In this PGA Tour 2K25 Review, we took a look at HB Studios’ latest entry in the PGA Tour 2K series. With a new “Evoswing” mechanic, the addition of major tournaments, and improved gameplay, PGA Tour 2K25 seeks to be the best entry in the series yet. But do these new additions justify its $70 price tag? Let’s find out as we take a look at PGA Tour 2K25.
PGA Tour 2K25 Review – What is PGA Tour 2K?
PGA Tour 2K25 is the latest entry in the PGA Tour 2K series, developed by HB Studios and published by 2K. It’s a golf simulation game that features real players, courses, and tournaments. Unlike many other sports titles, which release annually, the PGA Tour 2K series has been releasing every other year since 2K acquired the series.
PGA Tour 2K25 brings back the familiar experiences fans have come to expect. However, there are plenty of new additions and improvements to make the series better than ever before.
Developer HB Studios has a long history of developing sports video games since 2002. In 2014, they developed The Golf Club, which was followed by a sequel in 2017. In 2021, they were acquired by 2K sports, where they continue to develop the series, now called “PGA Tour 2K”. 2K also helped HB by signing a contract with Tiger Woods, who now serves as an executive producer of the series.
The game is available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Gameplay – PGA Tour 2K25 Review
The biggest new improvement in PGA Tour 2K25 is the new EvoSwing mechanics. Swinging felt fine in previous installments, but it feels perfect in PGA Tour 2K25. EvoSwing elevates PGA Tour 2K’s gameplay to the next level.
It takes time getting used to the new swing mechanics, though the learning curve isn’t difficult. But at the same time, perfectly hitting the ball every time in a single full round is nearly impossible. Overall, there’s the perfect amount of challenge in each swing, making you really think before you send the ball flying.
What I really like about PGA Tour 2K25’s gameplay is the feedback the game gives you on each swing. After each swing, you’ll see how performed on your contact, rhythm, transition, and swing path. If you over-swing even slightly, the game will show you the instant you hit the ball. If you’re swing path was slightly off, the game will tell you by how much.
Overall, the gameplay aspect of PGA Tour 2K25 feels good. But it is not invulnerable to the mundane cycle that’s seen in every sports game. You may find yourself getting bored of just doing the same handful of actions in every game. But the game offers a few different modes for you to dive into.
PGA Tour 2K25’s flagship mode is MyCAREER, but there are other modes we want to tackle first before digging into it.
Play Now obviously returns, and you can play as your MyPLAYER, or 11 different playable Pro Golfers. The roster offered in this game is smaller than PGA Tour 2K23’s roster at launch, which is kind of a disappointment. I understand they couldn’t bring people Michael Jordan back, but there are plenty of talented golfers who could’ve earned a roster spot. I understand the developers may add more over time, but the roster pool at launch is small. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the early 2000s, but I think having unlockable characters would’ve been a great way to keep people invested in their experience.
But if you don’t have time to play a full round, the game offers TopGolf. This mode offers a quick way to get some shots in without taking too much time. If you want to practice your swings before playing online, TopGolf helps you practice your aiming and swing power. Overall, it’s a nice mode, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more mini-modes in the future for players to dive into.
Course Designer returns, and while it’s an awesome feature, I had numerous technical issues with my experience. Placing down anything, be it water, trees, buildings, you name it, caused my game to freeze for a second before placing an object. While I love the creative aspect, I don’t have the patience to wait for every single item I place.
That said, if the developers can address these technical issues, then there’s no reason not to try out Course Designer. It’s extremely detailed, and gives you a lot of control. Want to make a map golf course with lots of bunkers, trees, and water? Or would you rather make a map full of hills that’ll create tough situations for players. Course Designer gives you more than enough tools to create the course of your dreams.
Furthermore, PGA Tour 2K25 offers a variety of ways to play online with your friends. Personally, I wasn’t able to play online too much, but I did get to try out a few things.
Online Societies are probably my favorite aspect of PGA Tour 2K25’s online modes. Whether you join one or create one of your own, they offer a really fun opportunity to play with friends.
