Ten years ago, many would wonder if an officially-licensed PGA Tour game would ever happen again. Fast-forward to today and the genre is eating better than it ever has. There’s competition in PGA games and if developer HB Studios was told in 2017 that this is where The Golf Club series would be today, everyone would probably faint. 2K picked up the reigns of that series and transitioned it over to the PGA 2K series.PGA 2K23saw tremendous growth and improvement over time as the development team would wait two years until the series' next release.PGA 2K25is now here and is only on current generation consoles along with PC. The strides are substantial.
More PGA, But Not Complete PGA
PGA TOUR 2K25contains a behemoth amount of PGA content including players, courses and apparel. Licensing is different for the PGA as compared to leagues like the NFL, and the competition has a good bit of these things that this game doesn’t. This game does retain brand ambassador Tiger Woods,and the PGA Pros are playable in local multiplayer or solo tournaments. Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, Rose Zhang, Lydia Ko, Tom Kim, Brooke Henderson, Colin Morikawa and Will Zalatoris are all playable.
PGA TOUR 2K25contains a behemoth amount of PGA content including players, courses and apparel.
Players have the option to play as Chris McDonald, the actor who plays Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore and the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2. Once again, when playing in a tournament, names of other big name pros will be present that even have mentions from the commentary, but they are not playable in the game. This is just a product of how the licensing works and there still remains some big names here. The focus on PGA 2K titles gears more towards custom golfers, but a nice increase in the PGA presence is here.
The same goes for courses as the likes of Augusta are not present, but there are big courses here. TPC Scottsdale returns as 27 licensed courses are included. New additions included this year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club and the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Of course, the option to create and download courses is once again available.
The Course Designer now includes a high resolution terrain system, as the game is now on current generation consoles.More tools and surfaces are available, so if you enjoyed creating courses, there are more benefits this year. Nothing was available to download during the review period, which may mean HB Studios isn’t bringing over previously saved courses. There remains plenty of golf content inPGA TOUR 2K25with more PGA elements added on.
Proper Expansion for MyCAREER and MyPLAYER
What is a 2K Sports game without MyCAREER and MyPLAYER? That also means microtransactions and Virtual Currency, and it’s definitely here, so expect that 2K grind if you do not want to spend money. At both of these cores, however, there are massive improvements.When creating a player, there are five archetypes to choose from that will shape the type of golfer you desire.These include Powerhouse, Technician, Magician, Greenskeepers and Sculptor.
The created player will receive attributes that reflect the archetype selected. Completing challenges and competing in tournaments will earn attribute points to increase the overall rating of the golfer. Skill Trees are used to further unlock golf skills like flop shots and rolls. Here’s the problem: leveling up MyPLAYER is locked behind Virtual Currency, which the game frustratingly drips little out over time.
The Skill Trees aren’t nearly as held back by this as they don’t require Virtual Currency to upgrade, but the overall upgrade rate is awful. Much like the NBA 2K series, you’ll need to decide if the Virtual Currency goes towards unlocking customization options or upgrading MyPLAYER. There are also multiplayer events that require Virtual Currency to enter, so be ready to enter this ecosystem when playingPGA TOUR 2K25.
The Skill Trees aren’t nearly as held back by this as they don’t require Virtual Currency to upgrade, but the overall upgrade rate is awful.
The Equipment Progression is a fantastic addition as individual clubs can be upgraded with different fittings. Level Up Tokens can be used to speed this progression along and unlocking EvoTools will progress the club or ball to another tier.It’s like weapon progression in a RPG and adds attribute boosts depending on the fitting that’s added.
A few issues come into play over time with the Equipment Progression. For one, the menu design for this is atrocious and slow. Having to go into each, then back out, then a separate menu to load the upgrades is terrible. There isn’t a good way to compare clubs or balls either. Also, investing into upgrading one club or ball means there isn’t much of a desire to purchase other equipment, since the focus is on one and also the inability to view the differences in stats just makes this whole process difficult. Cool concept, but this aspect just leads to total avoidance.
