It’s time to step aside, Tiger Woods. I’m here, and I’m going to steal the show, or so I think. HB Studios and 2K Games have teamed up again to bring us another year of the ‘PGA Tour’, with this year getting the name ‘PGA Tour 2K25’. This year has been by far my favourite, and here is why.

PGA Tour 2K25 has brought some gameplay improvements, including ‘EvoSwing’ mechanics, which will break down your swings into four key components: contact, rhythm, transition and swing path. It was a great addition to the game, increasing my swinging skills. I could see where I needed to work. Precision Inputs have now taken over the Swing Timing system we were all used to, adding another level to your swinging game and simplifying the system.

Another mechanic has been added for the people who are playing 2K for more of a chill session and not so competitive. The feature is called ‘Perfect Swing’, which minimises all the external factors, making it perfect for new and experienced players who want to hit the ball up the fairway and onto the greens and be an absolute pro doing so.

There are currently 27 licensed courses, including the new additions of Oakmont Country Club, Quail Hollow Club and Royal Portrush Golf Club with 11 male and female famous pro golfers, including Tiger Woods, Max Homda, Lydia Ko and more. PGA Tour 2K25 has brought out the goods with the cover athletes for this year’s title, with the first being the golfing legend Tiger Woods, the rising star, Max Homa, and the 2022 U.S. Open Champion, Matt Fitzpatrick.

MyCAREER is back, and some superb little additions have made the gameplay more engaging, which worked well as I was invested from the start. They’ve added dynamic rounds, enabling you to play on certain course sections for faster progression. If you are like me, you can play in simulation, so it’s the entire tournament. Before each tournament, you could do a quick training scenario, which was good for keeping the skills brushed up and teaching where to put the ball to attempt those hole-in-ones.

I’m starting to see this feature in more and more sports games, which is the conversation and media side of things that help shape your player’s personality and help increase the fan base through media interviews, rivalries and sponsorship deals. I made my dude the biggest smartarse known to man, shaping him into an interesting critter. The ultimate goal in MyCAREER is to become the GOAT, and there is a checklist inspired by none other than, than Tiger Woods, again.

PGA Tour 2K25 is the first year I have been immersed in MyPLAYER. With the customisation and other aspects built into the mode, it has never interested me much. The developers have made MyPLAYER the most customisable experience to date this year. After creating your player, you can choose from five archetypes: Powerhouse, Technician, Magician, Greenskeeper, and Sculptor. The archetypes all start with a unique attribute setup that matches the play style.

When you level up, you can assign attribute points, improving your overall rating (OVR) and measuring your total potential. The skill system has now been overhauled with a dedicated skill tree broken down into different shot types like Tee, Approach, Recovery, Bunker, and Green. There is a little more to MyPLAYER than just the clothing you can wear and upgrading skills and attributes.

There has been an all-new system added, which is a progression system for your clubs and balls, which really makes you want to make sure you have the correct equipment for your playstyle and liking and then be able to progress them further, which in MyCareer could open up more opportunities for sponsors.

Have you ever thought you would be a great landscaper? Yeah, me neither, and playing with modes like Course Designer seals the deal for me. The Course Designer is back for another year, which has been updated like most of the other things in this game now with a high-resolution terrain system, new tools, surfaces and items that help players design their dream course, but it didn’t help me much as I’m not creative. They’ve improved camera controls and allow creation to feel more fluid than ever before.

Online Multiplayer returns with Stroke Play, Match Play, Scramble, and Online Societies, but it is not much different from last year. Cross-platform is the leading and most significant addition, which will allow more friends to compete or play together.

Ranked Tours is a new feature that has improved the 2K Official Society, giving players more ways to play, earn rewards, and progress. Ranked Tours include daily and weekly seasonal events, with weekly events following the actual PGA Tour schedule if you follow that. It uses the same ranking system as Ranked Matchmaking, so the same tiers are used from Bogey to Condor, where you can earn merits and go up further or lose and get demoted to the bottom like me. It’s a little different from Ranked Matchmaking, which allows you to play regardless of your skill level with options for your preferred difficulty and swing input.

PGA Tour 2K25 has changed how the Clubhouse Pass operates now. It is a non-expiring pass with premium and free tracks, but they removed the premium plus track this year. The tracks feature 100 tiers worth of rewards, which will stay relevant throughout the game. If you want to finish it quicker than the others, you can purchase tier skips with virtual currency. If you bought the Legend Edition, you can also purchase the Member Pass separately, giving you access to the first 5 seasons of the premium clubhouse pass and clubhouse gear packs included, which give you an outfit at the start of each season.

The audio in this year’s game doesn’t feel much different from last year’s title. I would have loved to see some improvements to the crowd reactions, maybe adding some cheering or general chatter in the background, as you hear on the TV. That being said, like the old quote, “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it”, that is where 2K must be at the moment, as you are limited to what you can do with audio in a game of golf, as it’s a quiet sport so it has its limitations.

Visually, there’s not much more realism they could squeeze out of this game, as last year’s already looked incredibly crisp. Some things looked a little more fine-tuned with the textures; making everything look a little more defined. The improvements are minimal, however, and the game looks very similar to last year’s title in terms of any real outstanding additions.

PGA Tour 2K25 was a game I could boot up, sit back and enjoy. It’s the first one in the series that I’ve had fun playing, and I found myself content just playing through and not taking shortcuts to get to the GOAT status. I’ve not reached GOAT status yet, but step aside Tiger Woods; I’m coming.

Written by: Hayden Nelson