The best part about societies is that you can compete in competitions with your friends. You can wager VC, or just play for fun. A game like PGA Tour 2K25 may get boring for solo players, but joining an active society can make things fun. Whether there’s a new event or your friends are just messaging each other, you’ll always have something to look forward to when you boot up the game.
Of course, if you want something more serious, the game does offer Ranked Play and 2K Ranked Tours. I didn’t get to try these out at much, but they are available.
Overall, PGA Tour 2K25 offers a fun gameplay experience that feels fair and fun to use. It’s easy to get used to the controls, especially thanks to the new EvoSwing mechanics. However, the gameplay cycle can get pretty repetitive, perhaps faster so than some other sports games on the market. Simply put:
- If you’re a big fan of Golf, you won’t be tired out so quickly
- Casual players may get bored just a few hours into the experience
But at the very least, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the gameplay. I never felt the game was unfair, and any mistakes I made were my own. It’s a fun experience that can be challenging yet rewarding. It just feels like there’s a lot more that could be here.
MyCAREER – PGA Tour 2K25 Review
MyCAREER and MyPLAYER are the flagship modes of PGA Tour 2K25. You create your own Golfer and customize their appearance, archetype, and so on before competing with them across various competitions. The customization tools are pretty great, though ther
Fortunately, PGA Tour 2K25 offers different starting points for players. If you just want to head straight to PGA, go right ahead. But you’re more than welcome to start at the Q-School and participate in the Korn Ferry Tour. Doing so actually gave me a chance to earn more XP and VC for my character.
Speaking of VC, the distribution of it in this game actually feels good. In other 2K games (like NBA 2K), you’ll have to give up your life savings in order to improve your MyPLAYER. Otherwise, earning VC the fair-and-square way takes forever. But in PGA Tour 2K25, the developers have found a good balance of distributing VC.
Furthermore, the MyCAREER schedule has been greatly improved, thanks to the addition of Major Tournaments. More locations helps keep things fresh, and each course offers different challenges. While the game has a small roster at launch, there are no shortage of courses to play on.
Additionally, the character creation suite felt great to use. Overall, the game provides a ton of variety on appearances and archetypes for you to roll with. And since player progression feels great, you can make multiple builds, test them out, and find out your favorite rather quickly. I enjoyed playing as a Sculptor, but I also feel encouraged to try out the game’s other archetypes.
Plus, the attribute system feels fun but challenging to use. Every point you allocate to one stat directly affects another. You need to really think long about which areas your golfer needs to improve upon. And your archetype won’t limit your abilities either. You can still be a powerful sculptor, allowing you to launch the ball at great distances with accuracy.
Although MyCAREER is fun, like other sports games, you may find yourself getting bored of the repetitive cycle of your schedule. The game tries to offer you things to do off the greens, but they’re not particularly exciting. Here’s a typical rundown of what you can do:
- Practice & Training
- Participate in Tournament
- Accept Interview
- Sign with or change Sponsor
- Upgrade Equipment or Character
- Begin Rivalry
It seems like a decent number of things to do, but each activity besides Practice, Training, and actual gameplay feels lifeless. It’s not that these tasks are bad. In fact, I like how quickly everything moves, allowing you to get back on the green faster. I felt little excitement in each action I performed.
By about week 8 of my career, I had over 1 million followers, but it didn’t really feel like it. It’s not like I could see them supporting me at my tournaments or practices. And while I like having rivals, the system feels pretty short-lived. You beat a rival once, and that’s it.
But most of all, I wish there was more to work toward. I’m not saying my ideas are great, but it’d be nicer to have more things like:
- Having your own customizable home/office
- A tab for news around the league
- Opportunities to 1v1 other golfers around the league for fame
Again, my ideas might not be what you want, but hopefully you get the message. Overall, the presentation of MyCAREER could’ve been better, but it’s not the game’s biggest issue.
