Quick answer (Season 2, checked November 2, 2026):
- What it is: a 3v3 mode against CPU bosses on three courts: The Hollows, Claremont Court and Rucker Park.
- Total payout: the 40-level track holds 17,000 VC, 13 cosmetics and 7 Season Level XP drops.
- Fastest route: beat 10 bosses, beat The Reignmaker, then stay in King of Hollows Park. A win streak of 15 or more pays x5 Street Kings XP.
- Best one-off payout: the weekly Rucker Park tournament showed 5,000 VC and 1,000 XP on the board we checked.
- Lifetime Challenges: Street Kings holds 19, including 32 bosses, 32 Teammate Trials and 100 Shut It Downs.
Street Kings lets you grind The City without random teammates. Players also say it's harder than last year, and the intros can't be skipped. This guide covers what each part pays, which order to do it in, and how to win if you can't score on the AI.
2K describes it as "the premier 3v3 mode where you and up to two friends battle CPU bosses" in its City Courtside Report. 2K doesn't publish the reward list or the streak numbers, so those come from in-game screens captured by creators and from the FilmRoomGG reward tracker. We matched that tracker against the Rewards tab on video. Anything that rests on one player's report is labelled.
Where is Street Kings and how do you start?
Open the City map and head to the Street Kings marker, which sits close to MyCOURT. You'll find a backboard at each court, and that backboard is the menu. It has five tabs: Overview, Single Player, Co-Op, Trials and Rewards.
- Overview shows bosses unlocked out of 32, Teammates Upgraded, Trials Completed, your current level and the weekly tournament.
- Single Player is the boss board for that court.
- Co-Op lets up to two friends join.
- Trials lists every Teammate Trial you've unlocked.
- Rewards shows all 40 levels. Press R1 three times from the backboard menu to get there.
You can pick your matchup before tip-off, and players report you can switch it mid-game. That matters more than your teammates, as you'll see below.
What are all the Street Kings rewards in NBA 2K27?
The track has 40 levels and each level bar reads out of 1,000 XP. The in-game text says "XP can be earned through completing quests, and daily and weekly wins in Street Kings games."
| Reward type | Levels | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 500 VC | 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21 | 5,000 VC |
| 1,000 VC | 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34 | 8,000 VC |
| 2,000 VC | 37, 39 | 4,000 VC |
| Season Level XP | 3, 8, 12, 22, 28, 32, 36 | 7 drops |
The 13 cosmetics:
| Level | Reward |
|---|---|
| 1 | Joggers |
| 5 | Money Bag |
| 7 | Iridescent Jacket |
| 10 | Sneaker Head |
| 13 | Air Jordan III |
| 15 | Rafer Alston 2006 Backwards Jersey |
| 18 | Hotdog Hat |
| 20 | Bubbles Ball |
| 25 | Bubble Trail |
| 30 | Street Kings Body Suit |
| 35 | Spiked Armor |
| 38 | Street Kings Basketball Head With Crown |
| 40 | Street Kings Cape |
Nearly half of the track's VC sits at level 29 or later, so don't stop at the Hotdog Hat if VC is why you're here. One early report said cosmetics weren't arriving after level 1, so check your closet if one is missing.
What is the fastest way to reach level 40?
Use King of Hollows Park. Claremont has its own version, but Hollows is the route in the run we're citing.
- Beat 10 bosses on The Hollows board. One win each is enough.
- Beat The Reignmaker, who unlocks after those 10.
- Select King of Hollows Park on the board. In-game text: "Play back-to-back games until you leave or lose to earn an XP multiplier for Street Kings rewards."
- Don't lose and don't quit. Either one ends the streak.
| Win streak | Street Kings XP |
|---|---|
| 1-5 wins | x1.5 |
| 6-10 wins | x2 |
| 11-14 wins | x3 |
| 15+ wins | x5 |
YOUNG DIRK's video reached a 24-win streak and reported about half a level per game at x5, so a level every two games. A first game at x1 showed 60/1,000 on a level 1 player, which shows how slow the track is without a streak. Treat those as one player's numbers, not 2K's.
Past that, two things add XP:
- Teammate Bonus: two boss teammates carry an XP bonus that cycles after every game. The panel we saw showed +75 and +100. Take them if you can win without your best lineup, and skip them if they'd cost you the streak.
- Shut It Down: ending a game early saves time, and it's the fastest way to bank wins.
