In spite of its popularity, golf doesn’t have the sort of presence in video games that other some other sports do, though at the very least, developer HB Studios has been putting out yearly sims to cater to that audience. In less than a month, PGA Tour 2K23 will land on PC and consoles, bringing another golf sim for fans of the sport to dive into, and ahead of its launch, here, we’re going to take a look at a few key details that you should know about it.
PROS
PGA Tour 2K23 is expanding its roster of pros, and for the first time ever, will allow players to play as both male and female pros in online and local play. The headlining playable pro is, of course, Tiger Woods, a man you’re likely to be familiar with even if you’re not much into golf. Interestingly, Woods is not only playable in the game, he’s also been involved in its development. Having served as executive director, Woods has helped fine-tune the game’s authenticity. In addition to him, the other eleven playable pros confirmed to be in the game are Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Lexi Thompson, and Will Zalatoris.
COURSES
Arguably among the most important aspects of any golf sims is which courses it’ll feature (and how many of them it’ll feature), and PGA Tour 2K23 seems to be looking to ramp things up on this front as well. The game will launch with a handful of licensed courses that, by the looks of things, have been brought to life with impressive detail and authenticity. In total, there are 20 courses in the game, 17 of which are returning, with three being completely new. Some of the officially licensed courses confirmed to feature in the game so far are Blaine’s TPC Twin Cities, Las Vegas’ TPC Summerlin, Shelby County’s TPC Southwind, TPC Scottsdale, TPC San Antonio, Silvis’ TPC Deere Run, TPC Louisiana, Pacific Palisades’ Riviera Country Club, TPC Boston, Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club, and Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club.
Meanwhile, the three new courses in the game are the South Course of Wilmington Country Club, the Renaissance Club, and St. George’s Golf and Country Club.
MYPLAYER
PGA Tour 2K23 is making some improvements to its progression systems as well- specifically with regards to My Player. When creating your new player, you will have access to a number of new Archetypes to choose from (the exact number has yet to be confirmed), while players will also be able to fiddle around with five new Skills as they finetune their My Player. Meanwhile, plenty of new unlockable gear and equipment is also going to be available, entailing a number of major brands, including the likes of Jordan, 100 Thieves, Taylor Made, Wilson, and more.
TOPGOLF
If you’re looking to step onto the green for a more offbeat golfing experience, PGA Tour 2K23 is going to have you covered on that front as well. This year’s game is introducing Topgolf, which, as per the developers, is best enjoyed when played with others. Players will take turns hitting 20 balls each- aim for targets scattered everywhere and score points by hitting them, with the player with the most points at the end obviously being crowned the winner.
COURSE CREATION
PGA Tour 2K23 is, of course, bringing back a number of fan favourite modes from its predecessor, covering both online and offline play. One returning mode that’s bound to catch the eye of more than a few players is course creation. The Course Designer in PGA Tour 2K23 is promising a number of improvements, chief among them being a larger range of objects to place in your courses before you share them online with other players.
NEW SWING SYSTEM
One of the biggest additions in PGA Tour 2K23 is a new swing system. Those who prefer the classic analog swing stick will, of course, be able to stick with it, but the game will also have the option of a new 3-click swing system, which, according to developer HB Studios, is much more precise. Using the new system, players will first hold down X (on PlayStation, A if you’re on Xbox) and time its release close to the power circle, then tap the button to determine your swing path, then finally press it again to determine whether it will be an open or closed club face.
ACCESSIBILITY
If that all sounds too complicated and you’re just looking for a casual bit of golfing fun, PGA Tour 2K23 will have those options available as well, with HB Studios boasting a new and larger array of accessibility options. This will include multiple difficulty settings, shot suggestions, tips, real time tutorials, Lie Management, the TrueShot System, and more.
CROSS PROGRESSION
While PGA Tour 2K23 doesn’t seem to be launching with support for cross platform multiplayer, it will, at the very least, feature support for cross progression within console families. That means that if you’re upgrading from PS4 to PS5 or from Xbox One to Xbox Series X/S, you will be able to take the progress you’ve made in the game as well as your Shared VC Wallet with you (though DLC items won’t be carried over). Hopefully, cross progression across all platforms, not just within console families, will become available following launch- though there’s been no word either from HB Studios or from 2K about whether there are any plans to do that.
PC REQUIREMENTS
Moving on from consoles, if you plan on playing PGA Tour 2K23 on your PC, you’re not going to need a very beefy setup. On minimum settings, the game will require 6 GB of RAM, an Intel Core i5-760 at 2.80GHz, and either a Radeon HD 7850 or a GTX 660 (2 GB). Meanwhile, on recommended settings, you’ll need 8 GB of RAM, along with an Intel Core i5-4670 at 3.40GHz, and either a Radeon RX Vega 56 or a GeForce GTX 1070. On either setting, you’ll need about 12 GB of free storage space.
EDITIONS
As you’d expect, in addition to its Standard version, PGA Tour 2K23 will also launch with a couple of pricier options. There’s the Deluxe Edition, which include both current and last gen versions of the game, three days of early access, and the Michael Jordan bonus pack, which will let you play golf as the basketball legend, and unlock four common golf ball sleeves. It will also include the Golden Club Pack, and Deluxe Edition Bonus Pack, which in turn will come with 1300 VC, a hockey stick putter, gold baseball cap, gold glove, and three Rare consumable golf ball sleeves. Then there’s the Tiger Woods Edition, which will include all of the above, as well as the Tiger Woods Edition Bonus Pack. That will entail a a Tiger Woods TaylorMade wedge set, a Nike TW Golf tee shirt, and three Epic consumable golf ball sleeves. Also included will be the Tiger Woods Signature Sunday Pack, which will give you access to a red polo, black pants, a black hat, a pair of Nike TW Golf shoes, a Nike TW Golf belt, and the Tiger Bridgestone Golf ball brand. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition, meanwhile, will grant you the aforementioned Michael Jordan Pack.
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