The biggest problem with MyCAREER, and PGA Tour 2K25 in general, is the fact that it forces you to be online. If you don’t have an internet connection, you won’t be able to play MyCAREER, which is essentially the biggest reason to play the game. If you’re in the middle of a tournament, the game will literally kick you back into the main menu and send you to offline mode.
This has been the most frustrating aspect of the game. The worst part is that the game tells you it “saves your progress”. While this may be true for tournaments, any practice or training sessions you play won’t be saved. So if you’re on the last putt of your practice session, and you get kicked out, you’ll need to restart the session.
Now, PGA Tour 2K25’s MyCAREER isn’t the only 2K game that requires online to play it. However, at least with NBA 2K, there’s a variety of modes that can be played offline, like MyNBA. PGA Tour 2K25’s flagship mode (and the only one with depth) is really its only major mode. And you kind of need to improve your MyPLAYER if you want to use them in other modes as well.
Despite this issue, PGA Tour 2K25 offers a solid MyCAREER experience, but one that can get repetitive. It needs more presentational improvements, as well as more things for the player to work for.
Graphics – PGA Tour 2K25 Review
Graphically, PGA isn’t a massive upgrade over PGA Tour 2K23 (or 2K21 for that matter). The game still uses many animations that are the same or nearly identical to ones we’ve seen for years. However, that doesn’t mean it looks bad. On the contrary, PGA Tour 2K25 is a visually pleasing game.
The biggest strength of PGA Tour 2K25’s visuals are its beautifully designed courses. They look and feel authentic, and the variety of courses (27 at launch) give you a lot to look at. Though, I will say that after a certain point, most courses start to look the same unless you really know your Golf.
Overall, PGA Tour 2K25 looks good. But how does it sound?
Audio / Music / Sound Design – PGA Tour 2K25 Review
PGA Tour 2K25 is a relaxing game, and its smooth gameplay is complimented by soothing sounds that up the authenticity. No matter which course you’re on, you’ll hear the wind, the birds chirping, the commentators analyzing the situation, and it all blends together perfectly. The sounds of silence, followed by the subtle tap of the ball before make for a relaxing experience.
The menu music all compliments this too. The song selection in PGA Tour 2K25’s soundtrack fits the theme of the game perfectly. Overall, PGA Tour 2K25 hit all checkmarks when it comes to high quality sound design.
Verdict: Is PGA Tour 2K25 Worth Your Time & Money?
Overall, PGA Tour 2K25 is a solid product with good gameplay and pretty visuals. The controls feel great, the UI and menus are clean and easy to navigate, and acquiring VC in this game won’t cost you an arm and leg.
Fortunately, if you play online, Societies are a great way to make friends and keep the fun going. Playing with friends always makes games better, and PGA Tour 2K25’s Societies have potential to create a lot of fun memories for players. But if you’re more competitive, the game does offer ranked online modes for you to test your skills.
However, PGA Tour 2K25 does get repetitive. For me, I was feeling fatigue about five hours into my experience. MyCAREER is fun but shallow, and there’s not much beyond that for solo players besides TopGolf and Course Designer. And speaking of Course Designer, it is incredible, but plagued with technical issues that make the creation process slow. Lastly, MyCAREER’s forced online requirement can create frustrating situations.
But these issues don’t make PGA Tour 2K25 a “bad” game. If you love Golf, you’re going to enjoy the authenticity, as well as the quality gameplay offered here. But if you’re more of a casual fan, you may not want to spend enough time on the game to get your money’s worth. In the end, I think it’s definitely an improvement over PGA Tour 2K23, but it’s not the ultimate Golf game.
Fortunately, you can actually play PGA Tour 2K25 right now via the First Look Demo. Here, you’ll get a chance to try out the new EvoSwing mechanics while seeing the updated visuals. If you’re on the fence about buying the game, we encourage you to try out the demo.
Score: 7/10
Editor’s Note: ClutchPoints received a PS5 review copy to allow us to cover this game. These copies did not, in any way, affect this PGA Tour 2K25 Review’s final score and verdict.
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