Choose NBA Playgrounds
Choose NBA Playgrounds if it matches what drew you to this matchup. NBA Playgrounds launched in 2017.
NBA Playgrounds vs NBA 2K20
NBA Playgrounds and NBA 2K20 both land in Sports on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Sports games on Steam. NBA Playgrounds (2017) is 2 years older than NBA 2K20 (2019). Both sit near 62% positive on Steam (NBA Playgrounds: 395 reviews, NBA 2K20: 10,195). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose NBA 2K20
Choose NBA 2K20 if you want a Simulation game with Shared/Split Screen, Online Co-op, and PvP. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 10,195 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both NBA Playgrounds and NBA 2K20 sit in Sports on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Shared/Split Screen PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (62.3% vs 61.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 NBA Playgrounds |  NBA 2K20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Genres | Sports | Sports, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Deck Verified |
| Price | Price unknown | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 62.3% positive (395 reviews) | 61.4% positive (10,195 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op |
| Developers | Saber Interactive | Visual Concepts |
Side by side
- Both are Sports games on Steam.
- NBA Playgrounds (2017) is 2 years older than NBA 2K20 (2019).
- Both sit near 62% positive on Steam (NBA Playgrounds: 395 reviews, NBA 2K20: 10,195).
- Both support cooperative play.
- NBA 2K20 is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; NBA Playgrounds has no Deck rating yet.
NBA Playgrounds vs NBA 2K20 — FAQ
- Which is better, NBA Playgrounds or NBA 2K20?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: NBA Playgrounds sits at 62.3% positive (395 reviews), NBA 2K20 at 61.4% (10,195). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play NBA Playgrounds or NBA 2K20 first?
- If you want chronology, NBA Playgrounds (2017) came out before NBA 2K20 (2019). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are NBA Playgrounds and NBA 2K20 similar?
- They overlap on Sports on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both NBA Playgrounds and NBA 2K20 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: NBA Playgrounds ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op; NBA 2K20 ships Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op.