Spending more time with PGA Tour 2K25 brought more positive than negative— though problems with the Xbox Series version not loading persisted, which almost led to me not playing the game at all. More on that in a bit.
The first positive was that the commentary opened up a bit from my first 18 holes. Andrew Catalon, who’s mostly known for his work with CBS Sports and who does have some golf announcing experience, alternates play-by-play duties with Luke Elvy. It was a plus to hear a different voice; however, Catalon’s lack of video game voiceover experience is quickly apparent as his delivery is largely bland and sounds exactly like he’s reading from a script. That said, Catalon seems reserved for bigger events, so there’s a sense of multiple commentary teams. The on-course commentary from Henni Koyack and John McCarthy is better; McCarthy actually gets more lines and Koyack does have lines here that suit the role better than droning on and on about rivals as in 2K23.
The Training and Pre-Tournament activities in MyCareer are fun, and sometimes pretty challenging. The rewards are worth it for playing the training events and posting great results, though. Stat and XP bonuses can be really helpful. I’m not a fan of shooting through loops, but accuracy challenges from different lies or making tough putts are my go-to choices when they’re available. Pre-Tournament activities let players sample a few holes on the course that the week’s tournament is being played, so it’s a decent preview while allowing the player to possibly get rewarded for posting low numbers.
On the courses, play is as good as it’s ever been. Not hitting fairways with tee shots can be costly, and missing greens into the rough or sand in approach shots can create problems. I have some work to do with figuring out best uses for pitch shots, as they tend to have too much roll. This is a good problem to have, since it’s a part of my play that I need to work on and practice. Until I figure it out, though, I find myself needing to be precise with my distance control so I can avoid pitches when I can.
MyCareer also has a rather significant focus on interactions and conversations. Gaining social media followers and setting a personality is seemingly lifted from NBA 2K and EA’s NHL games, and I don’t mind it here. I unlocked a special interview where a certain choice earned me a putting bonus for the next event.
One negative is that, during my time, it was impossible to buy things with VC. I wanted to buy a putter and a new shirt for customization, but the transactions always errored out. I wound up using the VC to boost my player’s stats instead, though I can’t say that having 99 Power has really done much from my distance off the tee. This will almost certainly be fixed down the line, but again— bad early impressions.
Then comes the elephant in the room— the technical issues. Why video game publishers still cannot seem to release games in 2025 that don’t work as promised is a mystery. Having to keep forcing my console to shut down and then restart it from scratch to play your game isn’t a fix, 2K. Between this issue for (allegedly some) Xbox players, the inability to buy things from the “SuperStore”, glitchy club graphics in said store, and more… it’s hard to recommend it despite my impressions turning more positive from my first experience. Sadly, as with most games these days, the best experience comes if you buy a game a few weeks or even months after it launches.
Full disclosure: I don’t play online, so I cannot and will not comment on things like matchmaking or online tournaments or events. I’m solely playing for the MyCareer mode, and I’m only a few events in.
My earliest impressions of PGA Tour 2K25 probably carded the game as a bogey. Now, it’s probably a par score— fine enough and even winning scores when the stakes are high, but not the result you really want. Is there a birdie in here somewhere, waiting to be found? Only time— and completing more events— will tell.
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