Like its predecessor, PGA 2K21, this game was a free monthly PS Plus game. PGA Tour 2K23 is the newest entry in the 2K golf games and it has a few new tricks.

The thing I never understood about people who buy each new installment of a sports title is that there’s not much change enough between them. At least not enough to justify a $60, or I guess it’s $70 nowadays, price tag. 2K21 had pretty solid gameplay & for the most part it all carries over to 2K23 with not much change. Golfing is very simulation based requiring you to choose the right club, master your aim, account for the wind, and learn to read a green. You have to develop the skills to win championships here. Luckily there are lots of difficulty slider options, so you can fine tune the game to your skill level. I couldn’t master the swing timing, so I turned that off to keep from every one of my balls going off into the rough.

PGA 2K23 does add in a little bit more in the form of an RPG system. You gain levels as you advance through courses by finishing matches and completing little challenges on certain holes. The points you gain each level can be spent to unlock boosts. These aren’t super arcadey, just things like having a bit more driver power or more accurate putts. But you have to activate these skills by doing a certain feat during a round of golf, such as “Get 3 birdies” or “Land on the fairway 5 times” and you can lose the bonuses by doing things like “Score Par or worse” or “Land 5 ft from the pin”. I never saw any indicator of when an ability is active. There’s no flash of light or power up sound that plays. There’s also a card powerup system that I could take or leave. You’ve seen these in other, more predatory-type games. They are cards on a rarity scale that you can attach to your clubs to boost their stats a hair, for a price. Luckily there’s no premium, cash-only currency, so you can use the money you earn in game to upgrade them.

The graphics of this game are up to the standard of a typical PS4 game. The golf courses are all pristine looking and are the star of the show. Your player character and their caddies look good, but the real-life golfers look like their faces were printed on. In an attempt to make them close to their real-life counterparts, they look a bit uncanny. The music is little less classical meets dubstep that we had in 2K21 and more techno corporate music. Still the kinda music you’d hear at a very fancy country club rave.

While you can play as the real pros in some game modes, the main story is about your custom character rising through the ranks to win the FedEx Cup. The customization options in 2K23 have been scaled way pack compared to the previous title. Gone are the smattering of vintage golf clothes for men and women, the best I could do was a sorta fifties style for my golfer. There’s a small smattering of polos, pants, and hats for men, and women have that plus a few skirts. It’s a bare selection & it’s not like the real money store has the more exciting options. The game is much more button down overall with a severe lack of color options.

Rivalries can also be a way you earn unique clothing items. These have you playing against a pro as a sort of small game within the larger game. Even if you don’t get first in the tournament you can still beat your rival. It’s mostly a gameplay mechanic and doesn’t really add any fun narrative hooks. Your final rival is Tiger Woods. I’ll admit, I kinda psyched myself out a little bit. As a young golfer growing up, I was a big Tiger fan. I know he’s one of the best, so I was intimidated playing against virtual Tiger Woods. You also have sponsorships from real companies like Nike, TaylorMade, and Callaway that will sign onto your brand. Play well and they reward you with clubs, balls, or clothing from their brand. It does get annoying that after every tournament you are constantly bombarded with new sponsorship requests even if you just signed onto a new one at the start of the tournament.

Each tournament you play through is framed like you’re playing through a TV broadcast of a golf game. There’s the intro and cutaway graphics and the game jumps around to show you how other golfers are playing. You have two announcers that constantly follow you. They add entertainment value during your playthroughs and offer insight on holes and other golfers. There’s also an on the field reporter that gives advice on putting. The announcers are also responsive to your playing. If you birdied the last hole, they’ll mention it later, or talk about how good your approach was, or comment on your putting game. All the canned lines can become a bit repetitious after awhile and if you are playing poorly, they have no problem rubbing it in. I couldn’t help but wonder how much fun it’d be to have some wrestler announcers instead.

All in all, these free PGA Tour games are making me a fan of sports games. Golf is boring to watch, but playing it is engaging. There were plenty of “almost” shots I made that had me shouting at the TV. As for PGA Tour 2K23, it’s just more of the same of the PGA Tour series. It’s competent and a game I found myself playing for hours, but if you have PGA Tour 2K21, you don’t really need to spend your money. For me, the lack of real clothing customization options was the deal breaker.