PGA Tour 2K23 from 2K Sports and developer HB Studios has traveled quite the journey to release for a sports title.

In a land of annual releases, the series actually took a year off after 2020's PGA Tour 2K21 and that only released after a rebranding, with the game formerly known as The Golf Club.

Fitting, then, that 2K23 features Tiger Woods on the cover as it preps to confront major expectations. Chief among those is an organic expansion of real-world elements and must-have features, a new three-click swing system tops among them.

On paper, 2K23 resembles something of a new peak for the series, and if the execution is right, an unstoppable force in command of its niche.

Past iterations of the series were already very strong because of the foundation laid by The Golf Club, a simulation-heavy affair with a rewarding learning curve.

Naturally, one of 2K23's main goals is further accessibility. The last installment in the series had three difficulty settings and tons of assists not unlike those found in racing games. The expected expansion here comes in the form of actual mechanics.

The three-click swing system is the best way to approach a complex accessibility issue. It's a classic and been done endless times across all sorts of games—for a reason. The one found here tests a player's timing skill, and the results are immediately present on screen. A circular system was an interesting design choice, but the concept and fun factor of it hit just right for all levels of players.

Which isn't to say the standard-fare swing mechanic, controlled by inputs on an analog stick, is a bad thing. It still controls as well as ever and provides a much deeper simulation feel to the gameplay, if not immersion, too.

But it's that great-feeling inclusion of the three-click system, paired with assists, error analyzers and so much more that really broadens the experience.

All of the simulation feel players have come to expect otherwise remains and is either untouched or enhanced. Players can tweak things like back spin, wind and loft. And a player's screen is also always jam-packed with feedback and information (adjustable via options, too).

The game also promises revamped surface and flight physics, which indeed feels upgraded, especially when shooting out of a rough or trying to angle a shot underneath an overhanging branch.

Overall, PGA Tour 2K23 achieves an important feat here—the added gameplay options welcomes in all types of players in the same way FIFA does, and that series is top dog for a reason.

It's this pick-up-and-play feeling, including the game's impressive way to properly auto-select clubs for the situation, that helps it feel like the best-playing golf game in years.

Tack on an impressive tutorial system upon boot-up to help along newcomers and veterans alike and the series feels truly modernized, gameplay-wise.

Graphics and Presentation

PGA Tour 2K23 is a looker across its trumpeted 20 licensed courses and 12 more fictional romps, and it isn't afraid to showcase it with grand sweeping camera angles and zooms. It's a truly next-generation-console-looking experience, with trees and shrubbery clearly reworked and highlights such as rippling water underneath a boat on a lake a standout.

Besides the faithfully recreated courses, the Las Vegas Topgolf location is accurately represented, including the surrounding details. The 10-turn minigame properly brings in those different-sized targets and fast-paced action in a way that is oh-so-video games.

Small details otherwise take precedence when enjoying what was already expected to be strong visuals. The inclusion of caddies is a highlight, and this also marks the first time female pros have been included, plus some fun crossover appearances by big names like Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry.

The game also makes small strides in immersive cinematics too, via trophy presentations. It still feels a little barebones overall, but it's at least clear there is an understood emphasis on expanding in this area to further immersion.

Sound design is an underrated area where the series makes a notable next-generation leap, too. The crack of a club seems grander than in the past, and the crowd properly goes from silent to an outright uproar at the right moments, heightening immersion.

Commentary, however, feels mild when compared to other sports titles. And to the game's credit, it's something sports games have struggled with for a long time. Properly making a video game version of golf commentary exciting while staying true to real-life commentary is a fickle thing, but the presence of oft-repeated lines doesn't help.

Overall, the presentation package needed to clear one big hurdle—accuracy and next-generation visuals. What's here hits the bar and offers an encouraging sign for the future, too.

MyCareer and More

The continued expansion of 2Kisms within the golf series is both smart and pulled off well.

