For those who are new to modding, it is basically modifications brought to a game by fans or other players, from minor aesthetic tinkering to major overhauls. Luckily enough, the NBA 2k franchise has been blessed with an incredible modding community providing players with upgrades that enhance the overall experience. Personally, the closer the gameplay mimics reality, the more I find it enjoyable. Even though the original publisher did a great job at creating a virtual game that simulates real-life basketball, there are still many shortcomings and issues, which fortunately can be remedied by the adoption of mods. Enough chit-chat, let me show you how to set it up.
Table of Contents
Pre-requisites
Well, the first and only thing required is to own a copy of NBA2K21 on PC, whether bought legitimately or obtained it through other means (hey I don't judge, you do you!). Ensure that the game is properly installed and continue to the next section.
Mods Setup
The most essential package to download is the NBA2K21 Hook V0.0.5 by Looyh, a well known modder in the NBA2K modding community. Think of this as the container that makes all the mods work in-game. Proceed to the website and don't be fooled by the myriad of ads, simply click on the "PROCEED TO DOWNLOAD" link and continue to the file hosting platform (ie. MediaFire). Download the zip file and take note of where it is stored.
Mods Download
There are different types of mods, from cyberfaces to court designs, and even other miscellaneous details such as the texture of the basketball.
Recommended Sources
From my personal experience, here are a few websites that I have used and never had any issues:Cyberfaces
One of my favorite aspects about mods is the plethora of high quality cyberfaces. For some reason, the original cyberfaces that come out of the box are often times lackluster and do not do the players justice. For example, there is significant difference between these two versions of Kyrie Irving. The facial features, the skin tone, the smallest details, it is simply mind-blowing how much better the modded version looks compared to the original. Moreover, there are numerous different creators out there that generate distinct versions of the same player, so there is often more than one style to choose from.
Keeping Kyrie as an example, the specific cyberface shown above can be found here. Again, simply click on "PROCEED TO DOWNLOAD" to retrieve the corresponding files.
Files Location
Alright, cool. The files are downloaded and ready, now what? The next step is to locate the folder where the game is stored. For steam users, simply right-click on NBA2K21 and open up the Properties window. Then, go to Local Files and click on Browse which should open up the folder where all the game related files are stored. For instance, the path would look something like F:\Games\Steam Games\steamapps\common\NBA 2K21, which is where the mod files go.
Final Step
Finally, simply extract the contents from the NBA2K21 Hook V0.0.5 zip file (which includes an empty Mods folder, dinput8.dll and NBA2K_Hook.dll) into the NBA2K21 local files folder from the previous section. Then, any mod files are extracted into the Mods folder. For example, to apply the modded Kyrie cyberface, extract the png2122.iff and face2122.iff files into Mods. The same content extraction process applies to courts, jerseys, and other types of mods.
Conlusion
Ta-da! The process of setting up mods in 2K21 is fairly simple, so I highly recommend at least trying them. In my opinion, it truly is a game-changer, as the realism and quality of the mods unlock an even more immersive experience.