EA Sports PGA Tour

About

"EA Sports PGA Tour is a golf simulation game that offers an exclusive experience of the Majors. It provides superior gameplay with Pure Strike and ShotLink technology, and comes with early access to Augusta National and exclusive gear in the Deluxe Edition. Play at the world's most exclusive golf courses and win Championships."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

67%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,401 reviews

gameplay83 positive mentions

stability110 negative mentions

Great graphics and gameplay, providing a realistic golf experience.
Challenging courses that require strategic thinking and skill development.
Fun to play, especially in career mode with a variety of challenges and tournaments.

Frequent crashes and bugs, particularly in career mode, leading to loss of progress.
Poor character customization options and a clunky user interface.
Requires constant online connection, limiting offline play and causing frustration.

gameplay
264 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
7%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its graphics and course design while criticizing the swing mechanics as inconsistent and frustrating. Players noted that while the core gameplay can be enjoyable and addictive once mastered, the mechanics often feel clunky and unrealistic, leading to a steep learning curve. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from technical issues and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is fantastic and the game runs much better than I feared.”
- “Gameplay is great, lots of content!”
- “The gameplay, graphics, and commentary are all top notch and far better than 2k23.”
- “The gameplay and swing mechanics are awful.”
- “The swing mechanics feel laggy and delayed; ball physics, in particular, the way they interact with the course, were laughable.”
- “The game is worth $20 max. Broken mechanics, poor FPS, stutters constantly, poor input, crashes constantly, loses the game if you are playing with friends when a crash happens, microtransactions, poor graphics.”
graphics
251 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning course visuals and overall graphical fidelity, often described as the best in any golf game to date. However, numerous players report issues such as graphical glitches, stuttering, and performance problems, which detract from the experience. While some find the graphics beautiful and immersive, others feel they are outdated or not optimized for modern hardware, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.
- “The graphics and visuals are beautiful and look to be near 1:1 of the real courses, there's also a ton of great courses to choose from.”
- “Graphics are excellent with each course being represented true to life with laser scanned level of accuracy.”
- “The graphics are amazing, probably the best for any golf game to date.”
- “The only thing it's improved is arguably the graphics, although the character models look odd to me.”
- “Graphically, it also looks like something from about 10 years ago.”
- “The graphics are an absolute resource hog as well, and on a GTX 1080 I can't even get 60 fps on low-medium settings.”
stability
111 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
99%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experience freezing issues, particularly in career mode and menus, despite multiple patches aimed at improving performance. Overall, the game feels unfinished and unstable, leading to frustration among users who find it unplayable at times.
- “The game runs great on my rig, and I've only noticed two bugs, neither of which affected the gameplay.”
- “I've experienced minimal issues; the game is stable and performs well overall.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive, with very few bugs that don't interfere with the experience.”
- “I wouldn't recommend this version of EA Sports PGA Tour; it's extremely buggy.”
- “The program freezes and crashes all the time, and I have to restart my PC every time; it's just unplayable.”
- “This game is a buggy mess.”
optimization
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
43%
40%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of severe stuttering, frame drops, and overall poor performance, particularly on PC. Many players have noted that even high-end systems struggle to maintain smooth gameplay, leading to frustration with controls and menu responsiveness. While some users have experienced acceptable performance, the consensus is that the game requires significant optimization improvements to meet player expectations.
- “Despite sluggish character creation buttons, and sometimes getting stuck at random menus, I still find it a great game. I have no problem with performance; I've played the 2K21 and 2K23 series on my 5-year-old laptop. There are some random FPS drops, but the FPS seems to be stable in EA Sports PGA Tour with smoother graphics. Well done.”
- “I purchased the PC version, and with my 2070 video card, I am getting FPS ranging from the low 60s to the low 80s, so the game runs smoothly.”
- “I'm definitely enjoying the very dynamic career path you can take your player down depending on performance, and being able to take a strategic approach between deciding to go direct to the PGA Tour or going to Korn Ferry first if you win at Q School.”
- “The game has far too many issues with stuttering and frame drops/spikes.”
- “Absolutely abysmal performance even on powerhouse machines.”
- “This game feels like it was rushed out the door without so much as a cursory glance at optimization.”
monetization
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
22%
65%
The monetization in this game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it as a blatant cash grab filled with intrusive microtransactions and advertisements. Despite paying a premium price, users feel forced to engage with ads and in-game purchases that hinder gameplay and progression, leading to a general sense of frustration and disappointment with EA's approach. Overall, the monetization model is seen as exploitative, detracting from the overall gaming experience.
- “This game is worth $30 new...maybe...not the gouged $70 they are charging, not to mention the in-game purchases (which I would avoid at all costs).”
- “Arbitrary progression and shot mechanics that are trying to push you to microtransactions and daily challenges that 95 percent of progression is locked behind.”
- “Most actual upgrades are locked behind enhancement items, which drives you towards microtransactions, of course.”
