PGA Tour 2K25: We were among the first to play it - what we really think

PGA Tour 2K25 is the latest upcoming game in 2K's golf video game series and after having a four-hour in-depth hands-on preview session with it, Indy100 is pleased to report the game is shaping up to be well and truly in the swing of things - for the most part.

The game is due to release on February 28; it's developed by HB Studios and published by 2K.

Straight off the tee, every aspect of the gameplay itself in PGA Tour 2K25 feels so much more satisfying than it's predecessor so far - the new EvoSwing swing mechanic is a joy to play with and every fairway and green in regulation, along with the odd outrageous chip-in and monstrously long putt, felt incredibly satisfying.

The customisable options in MyPLAYER are great and vast; players can choose whether to look like a true pro golfer or something a lot more charismatic like a cowboy with a lot of options in between.

The overhauled Skills system feels great too and Indy100 could really start to feel the incremental gains from levelling up the five different shot types, which are Tee, Approach, Recovery, Bunker and Green. It will be great to see how this further develops and impacts gameplay.

Upgrading equipment is not as fiddly as first feared and it was great seeing the stats of these improve the more rounds Indy100 completed with it.

Indy100 played the game on the new Perfect Swing difficulty, described as the "most accessible and forgiving golf experience", to see what it was all about and it was very fun yet relaxed.

There are loads more options to crank up the difficulty and realism which we're looking forward to trying out going forward.

Playing the Majors in PGA Tour 2K25 on their official courses is really fun - even if its presentation doesn't stand out from tour events / 2K

PGA Tour 2K25 has 27 licensed courses and three of the four Majors including the real-life locations of where the US Open, PGA Championship and The Open will be played in 2025.

It doesn't have the rights to the Masters (EA has those) but this is a significant improvement over what's in PGA Tour 2K23 which had the PGA Tour itself, which returns this time around, but its own version of unlicensed Majors.

In MyCAREER, players still compete in tour events to earn a spot at the FedEx Cup at the end of the season (earlier career starting moments are available but in this preview, Indy100 was put straight into the tour) yet in terms of the Majors, there seems to have been a swing and a miss when it comes to the presentation of these.

Aside from specific commentator comments and the scorecards in the broadcast presentation being a different colour, that was about it in terms of differences from how a regular tour event is covered, including the 'trophy presentation'.

But with that nag out of the way (we'll have a more in-depth look at MyCAREER in the full review), dynamic rounds in MyCAREER is a new feature to the PGA Tour 2K series that's already been included in EA Sports PGA Tour - it allows players to play a handful of holes in a round instead of the full 18 with the rest being simulated.

It really helps to speed up PGA Tour events that are not Majors or other key events (options for these can be customised separately), helping to progress a character and keep them on track without ever having to miss out or play a long round.

There are loads more ways to build and customise an original golf course this time around with the fine details that can be tuned nothing short of remarkable.

Players will have a blast seeing their creations come to life; Indy100 played around with a tropical golf course setting with narrow fairways and tight greens with lots of trees and water around.

Playing an original picturesque 18th with the sun setting and a small crowd gathered around an intimate green cheering on a birdie attempt is something that will stick with Indy100 for a while - it was a joy seeing a vision be realised so vividly.

These huge customisation options mean online play is likely to be bigger and better than ever, which is what PGA Tour 2K25 specialises in, especially when amazing new course creations will be shared.

Indy100 can't wait to see what the community comes up with, try some of these out and compete with other players from around the world, again which will be covered in the full review.

The picturesque 18th green Indy100 proudly created in PGA Tour 2K25 / 2K

PGA Tour 2K25 seems to be very much about refining rather than redefining, upgrading the foundations built by the previous PGA Tour 2K23 title.

There's still a long way to go before the game releases and the signs are promising, despite grievances about the presentation of Majors in MyCAREER.

But MyPLAYER, gameplay and course creations have been the standout highlights so far.

For those wanting to get a head start, the free-to-play First Look demo is now live on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC where players can create a player in MyPLAYER, play rounds in Local Match Play with Training and Quests also available.

Progress made in the demo then translates to the full game when it releases.

Elsewhere, check out the Indy100 review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II and gamers have been reacting to the first official look at Battlefield 6.

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