is LIVE
Sep 42026ANNOUNCEMENTNBA 2K27 IS LIVE
Aug 262026ANNOUNCEMENTNBA 2K27 ADVANCED ACCESS STARTS NOW
Aug 182026ANNOUNCEMENTGlobal Reveal: Everything You Missed From the Preseason Breakdown
Aug 142026ANNOUNCEMENTPreseason Breakdown: Game Reveal
Feed checked Oct 6, 2026, 06:30 PM UTC. Only Steam’s publisher/community announcement feed is used; broader gaming news is excluded.
OUR OWN RECORDS. EVERY DAY.
Daily population archive
Stored internally · averages, highs, lows and sampling coverage
2026-09-1111,850 max daily average2026-10-06
16 observed days. Muted bars have fewer than 18 sampled UTC hours. Empty slots mark missing days. These are averages of collected samples, not time-weighted estimates.
Daily records & coverage
| Date (UTC) | Average | Low | High | Samples | Hours covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-06 | 8,182 | 3,439 | 13,034 | 36 | 19/24 |
| 2026-10-05 | 7,153 | 3,153 | 12,277 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-04 | 8,148 | 3,551 | 13,181 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-03 | 8,283 | 3,844 | 13,305 | 44 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-02 | 7,650 | 3,602 | 12,652 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-01 | 7,920 | 3,321 | 13,178 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-30 | 7,534 | 3,456 | 14,068 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-29 | 7,185 | 3,205 | 14,178 | 44 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-28 | 7,066 | 3,256 | 13,730 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-27 | 9,132 | 3,606 | 14,650 | 31 | 18/24 |
| 2026-09-26 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-25 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-24 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-23 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-22 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-21 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-20 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-19 | 11,850 | 11,485 | 12,372 | 4 | 2/24 · partial |
| 2026-09-18 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-17 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-16 | 6,089 | 5,617 | 6,566 | 4 | 2/24 · partial |
| 2026-09-15 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-14 | 8,177 | 3,830 | 16,913 | 43 | 23/24 |
| 2026-09-13 | 10,476 | 4,345 | 17,556 | 45 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-12 | 10,971 | 4,977 | 18,119 | 45 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-11 | 6,641 | 4,741 | 11,914 | 14 | 8/24 · partial |
Daily aggregates are retained long term. Detailed raw samples are kept for 30 days. Download daily archive CSV.
The latest pulse
Observed Steam concurrency · past 24 hours
13,034Steam players · observed samples
Oct 5, 2026, 07:25 PM UTCOct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC
Last 24 hours: 45 Steam samples, high 13,034, now 5,354. Times in UTC. Tracking since Sep 11, 2026, 04:52 PM UTC. Sampling target: every 30 minutes while the collector is running. Gaps over 45 minutes are not connected.
Is NBA 2K26 still active?
The latest available observation reports 5,354 players running NBA 2K26 on Steam, recorded Oct 6, 2026, 06:51 PM UTC. Our health signal is healthy.
Steam lists this title as a multiplayer game. The app-wide count can include solo, local, idle, and online sessions; it does not establish which modes or regions are populated.
Steam only: console players and other launchers aren’t counted.
We do not infer server uptime, human-only player counts, matchmaking speed, or console population from Steam concurrency. Read the full methodology.
