The PGA 2K series has evolved significantly in the past ten years, with PGA 2K21 offering licensed PGA courses, actual PGA Tour pros, and a challenging simulation style of play for golf fans. HB Studios has had the luxury of limited competition from Electronic Arts in that time frame, with the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series ending in 2013 and 2015’s Rory McIlroy PGA Tour failing to deliver on an experience that connected with fans. Now that EA is returning to the links in 2023, PGA Tour 2K23 will have to deliver on features that keep players coming back for a fresh experience, namely their online offerings in the upcoming game.

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PGA Tour 2K23: Online Play Matters

Golf video games are different from other sports games in that the focus is often more on the Create-A-Player modes than teams or individual athletes. In PGA games, most players create a character and play almost exclusively with that player while trying to win the FedEx Cup or dominate online, all while earning new skill boosts and gear. The Tiger Woods PGA Tour series did the online portion of the game particularly well, offering many modes, rankings, and ways for a player compete in what felt like a tour of its own. PGA Tour 2K21 was lacking in this area, and PGA Tour 2K23 will need to be a lot better to compete with the EA game.

Despite its faults, the EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour series offered a solid competitive multiplayer suite, complete with a lot of customization and ways for fans to play. Players could take part in standard stroke play matches with four players, or they could play match play and even get together with a friend and team up for alternate shot, best ball, or four-ball. Better yet, the Tiger Woods series features rankings systems and leaderboards that gave players pride in their accomplishments and something to work for. Even the much maligned Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, which had weak multiplayer, had leaderboards that showcased the players who did well in the game.

As a game that always focused more on realism, PGA Tour 2K21 offered players a simulation experience and a PGA Tour career mode that was the best in the series to date. In addition, the course creation feature is something that no other golf game on consoles have done on the level that HB Studios did, and when it added licensed PGA Tour courses in PGA Tour 2K2, the level of variety and quality only deepened. While it will never be at risk of having the poor course selection that plagued Rory McIlroy PGA Tour at launch, PGA Tour 2K21’s online offerings are relatively bare-bones compared to former and future competition.

It wouldn’t take a lot for PGA Tour 2K23 to deliver multiplayer that helps it stand out from EA Sports, but HB Studios will need to make online play a focal point of the game rather than an afterthought. Even in the PGA Tour 2K21 menu, multiplayer is more of an aside than a featured part of the game, and the options within are confusing at best. Co-op online modes like Alternate Shot and Best Ball alternate in availability by day, so players can’t play the option they prefer, and that may cause some fans to lose interest. Every PGA Tour 2K23 mode needs to stand alone and be available at all times for players, or the online portion of the game will pale in comparison to the EA Sports option next year.

Competitive players like to keep score, too, so leaderboards and good progression systems are a must. PGA Tour 2K21 did a great job with its Battle Pass, but a good ranking and leaderboard system will keep players playing PGA Tour 2K23 long after release. Players like to know who is best - many of the top streamers are also top players at their game of choice - and the possibility of moving up the leaderboard is a great incentive for gamers to play one more game of PGA Tour 2K23.

PGA Tour 2K23 is scheduled to release on October 14 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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