2K’s pinnacle golfing experience is returning, and like most sports titles features a few incremental changes over its predecessor. Authenticity and realism have always been at the forefront of PGA Tour games, and it’s pleasing to see that the bulk of 2K25’s innovations are putting the simulation side of things into focus. Here’re 15 things to know before you tee up for your first round.
What is it?
“Next Round, Best Round” is the tagline 2K and HB Studios are assigning to this year’s iteration of their biennial golf sim in hopes it’ll entice you to a digital tee off. 2K’s PGA Tour series emulates the sport of golf, obviously, but with a specific PGA Tour edge, which is the North American championship showcasing the best talents in the world. It’s blended accessibility and authenticity appeals to fledgling and diehard golf fans alike, although with the US Open Championship, The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship all making their franchise debut in PGA Tour 2K25 we can foresee a higher proportion of long-standing PGA Tour fans picking 2K25 up.
Of course, PGA Tour 2K executive director, and Tiger Woods is adorning this year’s cover, and sitting alongside perhaps the greatest linksman since Jack Nicklaus is six-time PGA Tour winner Max Homa and 2K-sponsored 2022 US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Playable roster
PGA Tour 2K25 will feature eleven stars from both the PGA and LPGA Tours on launch. In addition to the three cover stars, we have Brooke Henderson, Collin Morikawa, Lydia Ko, Justin Thomas, Tom Kim, Tony Finau, Rose Zhang, and Will Zalatoris. These eleven you’ll be playing as and competing against across the digital greens, and it’s fair to say it’s a solid list so far which represents a mix of seasoned veterans and exciting up-and-comers. Some high-profile names are absent; 2K will share more as we approach 2K25’s release date.
Playable courses
Twenty-nine licensed courses are primed and ready to tee off come PGA Tour 2K25’s launch, including a trio of newcomers in Pennsylvania’s historic Oakmont Country Club, Northern Ireland’s challenging Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club, and this year’s PGA Championship venue Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina appearing for the first time alongside PGA Tour classics like Pebble Beach. The Player’s Championship course at TPC Sawgrass will also feature on launch, with additional venues such as the prestigious Old Course at St. Andrews arriving in post-release updates.
MyPLAYER
On top of caddying pristine fairways in command of the world’s best golfers you can also live out your dreams of being a golfing legend with 2K25’s MyPLAYER, a create-your-own experience 2K are promising as the most diverse and customisable to date. Building your MyPLAYER from the ground up with a slate of appearance, stat, and archetype options are par for the course, but this year it sits alongside an all-new attributes points progression system, an overhauled skill tree, and a novel equipment progression system.
MyCAREER
Taking your MyPLAYER creation to the links via MyCAREER is still the best way to level up to legendary status, and in addition to MyPLAYER’s boon in features 2K are also pledging 2K25’s MyCAREER as the most immersive iteration ever. Showcasing your personality through media interviews, for instance, or your unique gameplay style via simulating extra gameplay moments in all-new training and pre-tournament events are just some of the innovations on offer this round.
New equipment and apparel
More equipment and apparel are equip-able in 2K25 than any prior PGA Tour. Yes, your player can be customised with a variety of options from licensed brands including Mizuno, Cobra, TaylorMade, Callaway, Puma, and Titleist supplying clubs and balls, with apparel from Nike Golf, Malbon, Adidas, Lululemon, and more.
New mechanic – EvoSwing
Enhancing PGA Tour 2K25’s authenticity and realism further is the innovative new mechanic EvoSwing which, in 2K’s words, “truly nails the feel of handling a golf club.” In play, on-screen stats for ball contact, rhythm, transition, and swing path are displayed, giving you ample enough information to work towards the perfect swing. Additionally, as part of EvoSwing, 2K25 features new shot types, ball flights, roll physics, and visual improvements.
Ranked Tours
Tee up online with friends or foes and compete for top position via 2K25’s new ranked tours, comprising daily and weekly tournaments whereby you can earn rewards the further up the rankings you climb. Now, prior PGA Tour games harboured an element of imbalance in that swing stickers – such as those using controllers – and 3-click swingers weren’t separated in ranked play. One method is arguably easier than the other, and whilst the question was asked numerous times during a recent Reddit Q&A 2K declined to answer. With EvoSwing being incorporated, it might be a moot point; regardless, 2K’s silence doesn’t bode well.
New cross-platform societies
PGA Tour 2K25 allows you to challenge your mates wherever they play via cross-platform play, but 2K25 is also offering new societies whereby you and your pals can create your own community of golfers and take to the fairways together in game modes and events customised with your own entry requirements. Multiplayer match formats include stroke play, match play, or scramble, and these can be played locally or online.
Changes to seasons
At present, there are five seasons planned for 2K25, each lasting twelve weeks. Seasonal battle passes in the shape of Clubhouse Passes are returning from 2K23, and they’ll allow you to progress through tiers during each season to earn rewards including clothing and equipment plus XP boosts for your MyPLAYER creation. Each Clubhouse Pass has 100 tiers, with 34 of these tiers containing free rewards. To unlock premium tiers, you’ll need to pay $9.99 for Clubhouse Pass Premium, or $39.99 for a Members’ Pass to unlock all premium rewards through seasons one to five. One thing to note is you can progress through seasons at your own pace. Your Clubhouse Pass will not expire, even when a new season is live.
Topgolf mode
Introduced in PGA Tour 2K23, the arcade-style Topgolf mode makes a return in this year’s iteration. 2K haven’t shared whether this mode is simply returning or whether it’ll harbour changes, but as it was Topgolf provided a fun driving range experience whereby you’d aim your swing towards targets across the field of play. It was a fun levelling up tool for single players, and provided a source of friendly, low-stakes competition between friends. The globally recognised venue in Las Vegas was the playable course in 2K23 – perhaps we’ll see somewhere new this time?
Course designer
PGA Tour’s industry leading course designer returns in 2K25, and 2K assure is they’ve revamped the experience with all-new tools, surfaces, and items, allowing players to build their dream courses with ease. Furthermore, new camera systems showcase your creation from all the most dramatic angles, with courses shareable across the global online community.
Editions
There’re three editions to order this year: Standard Edition which, of course, includes the base game. Deluxe Edition features up-to 7 days early access plus the early birdie bonus accessible from 21st February. Included in the early birdie bonus is the birdie pack, the starter pack, and the Extra Butter x Adidas pack, with each featuring equipment and apparel to be adorned right away, plus levelling up tokens, tools, and digital currency. The Butter X Adidas pack also includes Chris McDonald as a playable pro. The Legend Edition has everything the Deluxe Edition includes plus the Sun Day Red pack, the Malbon bucket ball pack, and the aforesaid Clubhouse Members’ pack.
PC requirements
At a minimum, your PC will require a Ryzen 5 or Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 570 GPU, and directX version 12 to play PGA Tour 2K25. Recommended settings as per the game’s Steam listing include Ryzen 7 2700X or Core i7 6700 processors, 12GB of RAM, and GeForce RTX 2060 Super or Radeon 5700XT GPUs running at 8GB RAM. The game requires 30GB of storage space.
Release date, platforms, price
PGA Tour 2K25 releases globally on 28th February 2025, with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC the playable platforms. Pre-orders have been available to purchase since 14th January, costing $69.99, $99.99, and $199.99 for the Standard, Deluxe, and Legend editions respectively. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition will unlock the Extra Butter X Adidas pack which otherwise is only available when purchasing the two highest tiers.
