PGA Tour 2K25 review: Is this the best sports game of 2025?

USA Today

20-02-2025

It's nearly impossible for a sports video game to give you a similar sensation to actually playing the sport replicated on screen – but just like in real golf, the perfect shots you hit in PGA Tour 2K25 keep you coming back for another round.
PGA Tour 2K25 is a generational leap for the series, which saw its last entry release in 2022. With previous generation consoles out of the picture, the leap that developer HB Studios has been able to make is gargantuan.
From Royal Portrush to Pebble Beach, the 27 licensed courses look incredible. Lighting, shadows and surfaces have all been overhauled, but the most impactful changes to 2K25 are on the gameplay side.
New to 2K25 is the EvoSwing system. In previous iterations of the series, each shot generally had you pulling the stick back and pushing it forward in as perfect a line as you could manage. That's still an option here on lower difficulty levels, but most players will instead be shaping every shot with EvoSwing, just as the pros are doing in real life.
When you create a MyPlayer at the start of the game, you can assign either a natural fade or draw, which will determine how your standard shots fly through the air. With a fade, for example, you'll be pulling the stick down and to the right, and then pushing up and to the left. Shaping shots poses a greater challenge than firing perfectly straight lasers everywhere, but it's a far more rewarding when you get it right.
The feedback presented by the EvoSwing display is a big upgrade from the 2K23 swing meter, and helps you dial in your swing as you go through the round. Every shot is graded on four metrics – contact, swing path, rhythm and transition – and you'll be able to see where exactly you erred whenever a ball slices into the trees or comes up short into a bunker. If you aren't a swing stick type of player, the three-click swing mode is still included and has been upgraded with EvoSwing mechanics.
There are 11 playable professionals in the game – including Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas, Max Homa and Lydia Ko – but you'll likely be spending most of the time on the links as a created MyPlayer.
The character creator is robust, though I'd like to see more hair options. The biggest decision you'll have to make is your archetype, which determines your starting stats. There are five in total, each with particular strengths and weaknesses, and a unique skill path to follow. You can opt for a long-hitting powerhouse, but you'll struggle to keep many of those bombs in play. A greenskeeper will have a big advantage putting the ball, but will be lagging behind off the tee.
Over time, you can invest virtual currency into your MyPlayer to raise those stats and mask whatever deficiencies your archetype started with. As with any 2K game, the rate of progression and VC acquisition is always contentious issue, but I didn't have much of an issue getting my 'magician' archetype MyPlayer up to an 85 overall within a couple of days.
There are a ton of ways to earn VC, new clubs and attire, and the consumable upgrades like fittings just by playing the game. If you're planning on leveling every archetype, that could be a lengthy grind, but most players are likely going to stick to one or two MyPlayers.
In addition to upgrading raw stats, each MyPlayer has a skill tree to help you level up in each area of the game, or to unlock different shot types. Separately, the equipment you use upgrades over time. Once you max out a club, you can use a tool to evolve that club to the next level, from the base level to emerald and again to sapphire. Club progression unfortunately does not carry over between different MyPlayers, which is disappointing.
The MyCareer mode, like much of the rest of PGA Tour 2K25, is as deep as you want it to be. New to 2K25 is the dynamic round feature in MyCareer, which simulates part of a given round and has you jump into the action in crucial holes. Dynamic rounds help speed up the action and the progression of the season, and there are a ton of different simulation options to raise or lower the difficulty to your preference.
Along your journey to the PGA Tour, you'll engage in rivalries with other pros, sign sponsors to unlock new items, and raise your follower count by participating in post-round interviews with the media. You could choose to play through all 72 holes of a four-day tournament in MyCareer, or fast track yourself to major championships. It's all up to you.
PGA Tour 2K25 expands the multiplayer and competitive offerings, with crossplay now available for Societies, and I can tell the new Ranked Tours mode is where I'll be spending a lot of time. Ranked Tours offer both daily and weekly open tournaments, with multiple entry points for players at each difficulty level. When your friend group doesn't have a Society tournament running, Ranked Tours will always have something available for you to compete in.
The course designer has been revamped for 2K25, with a slew of new tools that will make editing your dream course a good deal quicker than it used to be. You could have the designer auto-generate 18 holes based on a few parameters and have a new course to play, or you could go hole-by-hole and meticulously shape the perfect course. With a week of launch, there will undoubtedly be hundreds of player-created courses available to play, and skilled creators are going to enjoy the new surface options.
There's something for everyone in PGA Tour 2K25, from beginners to the simulation purists who want to battle for every par.
PGA Tour 2K25 releases on February 28th, 2025, on PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S. The game will be available for early access on February 21st for deluxe and legend edition owners.