MyCAREER does new things to shake up the process and deter from just playing tournament after tournament. The biggest addition is Dynamic Rounds, which allows the system to provide only a certain section of a course to be played. This speeds along the progression of MyCAREER. The same goes for the new Interactive Simulation, allowing players to simulate and jump in or out when they want to.
There are a wide variety of difficulty settings to choose that can line up with your playstyle. These will dictate what the scoring is during simulation and can be detrimental to winning a tournament. Training Scenarios are included, which are mini games that can lead to attribute boosts to that weekend’s tournament. Practice rounds are also available to further level up a character and potentially unlock equipment.
Training Scenarios are included, which are mini games that can lead to attribute boosts to that weekend’s tournament.
First Glimpse of PGA TOUR 2K25 in New Gameplay Trailer
Players can expect to compete at the best courses across the country with the likes of Tiger Woods, Max Homa and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Overhauling the Swing with EvoSwing
PGA TOUR 2K23presented some issues with swing results as that system was based on swing timing.While the option to do a three-button press is selectable inPGA TOUR 2K25, the EvoSwing is the new overhaul of the gameplay system and it’s majorly improved.Swings are broken down into four components that provide feedback on each swing. Contact, rhythm, transition and swing path are all calculated to present a different result. There are no mistakes on placing a cursor and questioning why the shot didn’t go in that direction.
Now a big part of this is the other addition with Perfect Swing. This is the most necessary and accessible tool to be added to a golf game. There’s still skill required when using Perfect Swing as the cursor factors in everything and you’ll focus on judging placement and trajectory. Eliminating the need to factor in wind or correct angle on each swing depending on the club helps to play with friends.
Turning off Perfect Swing though, especially when going online, equates to going from Top Golf to Pebble Beach.The EvoSwing pays attention to so much factors on each swing that it’ll punish you more based on how high the difficulty level is. The sense of reward presented when hitting a good shot is excellent, but a lot of work is needed. Going with the Perfect Swing, however, simply allows for a lot of fun without creating frustration yet still being challenging. The amount of difficulty settings can cater to anyone’s desired challenge level.
Tutorials do exist to get you acclimated with the experience. While there’s an opening tutorial everyone will go through, further tutorials exist for more advanced players. This is where learning the feel of EvoSwing is important. There are Quests tied to this as well that can provide more rewards. The focus on these precision inputs provides a more realistic experience than using swing timing. Putting will be a whole other monster.
A Lot of Multiplayer Options on Paper
There may not be a better sports couch co-op experience than playing a golf game. Multiple people can play a tournament and everyone takes their turn. Playing online is a bit different, but there seems to be a good bit of multiplayer options here. Only one mode requires interaction with others, however, and the others are locked behind private rooms. Online Societies introduce cross-platform competition and while multiplayer is possible, it’s done through creating a room or joining with a code. Online Societies are closed to those who are in the club, but this also carries over to other online modes.
Playing online is a bit different, but there seems to be a good bit of multiplayer options here. However, only one mode requires interaction with others and the others are locked behind private rooms.
Ranked Tours is basically another Online Society that provides daily and weekly seasonal events for more content. This mode, however, requires Virtual Currency to enter these tournaments. They can be played with others, but there’s no matchmaking. There are events for all skill levels throughout. Ranked Matchmaking is going one-on-one or two-on-two with other people live. Testing this online with one other user during the grace period presented no connection issues and the entire process was smooth.The battle royale mode that was introduced in the last game is also nowhere to be found at launch.TopGolf mode returns as it takes place in Vegas, but nothing has changed with the mode. It can be played offline or with matchmaking or private. It would have been nice to see a night mode or new location. So with the term “multiplayer,” take that with a grain of salt in terms of these modes. If you have friends you play with, then you’ll be set.