Your streak also counts for Lifetime Challenges at 5, 10 and 15 games. The list names King of the Hollows or King of Clairemont, so either court works.
How do you beat the AI in Street Kings?
Players report that the AI contests like it does online. One said a 78 three-point rating was enough in Open Court Athletics but the green window felt much smaller here. Another with an 86 could shoot consistently off screens. 2K hasn't published the difficulty, and we found no selector for it.
These tips kept coming up in r/NBA2k threads and creator runs:
- Guard the worst player. Change your matchup at the start. Don't take the PG or the best scorer.
- Shoot behind the screen. Call one with L1/LB, use it, then step sideways or quick stop and fire. If it misses the defender, call another instead of forcing a shot.
- Use step backs on guards. Hold turbo into your defender and flick into the step back. The AI gives up space more than it gives up the rim.
- Bait the drive on defense. The AI loves attacking the basket. Stand on the hip, leave a lane, then cut it off for a block or contest. Players use this for block goals.
- Bigs need a shooter. Set screens for a teammate who can shoot and grab the misses, or roll and call for the ball. One 7'4 center cleared Hollows with Balladonna and a big, camping in the paint on a non-shooter.
Strips and paint contests stay aggressive even with Gold Unpluckable, one player says.
Shut It Down ends the game early on a big run, and 2K doesn't publish the trigger. We saw it fire at 15-2 and 20-12, and one player said highlight dunks and assisted threes got it at 11 points in about three minutes. So it seems to reward momentum, not one fixed lead. Some Trials and tournament weeks disable it, so check the rules first.
What are Teammate Trials, and which are fastest?
Beat a boss enough times and their Trial unlocks. Complete it and that boss is permanently upgraded as your teammate. iPodKingCarter's review calls the repeat wins "artificial padding", and it's hard to argue, but you need 32 Trials for the top Lifetime Challenge. The one we checked paid Season Level XP, and one player said a Trial barely moved their Season bar without a 2X coin.
The rules below were posted on r/NBA2k on November 2. 2K prints no list, so check the Trials tab before you start. We corrected names to match the in-game spelling.
| Trial | Rules |
|---|---|
| The Cultivator | Game point 11, close shots +2 |
| Ballnelius Maximus | Layups and dunks +2 |
| The Green Screen | Dunks +2, Shut It Down disabled |
| The Dumpster Diver | Dunks +1, layups +1, Shut It Down disabled |
| Nothin' but Nat | Close shots +2, Shut It Down disabled |
| Crypto the Clown | Consecutive baskets increase by +1, Shut It Down disabled |
| Balladonna | Threes worth 4, Shut It Down disabled |
| The Shell | Threes worth 4, mid-range +1, Shut It Down disabled |
| The Chief | Threes worth 4, blocks worth 1 |
| Captain Crossover | Threes worth 4, mid-range +1 |
| Sneakerhead | Threes worth 2, mid-range +1, Shut It Down disabled |
| Shortstop | Threes worth 1, dunks and mid-range +1 |
| The Ankle Taker | Threes worth 1, rebounds worth 2, opponents start with Takeover |
| Zoomin' Zoey | Blocks and rebounds worth 2, opponents start hot |
| The Moat | Blocks and rebounds worth 2 |
| The Paint Protector | Blocks and rebounds worth 1, close shots +1 |
| The Hunger Handler | Blocks, steals and assists worth 1 |
| The Mayor | Blocks worth 1, steals worth 2 |
| Cryo Step | Close shots +1, rebounds worth 1, your team starts cold |
| Gil | Close shots +1, you start cold |
| Hard Fowl | Mid-range +1, your team starts cold |
| Little Danny Dunkman | Game point 31, close shots +2 |
Do these first: The Cultivator is the quickest, because a game to 11 with close shots worth 4 ends in about three baskets. Next take Ballnelius Maximus and The Green Screen if you can dunk. Save for last: Little Danny Dunkman, at game point 31, is the longest game on the list.
The Green Screen also helps Finishing specialization. One player's method targets Goal 9, 125 wins with 6+ paint shots, because six dunks end the game almost exactly. See our Build Specialization guide.
What are Court Crashers and how much do they pay?
2K says that "at a random point in any game, a legendary boss player can pull up and take over the court." Beat them for what it calls "a massive reward."
