“Ito ang liga!” If you recognize that line, you’re likely a PBA fan. Basketball runs deep in Filipino culture, and the PBA is a huge part of it.
Thus, it’s no surprise the league has expanded into gaming, with past titles like Basketball Slam by Ranida Games. While those didn’t sustain the hype, the PBA is trying again with PBA Court Kings, a new mobile game by AniLu Studios now in early access on iOS and Android.
As a PBA fan, I gave it a try, and here are my thoughts.
Purely Online Basketball
The gameplay of PBA Court Kings is pretty simple; it is just basically basketball.
You can play one-versus-one (1v1), two-versus-two (2v2), or three-versus-three (3v3). All three game modes are available against AI bots, while ranked games are played in 3v3 only. If you have a basketball buddy, you can also invite them for an online duel.
My all-star matchup between Paul Lee and Beau Belga didn’t happen because of server issues (and I got stuck in a perpetual loading screen). | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
Although you can play against bots for practice, it is disappointing to discover that all modes are only available online. Want to practice before facing online opponents? Make sure your internet connection is stable enough to connect to the server (or else you get stuck in a loading screen limbo).
Time for Tipoff
After picking a game mode, you then pick the team you want to represent. All current PBA teams (except the guest team this season, the Macau Black Knights) are available for your choosing. The teams are as follows:
- Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
- Blackwater Bossing
- Converge FiberXers
- Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots
- Meralco Bolts
- NLEX Road Warriors
- Phoenix Fuel Masters
- Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
- San Miguel Beermen
- Terrafirma Dyip
- TNT Tropang Giga
- Titan Ultra Giant Risers
After picking your team, you then choose your players from your unlocked roster. You can pick courts, jerseys, and more prior to starting the game itself. After that, it’s game on!
Both the 1v1s and the 2v2s last for two minutes per game. Meanwhile, the 3v3s have two-minute halves. Just like in FIBA 3×3, the games are played in half-court.
Shooting four-pointers in a Boracay-themed basketball court is an experience you probably won’t find in other basketball games. | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
In PBA Court Kings, you can shoot, rebound, sprint, steal, block, and swap players (for both the 2v2s and 3v3). You move the characters with a joystick, and you can perform several basketball moves (like an ankle breaker) as long as you do the right sequence of inputs.
When it comes to scoring, you can score two-pointers via dunks, layups, and mid-range shots, three-pointers, and even the (in)famous four-point shots introduced back in the 49th season of the PBA back in 2024.
If the game is tied when the whistle blows, an extra minute of overtime is played.
Play with PBA All-Stars and their teammates
Each team has an all-star for you to unlock as you put in the grind. | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
With 12 teams available, there are plenty of players to choose from.
Want to play with UAAP legend Jeron Teng from San Miguel Beermen? Play bully ball with Beau Belga? Shoot the lights out with Robert Bolick? Just choose them from each team’s roster.
Players have to be money smart, as all-stars like June Mar Fajardo cost 45,000 gold coins. | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
Unfortunately, unlocking some stars like June Mar Fajardo, Juan Gomez de Liano, and Calvin Oftana requires you to grind it out a lot. Given how minimal the rewards are — sometimes nonexistent due to bugs — saving up money for your favorite player can be a real drag.
The Phoenix Fuelmasters only has four players from their entire PBA roster. At least Ricci Rivero is in the game! | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
To add to that, some players are just not available. Despite having 12 teams in the game, each team features an average of only six players, a far cry from the usual 12-17 player roster in the PBA.
For instance, the Phoenix Fuelmasters only has four players in the game, while both the San Miguel Beermen and Ginebra San Miguel have seven players available (talk about fan favorites).
Hopefully, as the game’s lifespan persists, they will add more players in the future. Maybe even add some PBA legends like Robert Jaworski and Jimmy Alapag for the nostalgia.
Customization Galore
There are plenty of customization options in PBA Court Kings.
For starters, there are four courts to choose from. The default skin, the Tagpo Outdoor Court, gives off streetball vibes set in dusk—a familiar vibe for most streetballers playing at 5 p.m.
The Palanyag Covered Court is a familiar scene for hoopers who grind in their local barangay gyms. No heckling in this game, though! | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
Then there is Palanyag Covered Court that is reminiscent of a public basketball gymnasium, Boracay Beachside Court with its tropical vibes, and the All-Star Net Arena where championships are played. That said, it is a bummer that we can’t preview these courts before buying them.
Regardless, besides the courts, players can also customize the avatars of PBA players. You can pick out headbands, jerseys, arm sleeves, armbands, wristbands, leg sleeves, socks, and shoes.