- “This is just another EA game designed to get your money through microtransactions.”
- “The monetization is also quite annoying, but to be expected from this era of EA and games in general.”
- “Not only is this a huge disappointment for a long-time golf player, but for the high price of the game, this seems more like a cash grab from EA rather than an actual attempt to learn from their previous mistakes in golf games or even listen to community suggestions.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
61%
22%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of coherence and engaging narrative, with many players finding the quests and challenges confusing and poorly implemented. Users report numerous bugs and issues that hinder progression, such as quests not registering correctly and a lack of meaningful story in career mode. While some players appreciate the potential for improvement and the satisfaction of mastering gameplay mechanics, the overall consensus is that the story elements are disjointed and in need of significant refinement.
- “Challenges, quests, and tournaments also make this game great to play.”
- “The quests are comprised of winning tournaments, sponsorship challenges, and going through coaching (which I would personally recommend playing through first and foremost anyway, as the coaching mode will give you some great insight into how to play the game... and it will not seem nearly as boring as it will after you've played a tour or two).”
- “All while playing the 18th hole of Harbour Town over and over again, hoping to continue my story.”
- “I've played this game for 15 hours and I still can't figure out the point. I go to the quests, and I can't play any of them; they are there but you simply can't select any to play. In tour mode, I shot 5 under for a tournament only four steps into the progression of the season, and now I can't go any further until I win a tournament or score 125 points in the FedEx Cup.”
- “Same with quests... I just played the Masters and one of the quests is to score -9 or less. I managed a -10 in one round with an overall score of -21, and yet it never acknowledged it and denied me the reward. The game still needs a lot of work ironing out the bugs.”
- “There's no story in career mode.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and monotonous, often requiring significant time investment to unlock rewards or upgrades, which can feel like a ploy to encourage microtransactions. Players find the need to grind for credits and skill points frustrating, as it limits progression and enjoyment, particularly in single-player modes. While some challenges can be engaging, the overall sentiment is that the grinding detracts from the experience, making it feel more like a chore than a rewarding gameplay element.
- “You can unlock sponsor-specific clothing via challenges; however, these feel painfully grindy and monotonous, which is designed to push you into making real money purchases to obtain these sorts of things.”
- “The whole system is just one giant tedious grind unless you shell out gobs of cash from your pocket.”
- “Well, to summarize, it's to get you to spend microtransactions to make your golfer better with arbitrary power-ups. You can, on paper, buy them without spending money, but it's going to take a lot of grinding—a whole lot.”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
The music in the game is described as fitting but repetitive, often leading to a lack of variety during gameplay, with instances of bugs causing it to malfunction. While some players appreciate the cinematic quality that resembles a real TV broadcast, others find the menu music monotonous and unappealing. Overall, the soundtrack fails to leave a lasting impression, with many wishing for more engaging and diverse audio experiences.
- “The music and the commentary almost makes me feel as though I'm watching a real TV broadcast.”
- “The cinematics, the commentary, and the music when playing in a full 4-round masters tournament definitely has the same prestige you feel when watching it on TV.”
- “Custom creation, uniqueness, fun, music, playability.”
- “The OST is quite fitting but very repetitive, so when completing the aforementioned challenges, you hear the same music again and again, which also bugs out a lot of the time, meaning it doesn't play at all or plays multiple songs all at once.”
- “Weird, not catchy music with a cheap feeling.”
- “It also lacks good menu music; it's just the same song or melody over and over again.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, with players finding amusement in its clunky mechanics and glitches, such as laughable ball physics and odd character customization options. Many users express frustration over the game's issues while simultaneously sharing a sense of camaraderie and humor about their experiences, particularly in relation to the game's tutorial and character designs. Overall, the humor stems from the game's shortcomings rather than intentional comedic elements.
- “The funny thing is it wasn't like this at launch.”
- “The ball mechanics are laughable; I actually found myself laughing at how far the ball carries in the rough and fairway.”
- “- 8 of the 22 playable starter pros are in LIV, which is hilarious.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
Players appreciate the game's high replayability due to its various modes and courses, enhanced by the addition of the 3-click swing mechanic, which has improved overall playability. The developers' roadmap also suggests ongoing updates that could further enhance replay value in the future. Overall, the game is seen as fun and promising, with potential for increased longevity as improvements are made.
- “Update 4-28-23: now that 3-click swing has been added, the game is actually a lot more playable.”
- “The different modes and loads of courses give a lot of replay value.”
- “This game has excellent potential and the roadmap for the game keeps the replay value somewhat high.”
- “But all said and done, it's a fun game and in a few months they will figure their stuff out and fix the PC version so it is more playable.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its stunning visuals and immersive environments, with specific mention of hole 16 at Scottsdale evoking strong emotional responses. Overall, players find the game's aesthetic and ambiance to be exceptional.
- “The courses are very well done in terms of visuals and atmosphere; hole 16 at Scottsdale gives me goosebumps.”
- “Visually and atmospherically, this game is fantastic.”