The Jump to a New Console Generation
The PGA 2K series has been built on the Unity Engine and the upgrades are very noticeable on the PlayStation 5. Having tested the game on both a PS5 Pro and non-Pro, there isn’t a tremendous difference. The game offers both a performance and quality mode with the option to address supersampling sharpness. The high resolution assets are a better improvement over the the previous game’s. The details in the visuals are substantial and the improvement to lighting makes the game much more vibrant and scenic.
The game is not without its problems on the performance part.Running on performance mode brings some texture pop-in issues and bad shadow quality.Shimmering on objects such as trees are also noticeable. The important thing is that it runs at a buttery smooth and consistent 60 FPS. There are frame drops in cutscenes, but not during gameplay. The game also has crashed a few times, but there have been patches released during the review period hopefully shoring this up.
Even at 30 FPS in quality, you’ll notice better anti-aliasing, water effects and less overall issues with objects.The frame rate doesn’t actually affect the EvoSwing meter and it’s just as responsive as it is in performance mode. This makes playing the mode worth a try. The animations for players are cool and create suspense in critical situations. Player models and faces are much improved over the previous game. The jump is a worthwhile improvement on current-generation consoles.
The composer for this series deserves some sort of award. The soundtrack is once again a mix of synthwave or upbeat cafe music that helps define the vibe of golf for a future generation. The commentators and presentation still leave a lot to be desired as everything in those regards seems to have been copied and pasted. The broadcast feels more Golf Channel than it does CBS, especially when the competition has a major presentation package for each of their tournaments in their game. The changes to the club sounds are some of the most satisfying audio to ever hit a golf game.
Closing Comments:
PGA TOUR 2K25takes everything that made the previous game in the series stand out and heavily improves on it. The EvoSwing presents the golf simulation aspect the hardcore players are looking for while the introduction of Perfect Swing makes the game fun for everyone while still introducing a challenge. The additions to MyCAREER and MyPLAYER are a much-needed vault in progressing the series, but holding those same progressions behind a paywall or grind inevitably hurts it. There’s a lot of ways to play golf inPGA TOUR 2K25and while the presence of the PGA has improved, it still aims more towards a personalized golf experience where customization shines above. The game is a lot of fun and provides more challenging elements if desired, but the microtransaction aspect and the lack of matchmaking on some modes putsPGA TOUR 2K25just off the green.
PGA Tour 2K25
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
Enjoy putts, pars, and precision like never before with PGA TOUR 2K25, the newest iteration of the highest-rated golf sim franchise of the decade*. In a 2K franchise-first, make a name for yourself in three prestigious Majors: The PGA Championship, The U.S. Open, and The Open Championship. Personalize your game with expanded MyCAREER, MyPLAYER and Course Designer options. Challenge friends across ranked, casual, and cross-platform multiplayer.REAL FEEL - Swing your swing and play your game with new EvoSwing mechanics—new shot types, ball flights, roll physics, and visual improvements.MAJOR TOURNAMENTS HAVE ARRIVED - The U.S. Open Championship, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship make their 2K Franchise debut.MyCAREER AND MyPLAYER, YOUR WAY - Step into the most immersive MyCAREER yet. Dynamically simulate rounds, play through training and pre-tournament events. Be your authentic self in MyPLAYER with diverse customizations, a new Attributes Points system, upgraded Skill Trees, and an all-new Equipment Progression system.SEASONS—BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER - Power increases for equipment progression, Ranked leaderboard resets, regular content updates + more. Progress at your own pace—play through past Seasons even when a new one is live.GRAB A CLUB, GRAB A FRIEND - Robust multiplayer match types include Stroke Play, Match Play, or Scramble—online or local. Challenge friends wherever they play with cross-platform societies.UNLEASH YOUR INNER COURSE ARCHITECT - Design your dream course with Course Designer! New tools, surfaces, objects, and more control with higher-res terrain. Show off your courses in all their natural beauty with an all-new camera system.
