Hands-on game preview: PGA Tour 2K25
Another year and it's time for another iteration of all your favourite sports games. Techday's Darren Price was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours with a preview build of the upcoming PGA Tour 2K25.
The exclusive PGA Tour 2K25 media demo was held at 2K's Sydney office overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge. The preview build was running on a PC, and I chose the and Xbox controller to play the game. After choosing my MyPlayer virtual golfer it was time for a round at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. This is one of 27 licenced courses in the game.
Visually, we are fast approaching photorealism. Whilst the effort is rightfully spent on capturing the ball physics of the game, PGA Tour 2K25 is a great-looking game. A breath-taking vista is what separates a good course from great course. And we are starting to see that now in the game. I could almost smell the freshly manicured green of Florida's Sawgrass course.
The game defaulted to the new Dynamic Rounds setting, so rather than playing all the holes, I just played a select few. This and Interactive Simulation, where players can jump in and out of a round, makes for a faster game if time is pressing. This was handy as I was playing a multi-day tournament, as part of the MyCareer mode, to get my PGA ticket.
The game has been developed by golf game veterans HB Studios who scored a hole-in-one with 2014's The Golf Club and its subsequent sequels (including a virtual reality version) before being snapped up by 2K in 2021 following the stellar Golf Club 2019 and PGA Tour 2K21.
The game mechanics will be familiar to anyone who's played a golf game over the past thirty years but refined to the point of nigh-on perfection. Using a controller and matching the club to the distance needed for the shot, a careful flick of the thumbstick, and making sure to properly line up the movement straight and clean, your virtual player will strike the ball with a satisfying clink.
The new Evoswing mechanic breaks the swing down into four parts, contact, rhythm, transition and swing path. Expect plenty of critique from the dry and rather passive-aggressive commentator after each shot.
I'm pretty sure that the game preview was set up with a few assists. I noticed that there was no wind gauge present. Unless my golfing prowess had improved from last year, I was being given some help.
And that's one of the things that makes PGA Tour so appealing. It's a game that invites couch competition and is suitable for all the family, at all skill levels. It's a game without violence and one that is actually relaxing. The excitement is there as the ball flies high across the fairway, and a bit of stress as you line up for the putt into the hole. But all in all, it's a game to unwind to. And I got lost in it during the preview.
PGA Tour 2K25 looks to be a beautiful game and I can't wait to get my hands on it when it comes out at the end of February. You can check out the demo which is available now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