For certain players, there are custom animations you can use. For now, the PBA Court Kings only has Calvin Abueva’s Chest Pound, June Mar Fajardo’s MVP Walk, Jerrick Ahanmisi’s Four Pointer, and Leonard Santillan’s Neck Cross.
Finally, there are also additional abilities players can equip. Just like the animations, only Abueva, Fajardo, Ahanmisi, and Santillan have additional abilities in the game.
Graphics: nostalgic or just bad?
This loading screen graphic shows June Mar Fajardo dunking against a court full of other PBA all-stars. | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
Now, let’s talk about the game’s graphics.
Personally, I love it as it reminds me of old basketball games from the early 2000s. On the other hand, the graphics of PBA Court Kings may also look like a low-quality meme.
Regardless, there are times when the game’s performance struggles with its graphics.
There are four tiers of graphics settings in the game: low, medium, high, and epic. You can also adjust the frame limit to 30, 45, or 60.
When I first booted up the game, it was auto-adjusted to low despite having a gaming phone. I then adjusted the game to high and discovered why the game did that.
It seemed like the game wasn’t optimized for mobile gaming. There are a lot of times when the frames get choppy, and the game freezes for a second or two. If my gaming phone can barely keep up as it is, imagine how a young PBA fan with a hand-me-down budget phone would fare.
With PBA fans coming from all sorts of economic backgrounds, I hope the PBA Court Kings optimizes the game to allow even low-end, budget phones to run it without worries.
Input Lag is Vein-Popping
In a nutshell, the game’s controls are pretty simple. Want to shoot the ball? Just time it right with the shot meter. Block, steal, or rebound? Move your character to the right position and just tap the corresponding button.
That said, there is an annoyingly noticeable input lag in the game. Honestly, it isn’t a matter of skill issue—the game is pretty easy, a ten-year-old can win games, literally.
There are times when the movement joystick would simply stop registering my finger movements. Rebounding, blocking, or stealing would be a will-it-won’t-it endeavor at times.
When your game is only a half shot with less than five seconds on the clock, the input lag will pop out some of your veins for sure.
Lots to iron out
Simon Enciso bugs out and positions himself a bit off-center as he becomes the player of the game with nine points, two rebounds, and one three-pointer. | In-game screenshot by Daryll Galindo
Besides the input lag, the game has a lot of problems.
For instance, PBA Court Kings is prone to freezing. Here are some of the situations where the game simply stops working:
- Changed the graphic settings from high to low. After that, I could not access the Versus AI mode. This happened before I unlocked the ranked mode, so I basically could not play the game.
- I shot a four-pointer, and the ball got stuck to the ring due to lag.
- I tried playing against AI multiple times, only for the game to be stuck in the loading screen.
For bugs, here are some of my encounters:
- Customized a character, only for it to reset when I pick another cosmetic.
- Some goals fail to register, even when I’ve completed them multiple times in one gaming session.
- The “Equip to all” feature does not, in fact, equip to all.
- Missing icons.
There are also lots to nitpick in the game. For example:
- Why do I need to create a separate account if I’ve already connected through Google Play Games? Shouldn’t the Google Play Games account be sufficient?
- When I first tried the game, I could only access it as a guest. Why require registering a new account if guest access is the only way to play?
- Sometimes, it takes me more than 30 minutes to find an online opponent. Sometimes, I can’t find any opponent at all.
- When picking players, why do I have to choose them one at a time for each slot? Why can’t we select all two (for 2v2) or all three (for 3v3) players at once?
- The ads are so pushy. When I open the game, I want to start playing right away — not be slapped with a “this player is on sale” ad.
Considering the game is still in its early access, I’m cutting PBA Court Kings some slack. After all, from their release date onwards, the developers have been actively patching and fixing bugs in the game.
PBA Court Kings is a promising game
Overall, just like Filipino basketball, PBA Court Kings is a game with a lot of heart — and just as many growing pains.
Given the game’s design, AniLu Studios is clearly building a game that would resonate with PBA fans. A game that is fun, accessible, and lets you live out your PBA fantasies anytime, anywhere.
Unfortunately, the PBA Court Kings experience is held back by technical issues, lack of polish, and other limits. From input lag, performance hiccups, limited rosters, and grind-heavy progression, the overall experience can feel amiss at times.
That said, it’s important to remember that the game is still in early access. The foundation is already there, and with enough updates, balancing, and optimization, PBA Court Kings has the potential to become a staple for Filipino basketball fans in the mobile gaming space.
For now, PBA Court Kings feels like a work in progress, one that shows promise, but still needs a lot of time in the gym before it’s truly ready for the big leagues.