Players report 5x VC plus Season XP on a win, and one put a Magic Johnson win at about 2,000 VC. That suggests a normal game pays around 400 VC, our estimate, close to the 380 to 440 VC reported for Open Court Athletics. RealSport101 calls Open Court "slightly less optimal than Street Kings" for VC.
Timing is random. One player guessed about every sixth game. We found no proven way to force one.
- All-time players: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Shawn Kemp, Dominique Wilkins, Jason Kidd, Jason Williams, Stephon Marbury, Rafer Alston.
- Street legends: Chicago Beef, Velvet, Dunkotron 5001, The BallBurglar, Rotten Rodney, and host Young Wayne.
Their teams vary in strength: one player called Iverson's squad easy, but McGrady scored 15 on them. If a Crasher lands during a streak, expect a loss to end it.
How does the weekly Rucker Park tournament work?
2K's format is a play-in round based on seeding, a best-of-five bracket, then "a single-elimination championship game to 21." In its words: "Opponents and rules refresh every week, so stay ready."
The board adds details 2K's page leaves out:
- You have to qualify. The board tells you how many more Street Kings games you need. A level 40 player was told to play 13 more and described the requirement as 15 games each week.
- Placement is based on win rate, so a clean run before the tournament improves your seed.
- "1st and 2nd Place reserved for VIPS" is printed on the board, so your best seed may still be third.
- Rewards: the week we checked showed 5,000 VC and 1,000 XP. The board doesn't say which XP, but on the Street Kings track that would be a full level.
That week's rules were threes worth 4, mid-range +1, and consecutive baskets increasing by +1. In that format a run of threes snowballs fast, so get a shooter hot and keep feeding them.
Since you must play games to qualify, do your streak games first and enter the tournament afterwards. Winning it on your first attempt of the week also unlocks the Rucker Royalty achievement, according to a trophy guide.
Which Lifetime Challenges and dailies count?
Street Kings has 19 of the 600 Lifetime Challenges, per the NBA2KLab tracker:
| Challenge | Tiers |
|---|---|
| Rucker Park | Play one tournament, then win 5, 10, 15 |
| Bosses defeated | 10, 20, 32 |
| Teammate Trials | 10, 20, 32 |
| King of the court streak | 5, 10, 15 games |
| Shut It Downs | 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 |
One player on five builds reported extra VC from the guest challenger and guest teammate dailies, about 1,000 VC, though some builds offered only one. Check them on alternates, alongside the Casual Corner dailies.
Is Street Kings worth it in Season 2?
Yes for solo players, up to a point. Do this order:
- Clear 10 bosses at Hollows, then The Reignmaker.
- Run King of Hollows Park until your streak breaks, taking the XP teammates when you can.
- Enter the Rucker tournament each week once you've qualified.
- Finish level 40 before grinding Trials, unless you're chasing Lifetime Challenges.
It also stacks with block and rebound goals. See our guides on earning VC fast and Badge Tokens.
Skip it if you mainly play The REC with a squad. The intros can't be skipped, and for raw Season XP players point to online modes or a 2X coin. The only Street Kings line in the Update 2.0 notes is a fix for "an issue preventing some Street Kings co-op games from being started," so don't expect the grind to get shorter.
For more, see all our NBA 2K27 guides, including the Season 3 release date. Season 2 ends November 27.
FAQ
How much VC do you get from Street Kings in NBA 2K27? The 40-level track holds 17,000 VC in total: 5,000 from levels 2 to 21, 8,000 from levels 23 to 34, and 4,000 from levels 37 and 39. Court Crashers, dailies and the weekly tournament pay extra.
How many bosses are in Street Kings? There are 32. The Overview tab tracks them as Bosses Unlocked, and Lifetime Challenges reward defeating 10, 20 and 32.
How do you unlock King of Hollows Park? Beat 10 bosses on The Hollows board to unlock The Reignmaker, then beat her. The achievement list names The Flame Thrower as the Claremont Court boss.
Can you play Street Kings with friends? Yes. 2K confirms up to two friends can join you through the Co-Op tab.
Do you lose your win streak if you quit? Yes. The King of Hollows Park streak ends if you leave or lose.
Can you get banned for grinding Street Kings? 2K hasn't said playing the mode a lot is bannable. One player claimed a ban after repeating a method for about 60 games, which we couldn't verify. Read why players get banned in NBA 2K27 before trying any "method."
