Can Current Gen Play With Next Gen 2K23?

No, cross-generation play is not supported in NBA 2K23 between current gen (PS4/Xbox One) and next gen (PS5/Xbox Series X|S) platforms. Players on current gen consoles will not be able to play with friends who have the game on next gen systems.

As a passionate basketball gamer and content creator, I‘ve been following NBA 2K news closely. There was hope in the community that 2K23 might finally add the long-requested ability for current and next gen users to play together.

Unfortunately, that will have to wait. But why is cross-gen play still not possible after next gen consoles have been out for over two years now? Let‘s break it down.

A Brief History of NBA 2K Crossplay Support

Crossplay allows gamers on different platforms to play with or against each other. The NBA 2K franchise has lagged behind when it comes to enabling crossplay.

Here‘s a quick timeline of 2K‘s crossplay support history:

• NBA 2K21: No crossplay support
• NBA 2K22: Limited cross-progression added (MyTEAM and VC wallet sync in same console family)
• NBA 2K23: No crossplay, same cross-progression as 2K22

Now you might ask: what about cross generation play – can PS4 users play with PS5 friends in the same PlayStation ecosystem? Unfortunately 2K does not allow that either.

Why 2K Still Lacks Cross-Gen Support

Based on 2K‘s public statements over the years, I speculate there are both technical and business reasons why fully enabling crossplay has not been a priority.

Technical Barriers

• Supporting crossplay is complex with so many platforms, player bases, economies to sync
• Matchmaking would need to account for hardware differences between console power
• Game engine optimizations may be tied to specific platform SDKs

Business/Marketing Incentives

• 2K wants to leverage next gen exclusives to encourage current gen users to upgrade
• They develop two different games tuned for each platform to justify $10 price difference
• Crossplay risks cannibalizing sales and making platform differences less defined

So in summary – while technically achievable with effort, crossplay doesn‘t align with 2K‘s business model of segmenting user bases.

At the same time, I speculate the engineering challenges shouldn‘t be underestimated. Developing one unified online ecosystem across all generations and supporting rosters of 100+ users is extremely complex compared to standard 1v1 or small team multiplayer games.

Now let‘s analyze some key technical differences between the current and next gen 2K23…

NBA 2K23 Current vs. Next Gen Comparison

Given the hardware upgrade, next gen consoles are delivering a significantly enhanced visual presentation and online experience compared to current gen – from 4K resolution, The City expansion, and much higher visible player population.

These types of technical gaps make crossplay between the console generations all the more complex. Not just syncing user progression, but delivering fairness in online competitive modes will be difficult when there are such deltas in client performance, population limits per server instances, etc.

Will 2K Ever Add Cross-Gen Support?

I speculate that eventually, 2K will enable cross-generation play after more users have adopted next gen consoles. Supporting a unified community isn‘t technically impossible – we see other major franchises like Call of Duty now embracing full crossplay.

The question is, how long will 2K take? I predict that by NBA 2K25-26 in 3+ years as next gen penetration continues ramping up, we‘ll finally see full cross progression and crossplay enabled. This will greatly benefit online gamers by ensuring the user base stays active for years.

Unfortunately no signs yet if that day will come sooner. For now in NBA 2K23, any gamers still on Xbox One/PS4 remain isolated from the expanded next gen online ecosystem.

As a hardcore 2K player myself saddened we still can‘t play together across console gens, I plan to upgrade my rig soon rather than wait. The current gen version feels increasingly compromised as 2K shifts focus to leveraging next gen power. Hopefully crossplay comes before too many friends get left behind.

The Bottom Line

While NBA 2K23 brings expected refinements reflecting player feedback, the lack of cross-generation play unfortunately persists going into 2023.

I‘m hoping we‘ll finally see progress next year – but 2K seems intent on using exclusivity to keep incentivizing console upgrades first. Crossplay likely remains years away until the vast majority of gamers make that jump.

For any current gen players wondering if you can play with that friend who scored a PS5 or Xbox Series X – sadly you‘re still out of luck. But make sure to add your voice on social media to the crossplay requests!

What do you think – is no crossplay a dealbreaker preventing your from getting 2K23 until you upgrade? Or are you fine enjoying the game this year on current gen and waiting to see friends again whenever support is added?