Tops there is MyCareer, of course, where players take full control and climb the ranks (or outright select) one of the Q-School, the Korn Ferry Tour and, of course, the PGA Tour.

Said career will unfold over 34 tournament events, and it's not unnoticed that players can even change the order or locale of some events.

One of the bigger additions to the mode is the ability to pick a rival. While a great idea, and it's at least nice to have, it feels quite barebones otherwise. Actual bonuses and perhaps even cinematics besides a simple comparison to that pro would be a welcome expansion in future editions.

The push for player agency and modernization continues beyond that too with an RPG-esque sponsorship factor found in things like racing games. Players can court new sponsors, hop between them and even stack many of the same brand for bonuses, making for another fun minigame within a game mode.

MyPlayer is where things get really interesting.

When fleshing out a custom character, players can choose from five different archetypes. Picking a powerhouse type and just slamming a ball off the tee as far as possible to open each hole is a blast, though it will come at the cost of potential accuracy and skill in trickier areas.

Speaking of skills, players can choose from a few different ones that provide benefits. Some are passive and only activate during certain scenarios. Others might help a player out of a slump or further enhance a hot streak. It's a brilliant way to add more depth to a player, if not realism—we all know those golfers who magically rebound from several bad shots on a whim or who get hot and are downright unstoppable.

There is actually quite a bit of RPG-like depth to the skill investment system overall. Players earn skill points across solo and online modes to invest in areas of their choosing. Players won't be able to unlock everything, so it's a very interesting game of either amplifying strengths or trying to balance the scales by covering up weaknesses.

Players can also toss different fittings onto a club. By altering the head, shaft or grip, this affords even more control over a club's performance. These, like a variety of games now, have rarity tiers attached to them, for better or worse.

There are fun nuances to fleshing out skill trees, too. Some created characters might unlock a skill that allows them to be better than most at shooting out of a sand trap, for example. It creates a nice feeling of control in a sport that otherwise doesn't have positional designations.

But the fittings conversation beelines into a somewhat-concerning one. The game isn't without some modern trappings such as the Clubhouse Pass, a pseudo-Battle Pass found in other games. The usual 2K Virtual Currency makes it in and plays a role, too. Like NBA 2K, it indeed feels on the grindy side, and how online play juggles those club fittings will be something to watch closely.

While small, Topgolf is a brilliant side game mode that is perfect for those who don't feel like grinding out a full course's worth of game or for a pick-up-and-play couch session with friends. Divot Derby and three-hole matchmaking also return in these small-but-fun sideshow modes.

Course Designer returns as well, this time with a new user interface that makes things smoother. The mode also benefits greatly from the overhauled visuals on things such as bushes and trees. It's a robust mode with new setpieces and the like and stands strong compared to other creation suites in sports and racing games, which is saying something given how far those have come in recent years. The ability to head online and share or download other creations will again be a staple feature that helps the game thrive, just as 2K21 did while holding it down for two years. Between the NBA, WWE and PGA Tour series, 2K go off the deep end in creation suites.

Otherwise, the push for player agency continues in the menus, not unlike other sports and racing games. There are droves of assists and tweakable options to experiment with. Even in-game, something like holding a button to speed things up right after a shot is a welcome option to leave a player's fingertips.

Conclusion

Thanks to the new shot meter and the suite of options, PGA Tour 2K23 is relaxing for new players in the same way actually hitting the links with friends on a breezy morning can be.

It's an important step for the series to take given that the simulation side was already so well-represented. The tempo, fun factor and information at a player's fingertips remains. So too does the number of options to customize the experience.

Tack on an ever-expanding list of real-life integrations and 2K-styled depth across multiple game modes, and it has been a downright blast to watch the series grow.

The best part? This year's game has more than enough to hold over fans for multiple years, if necessary, but it's doubly clear this isn't nearly the apex of what it can achieve. Like the on-course action or in the minigames, it's an exciting and fun idea, as a golf video game should be.