How to fix NBA 2K21, 2K22 error code 4b538e50

With the official global release of NBA 2K22, players have been experiencing many returning issues that typically plague the most popular basketball game with each new iteration. 

These problems have varied from crashing issues on console, visual errors, or general server struggles that are almost always present at launch. However, some specific error codes are popping up more frequently than others. 

One of those issues, error code 4b538e50, still plagues previous titles like 2K21 too. This typically indicates your game files may be outdated. Without the latest patch or the complete game files, you won’t be able to open your game due to this error.

There’s an easy fix to bypass this error, but you’ll need to wait longer depending on the size of the patch you’re downloading or the remaining size of your current download.

Here’s how you can fix the error code 4b538e50 in NBA 2K22 and 2K21.

Check your downloads

Whether you’re on a console or PC, you’ll need to check your active downloads to see if NBA 2K still has files to download. If that’s the case, you’ll need to wait until the game finishes the downloading process.

Once the game finishes downloading a patch or all the essential files, there can also be a small verifying stage where it may take a few seconds to verify all the files you just downloaded. After this process, you should be able to launch your game without receiving the 4b538e50 error.

If you don’t have enough space on your hard drive or SSD, the downloading process may have stopped, or there’s a chance that it didn’t start from the beginning. When that’s the case, you’ll want to free up enough storage for the download. You can do this by deleting large files or other games. Once you have enough storage, you should be able to start or resume the downloading process.

Confirm your account

Though pending downloads are one of the main reasons behind this error, other factors may also trigger it. An unconfirmed account can cause you to receive the 4b538e50 error, and it should only take you a few minutes to ensure your account’s email is verified.

• Head over to NBA 2K’s official website
• Sign in to your account through the panel toward the top right corner of your screen
• Once you log in, your account will automatically be verified

If you just created a new account, make sure to check your email’s spam folder since newsletter-type emails can sometimes get stuck in filters. With a confirmation email waiting to be clicked, you won’t have to go through the method above.

Don’t try creating more than five accounts on a single console

All players can only create five accounts on a single console. If you create more than five, the server access for the additional ones will be disallowed.

You won’t be able to give server access to your additional accounts, so you’ll need to continue playing with one of your previous accounts.

Reset your router and gaming device

Connectivity problems and software bugs can also cause this error to happen. Resetting your router will be helpful to troubleshoot any connectivity problems that may have happened due to your ISP. A simple reset will be enough to grant you a new route with your ISP, which will do the same for NBA 2K’s servers.

Doing the same for your gaming device will accomplish a similar goal as a restart will be enough to fix one-time software glitches. Doing these two at the same time is often advised, and you should wait a few seconds before turning on your router and gaming device.

Reinstall NBA 2K

In rare cases, corrupted game files may cause you to receive the error code 4b538e50. Completely deleting NBA 2K21 or 2K22 and reinstalling it will be the only way to ensure that your game files are in top shape and they’re good as new.

If you’re on PC, you should also delete all the files that your NBA 2K title of choice leaves behind to make sure your game receives a fresh install. Double-check your games’ folder and documents to see any leftover NBA 2K files and delete them as well before reinstalling the game.

Considering this is a known error, 2K games has a dedicated page on it. Any new reasons or solution methods will first be listed as they are discovered.

Alternatively, you can also check out community hubs like Reddit where players often create threads to see if others are experiencing the same error as them. You may run into alternative solution methods that may have worked for other players or you may find out that there was a server-wide outage. When it’s the latter, you’ll have no choice but to wait for 2K to roll out a fix which shouldn’t take long in most cases.