The sun is shining and the smell of freshly cut grass is hanging in the air, it’s time to get out the golf bag and head down to the course to ‘thwack’ a few golf balls down the fairway, or if you are a totally useless with a golf club like me then it’s time to grab your controller and sink your teeth into HB Studios and 2k Games latest offering PGA Tour 2K25, and there is a lot to sink your teeth into as the game is packed full of new modes and features that anyone even remotely interested in golf will enjoy. I really enjoyed the last game in the series, so I was really eager to put my ball on the tee and see how the latest offering improves on the previous game.

PGA Tour 2K25 features 27 licensed courses with new additions such as the 2025 U.S Open at Oakmont Country Club, the 2025 PGA championship at Quail Hollow Club and the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Along with the courses the game features a roster of 11 male and female pros, including Tiger Woods, Max Homma, Matt Fitzpatrick and Lydia Ko amongst many others. I must admit that compared to the number of licensed courses in the game the roster of pros does feel a little lightweight.

One of the biggest amongst the many additions to PGA Tour 2K25 is the all new ‘EvoSwing’ mechanic which uses the same method of control as previous games, pulling back on the analogue stick for your backswing and then pushing forward to hit the ball, but also now breaks your swing down into four components: contact, rhythm, transition and swing path and rewards you for precision inputs during your swing and provides with a bunch of feedback to review your swing and which areas you can improve on. EvoSwing has now become my preferred method of control in the game and I implore anyone who intends on playing the game to start out with this method, complete the tutorials and then head to the driving range to smash as many balls as possible as EvoSwing can be incredibly frustrating at first but if you spend the time coming to grips with it then it becomes the most intuitive and satisfying way of playing the game. For those who enjoy other control methods there is no reason to fret as old favourites such a the 3 click method still remain in the game. There are honestly so many ways that you can customise shot types and difficulty that literally anybody can pick up the game and have a rewarding time playing once they dial their settings in, this is a testament to how hard HB studios have worked to make PGA Tour 2K25 accessible regardless of how experienced you are with the game of golf.

PGA Tour 2K25 launches with a bunch of game modes and as mentioned previously I highly recommend you spend a fair amount of time on the tutorials and then do the same with the driving range as this will improve your understanding how the swing and timing mechanics work, once you are satisfied that you are ready to hit the course then you have several options as to where you want to start out. If you are the type of player that likes to play online and challenge other players then you could head straight to matchmaking and choose to go head to head against someone else, or team up in 2v2 Teams mode which rotates between Alternate Shot and Four Ball Formats, there is also wagers mode (which is basically the same as skins) for 2-4 players, Quick Match is for 2-4 players over 3 holes with a stroke play format, Divot Derby is for 2-20 players over 9 holes and High Rollers is head to head over 3 holes with a skins format.

For the more serious golfers out there HB Studios have added a new online “Ranked Tours” mode which contains daily, weekly and even seasonal events which will be updated while the PGA Tour season is in full swing, playing ranked tours mode will earn you promotions through several tiers if you play well, with the ever present fear that you can also lose points and get demoted to a lower tier if you play badly, unlike Ranked Matchmaking the tours mode is more aimed at online players of all skill levels with options to play events at different difficulties and using different swing input types. Topgolf mode also appears again this year and this leans more to an arcade style of golf for 1-4 players where you aim to take out a series of targets and score as many points as possible, this is my favourite online mode and I highly recommend checking it out. You are really spoiled for choice when it comes to online game modes in PGA Tour 25 and there really is a mode that everybody can enjoy.

MyCAREER mode is the heart and soul of PGA 2K25 and this year there have been several additions and improvements added that make this mode even deeper than it has been in the past. Players from previous 2K PGA titles will notice the changes as soon as they jump into the character creator as the MyPlayer customisation suite has been heavily improved, not only cosmetically as there are now various player archetypes to choose from such as Powerhouse, Technician, Magician, Greenskeeper and Sculptor all of which are more proficient in different parts of their golfing game, allowing you to build your MyPlayer around how you want to play. For those new to the series the MyCareer mode allows you to build a player and then choose to start then choose how you want to begin your career you can start off as a prospect on the Korn Ferry Tour and try to earn your way up to competing with the big boys or you can give yourself a baptism of fire and put yourself into competition against pro players straight away.

Every game and tournament you play in MyCAREER mode can earn you both experience points and VC (Virtual Currency) that can be used both to level up aspects of your players game such as power, putting ability and many others and to also purchase apparel and equipment for your players, every time you level up you also receive skill points to invest in the many skill trees in the game to further customise your players performance. Everything in MyCAREER mode is about levelling up and this year there are so many things to level up the sheer scope of it all may just make your head spin, not only do you get to level up your player you also get bonuses as you level up your equipment and gain rewards for progressing through the games “Clubhouse Pass”, you will even gain sponsors as you progress through your career and can level up with them to gain even more rewards. If you don’t want to spend the time grinding to make your player better you can always spend your hard earned dollars from real life and buy VC to maximise your players overall rating, which doesn’t make the game pay to win but it certainly could be classified as paying to gain an advantage, it isn’t exactly predatory but it doesn’t sit well with me, let’s just hope it doesn’t reach the depths of the NBA 2K series of microtransaction insanity in future instalments.

Further to all of the customisation and levelling systems that have been added to be able to customise your player the MyCAREER mode also brings Personality, Popularity, Conversations and Dilemmas to the game. You will receive invites to press conferences and sit down interviews with the media and the answers you give in these interviews will shape your players personality and also their popularity, not only that but you will also be presented with dilemmas at certain points in your career where you need to choose to focus on what type of gameplan you will have for an upcoming course and your choices will have a direct impact on your players stats and performance. If you are playing well enough you may even also receive a message from other PGA pros challenging you to a rivalry in upcoming rounds, which can pay off handsomely if you come out on top. Moreover, there are now daily and weekly quests in the game that can be completed for further bonuses and upgrades to your player. HB Studios have really taken MyCAREER mode this year and hit a hole in one, the amount of depth and customisation is staggering and there always feels like there is some form of progression to work towards.

The excellent Course Designer mode also features again this year with an abundance of new features such as a new high resolution terrain system, design tools, surfaces and items. You can create the golf course of your dreams and then upload it and share it with the community as well as downloading and checking out courses other communities have made. The designer mode is complex but also manages to be very simple to come to grips with and it’s easy to lose hours of your life in this mode alone designing a course and stamping your mark on it and then playing through it.

The presentation in PGA Tour 2K25 is about as close as you will come to a real life golf broadcast. From the stunning flyovers of the course before each hole, through to the excellent and insightful commentary provided by Luke Elvy, Rich Beem, Henni Koyack and John McCarthy. You can almost smell the grass wafting on a gentle breeze through the screen with the amount of immersion the game creates while you are out on the course, HB Studios have certainly raised the bar when it comes to presentation in golf games.

I had an absolute blast playing through most of the game modes in PGA Tour 2K25 but spent most of my time immersed in the depth of the MyCAREER mode levelling up and improving my player and working towards new sponsorship opportunities. Regardless of whether you are the type of person who only games for a few hours a week or are someone that has a lot of time to spare you will get enjoyment out of this game and the many different ways of playing and depth of customisation it provides, it really feels like HB Studios tried to make the game of golf as accessible as possible to newcomers whilst also providing the amounts of depth that hardcore fans of the game can also appreciate.