It’s time to polish that wood and those putters because PGA Tour 2K23 is on the horizon. After a 1-year gap in the PGA Tour 2K lineup, all your favorite golfers are back and better than ever to smash their balls into orbit, chase those eagles and holes in one, and ultimately, become the PGA Tour 2K23 Champion. Developed by HK Studios and published by 2K, you can expect to see PGA Tour 2K23 landing on a fairway near you on October 14th. PGA Tour 2K23 will be available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.

PGA Tour 2K23 jumped out of nowhere for me. I didn’t even realize it was in the works, and playing sports games is an extremely niche market. Why play a sports video game when you can go out and do it yourself? Golf, on the other hand, is one of those sports games that I can constantly come back to, and PGA Tour 2K23 is one that I could see myself sinking multiple hours and playthroughs in. Golf has a special place in my heart. The skill and precision required to be able to read a course and green are seconded to none and PGA Tour 2K23 captures that perfectly.

During my brief time playing the game, being frustrated with my mediocre putting skills and inability to read the lie of the green was soothed when I started sinking 30ft chip shots and over 25ft putts on the green. I was so invested in competing with the competition I quickly lost track of time and was yelling at my monitor when the ball would ride a slope and end up over 20ft from the hole. PGA Tour 2K23 captures the pure essence of golf. I am not an enthusiastic gamer when soloing a game, but my gosh, when playing PGA Tour 2K23, I was fist-pumping and frustrated during my performances, and at times, I even found myself golf clapping when I sunk an amazing shot!

PGA Tour 2K23 has a few different game styles; the usual MYCareer and online multiplayer, but it introduces Topgolf, an emulation of the popular phenomenon where players can aim for targets and compete for high scores. The team at HK Studios has also improved the Course Designer, so you can create and play on your dream course and share them with the online community. Very limited information has been released on this portion of the game, so keep your eyes peeled!

The career and player customization are a lot more in-depth as well, with the player being able to customize almost every aspect of their golfer. Not only can you customize the looks and skins of your golfer, but you can customize every aspect of your golf bag. While playing the game you will unlock sponsorships, and upon winning or placing well in a tournament, your sponsors may be inclined to gift you parts of clubs, clothing, or a new set of balls relative to what you’re being sponsored for.

On your clubs, you can swap out shafts, heads, and grips, which all change the stats of the club, increasing attributes in power, timing, swing path, transition, shaping, and lie range. Attributes are balanced, which is a good thing, making the game more competitive and feel more rewarding. You can’t just max out the stats on a set of clubs and steamroll the competition. Increasing power will more than likely lower your ability to shape the shot and affect your swing path. Your player also gains a skill tree, with ability points being able to be spent in all your weak spots to help level the playing field. Skill points are distributed across all your different clubs and skills are activated situationally, like when hitting a ball out of the rough with a driver, or receiving multiple bogeys in a row.

Through your journey, you will be able to play as more than 14 world-renowned golfers, including Michael Jordan, Lydia Ko, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas, and more. PGA Tour 2K23 features 20 courses to play on, with 17 returning and 3 brand new. The brand-new courses include the south course of Wilmington Country Club, The Rennaissance Club, and St. Georges Golf and Country Club, with more courses available and added post-launch. HK Studios have also added a new 3-click swing option, a welcomed addition to the game, this makes using the keyboard and mouse a lot easier and I found no problem with the system.

The 3-click swing option is simple. On the power meter you have to click and hold the RMB and when the indicator is in the grey power zone release, then click when the pointer is at the uppermost section of the circle and lower-most section. The first click determines your power, while the other two determine your swing path and club angle. Sway too far from dead top and bottom and you will slice your shot. On the controller simply hold A/X on the power stroke, then tap it twice to line up the shot; an extremely easy way to play and very quick to pick up for new players.

PGA Tour 2K23, although a niche sports game, is extremely easy to pick up and play. Returning fans and new players looking to get into the franchise will not be disappointed with the ease of use. New players will be able to quickly learn the mechanics and flow of the game with the easy-to-follow and in-depth tutorial, which actually covers the trials you will come into on the course. The tutorial covers everything from head winds, tail winds, the lie of greens, bunker shots, and weather. If you need to use it in the game, the tutorial covers it. Previewing PGA Tour 2K23 had me immersed more than some of the current fully released games, and I can’t wait to see the full release!

Written by: Bigfoot