NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition, this year's iteration of the popular basketball simulator, launches on Apple Arcade later this year

Today, developer 2K announced that the mobile edition of NBA 2K23, the massively popular basketball sim, will be launching on Apple Arcade as NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition. While this is a mobile port, this edition does hope to emulate more or less the same experience as its console counterpart.

NBA 2K is a basketball simulator to its core, and usually features a ton of expansive options to create your own player and put them right into the league, joining whichever team you deem the best and experiencing the life of a basketball player as you bounce from game to game.

2K23 Arcade Edition is a simplified version of the console NBA 2K23 game but features a lot of the same content. For one, the MyCAREER mode will still be available, which is essentially what was described above. You’ll create your player, put them onto a team, and journey from rookie to NBA all-star over time.

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The Association Mode is a new feature to the series and allows aspiring NBA coaches to create their own dream team and manage every player as they try to become the best team in the league. This one is a lot less gameplay-focused and way more simulation-based, watching a lot of stats and making sure your players grow into legends rather than doing it yourself.

Of course, there are also two simple game modes for those of us who may be lighter on time. We’ve got Quick Match and Online Multiplayer, which are relatively self-explanatory. Quick Match will allow you to pick a team and hop right into the action against an AI opponent, and Multiplayer Mode will allow you to square off against either random real-world opponents or your friends themselves!

If you’re a fan of the NBA series and are looking for the next iteration on mobile devices, this is the one for you. NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition will launch exclusively for Apple Arcade on October 18th, so be sure to mark your calendar!