Many PC and console players have reached out to us to ask for help about lag or high ping issues on NBA 2K21. At the time of this writing, the game is just a few days old so connection or server issues can be expected from time to time. However, if you are experiencing persistent lag or latency issues for some time now, you must do some troubleshooting to fix it.

Learn what possible solutions are available for you to improve your gaming experience.

Two types of lag in NBA 2K21

When talking about lag in gaming, there are two types:

FPS lag
network lag

FPS lag refers to stuttering during games due to a computer or console being unable to maintain normal frame rate. This is usually caused by hardware limitation or malfunction.

On the other hand, network lag is caused by server or network problems. If you have a fast computer which has met minimum and/or recommended system requirements for NBA 2K21, or if you have a PS4 or Xbox, but it continues to suffer from lag, it’s likely due to a network lag or problem with the game servers.

This second type of lag is the focus of this troubleshooting article.

What are the minimum and recommended system requirements (for PC)?

If you are experiencing lag on NBA 2K21 on PC, the first thing that you need to do is to check if your computer meets the minimum system requirements as listed below:

OS: Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz / AMD FX 4100 @ 3.60 GHz or better
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 450 1GB / ATI® Radeon™ HD 7770 1GB or better
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 80 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0x compatible
Dual-analog gamepad: Recommended

Initial installation requires one-time internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributable 2012.

In order to enjoy the game to its fullest graphics settings and performance, you want to ensure that your PC meets the recommended system requirements:

OS: Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-4430 @ 3 GHz / AMD FX-8370 @ 3.4 GHz or better
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 770 2GB / ATI® Radeon™ R9 270 2GB or better
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 80 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
Dual-analog gamepad: Recommended

Causes of NBA 2K21 network lag or high ping

If are experiencing lag when playing NBA 2K21 and you’ve determined that your PC meets the system requirements, or if you’re playing on the PS4 or Xbox, the problem is likely caused by one of the following items:

Random bug or fluke.

Some games, especially new ones, tend to have bugs or minor glitches. Sometimes, these bugs are temporary and go away on their own as the game gets updated over time.

Server issues.

One of the possible reasons why a PC or PS4 or Xbox may lag when playing NBA 2K21 is server problems. Game servers of popular games like NBA 2K franchise may sometimes get overwhelmed or suffer from overcapacity. At other times, technical problems may develop so as to disrupt online services.

Slow internet or intermittent connection.

The other possible reason for your problem may be due to an issue with your own internet connection. If your local network suffers from slow or intermittent internet connection, you can’t expect a smooth online experience when playing NBA 2K21 online.

How to fix NBA 2K21 network lag or high ping

There are a number of possible solutions that you can do if you are experiencing lag when playing NBA 2K21 on PC or PS4 or Xbox.

Keep the game updated.
Sometimes, a simple way to fix problems is to update. Make sure that NBA 2K21 is fully updated before playing online again.
If the problem continues even after you’ve updated the game, continue doing the following solutions.
Update GPU drivers and software (PC).
Another simple yet effective way to fix lag in NBA 2K21 is to make sure that your computer’s graphics card runs that latest drivers. You also want to keep the rest of your software, that is, third party apps and Windows Operating System fully updated.
Check for NBA 2K21 server problems.
If you’ve already taken care of things that need to be updated, you must make sure that you check the server status. As mentioned above, game servers may sometimes go down or encounter glitches that can cause NBA 2K21 to lag.
Visit the official NBA2K website to get server status information: https://www.nba2k.com/gamestatus
Check for local network issues.
If everything is working on the server side of things, it’s time that you check if the problem is coming from your own local network. There are two things that you want to look into:
-slow connection
-intermittent connection
If your network has a slow connection problem, your computer or PS4 or Xbox may not be able to establish a solid connection to the game servers all the time. This can result to network lag and render the online game unplayable. To check for slow connection issue, do a speed test on your PC or PS4 or Xbox and see how fast your download and upload speeds are. I’ve personally find it okay that 5Mbps download and 3Mbps upload is okay for NBA 2K21 online modes. Anything lower than these speeds may be problematic though.
You may experience lag in NBA 2K21 as well if your internet connection is dropping all the time (intermittent). To check if you have an intermittent connection problem, you can use another device like a smartphone that’s connected to your wifi or router and see if it keeps getting disconnected from the internet.
Restart game.
At times, closing and reopening the game is enough to fix issues. If you haven’t tried restarting NBA 2K21 yet, make sure that you do it now.
Reboot your console or PC.
Another possible solution that you can do when experiencing network lag issue on any game is to reboot your PC or console. Make sure that you turn off your computer or PS4 or Xbox, then unplug the power cable from the back. Afterwards, wait for 30 seconds before turning on the PC or console again.
Close other apps running in the background (PC).
Some PC users may encounter lagging issues when gaming if their computer runs several resource-hogging applications in the background. If your game continues to lag at this time, make sure that you turn off all applications when gaming. To do that, just open the Task Manager program and check the Processes tab.
Check for network congestion or low bandwidth.
Too many devices using your internet connection at the same time can reduce the internet connection in your PC or console.
To check if your computer or console is running low on bandwidth, make sure that no other device is connected to your router (either by wire or wirelessly) except your computer or PS4 or Xbox. Then, try running NBA 2K21 again to check if it lags.
Use wired connection.
If you are using wifi or wireless connection on your PC or PS4 or Xbox, it’s time for you to see if a wired connection will improve the situation. To do that, use a LAN cable to connect your device to the router, restart the game, and check for the problem again.
Use special router with QoS.
Some routers are capable of prioritizing game packets in order to lessen network lag in games. This feature is called Quality of Service (QoS). If your router has this capability, do some research using Google on how to enable QoS for Steam as exact steps vary for every device.
Alternatively, you can consult the documentation or manual of your router to know. If your router is provided by your Internet Service Provider, contact their technical support team to get help in enabling QoS.