EA SPORTS PGA TOUR, the exclusive home of all four men's majors and road to the Masters launches worldwide on March 24, 2023

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR, the exclusive home of all four men's majors and road to  the Masters launches worldwide on March 24, 2023

Change Text Size

Watch the official game trailer here

In addition, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR will launch with Road to the Masters which brings tradition and unmatched stakes featuring Augusta National, challenges, tournaments and gear tied to the Masters. The Masters made its first-ever virtual appearance with EA SPORTS in 2011, and its return to video games has been highly requested by golf fans. EA SPORTS will also provide more details on additional live service content throughout the 2023 PGA TOUR and LPGA Tour seasons.

“We're bringing the premier PGA TOUR experience to players around the world with real-world golf data powering incredibly realistic gameplay with every shot, and some of the most iconic courses in the world rendered in painstaking detail,” said Cam Weber, EVP and GM, EA SPORTS. “From The Old Course at St Andrews Links to Pebble Beach Golf Links and more, we’re giving players the chance to tee off in bucket list golf experiences like never before in EA SPORTS PGA TOUR .”

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR released the official gameplay trailer today, featuring the all-new Pure Strike shot system. The full trailer can be seen on EA SPORTS PGA TOUR’s YouTube channel , and can be watched here .

Pure Strike gives golf fans all the tools they need to realistically attack every hole on every course the same way the pros do. Featuring ShotLink® powered by CDW and TrackMan, Pure Strike also helps ensure that each professional golfer’s unique swing and attributes will be accurately reflected in the game. Pure Strike incorporates the three parts of every golf shot - fluid swing mechanics that are highly accurate to a player’s backswing length and speed of follow through, innovative ball behavior allowing every bounce and roll to behave more accurately across a variety of terrain and course conditions, and lifelike course dynamics that play true to their real-life course counterparts.

In addition to being the exclusive home of all four men’s majors, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is filled with experiences and content players have been asking for in a golf game, including:

  • World Famous Courses - The tee is yours at 30 courses, including some of the world’s most prominent venues such as Augusta National Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Southern Hills Country Club, The Old Course at St Andrews Links, The Country Club, Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s Ocean Course, Torrey Pines, Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, East Lake Golf Club, TPC Southwind, The Los Angeles Country Club, Wilmington Country Club and more. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR will also feature the past major host courses in 2021 and 2022 as well as the new 2023 majors courses releasing post-launch.
  • Your Career, Your Way - EA SPORTS PGA TOUR provides players with an RPG-like progression system on the Road to the Masters. As their golf game improves, the closer they’ll be to becoming a major champion. Players will be able to create and customize a golfer, develop their skills and master each course to attack every hole like a pro. With 20 shot types available as players progress in the game, they can enhance their skill set for driving, approach, short game, or putting, depending on their style. Players will be able to compete to become a major champion, and take on the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long race for the FedExCup, as well as conquer the top Amateur Championships including the Augusta National Women's Amateur, the U.S. Amateur, and other elite international amateur events.
  • THE PLAYERS Championship and FedExCup Playoffs - The PLAYERS Championship and all three events of the FedExCup Playoffs will be in the game, and players can earn in-game FedExCup points in Career Mode for the opportunity to compete in the FedExCup Playoffs. As part of the Career mode, top golfers at the end of the year will be given the opportunity to win the FedExCup.
  • Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and The Amundi Evian Championship - In partnership with the LPGA, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR allows fans to compete at The Amundi Evian Championship, one of the LPGA Tour’s five major championships, and have the opportunity to play as several female athletes as well as create a female golfer in the overhauled Create-A-Player system. Players will also be able to participate in a series of LPGA-themed challenges and other events. Iona Stephen will be joining the EA commentary team as the first female on-course commentator in-game, bringing her experienced insights from both playing professionally and working in golf broadcasting.
  • True-to-Life Course Visuals - EA SPORTS PGA TOUR will also present the most realistic visuals in any golf game utilizing EA’s Frostbite™ engine. Using state-of-the-art equipment, including drone technology, helicopters and airplanes equipped with custom LiDAR scanners, and more to develop terrain maps, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR depicts courses exactly as they appear in real life. The photogrammetry and scanners were also applied to create precise renderings of clubhouses, iconic vegetation, bridges, tee markers, rock formations, and other on-course elements offering players life-like visual experiences of their favorite courses.
  • ShotLink® - Utilizing ShotLink ® powered by CDW, the PGA TOUR’s proprietary real-time scoring system since 2001, golfers will authentically be replicated with accurate player ratings, skills and magnified true-to-life in-game events.
  • TrackMan Data - Insights implemented from TrackMan, a world leader in 3D ball flight measurement and swing analysis, is a critical component to authentic gameplay utilizing a myriad of stats including club tuning, flight trajectory, landing position and much more.

Pre-orders for EA SPORTS PGA TOUR are now available, including the Deluxe Edition where players will receive three-day early access to the game and Augusta National, THE PLAYERS Championship Gear, The Grand Slam Gear Bundle, Scotty Cameron Putter in-game, 1,500 Premium PGA TOUR points, a PGA TOUR XP Bundle and The Masters gear*. EA Play** members will also receive early access to the game, starting with a 10-hour early access trial on March 21. EA Play Pro members will enjoy unlimited access to the Deluxe Edition of the game – as well as the exclusive EA Play Staff Bag – starting March 21. Lastly, all EA Play members will unlock additional bonuses for EA SPORTS PGA TOUR, with monthly drops of Pro Shop perks such as exclusive headcovers, shirts, hats and more.

For more details on EA SPORTS PGA TOUR , and to register for email updates, visit r . Follow @EASPORTSPGATOUR on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram for the latest updates.

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is being developed in Orlando and Madrid by EA Tiburon.

EA Sports PGA Tour Review - Hit The Links

  • First Released Apr 4, 2023 released

EA returns to the world of golf with a challenging and rewarding title that's let down by a couple of inconsistencies and an underwhelming swing mechanic.

By Richard Wakeling on April 12, 2023 at 10:55AM PDT

EA Sports PGA Tour is unlike any other golf game I've played. It still features familiar elements from the series' past--back when Tiger Woods was front and center--such as slow-motion heartbeat moments and climactic power shots. But after an eight-year hiatus from the world of golf simulation, EA has returned to the fairway with a more demanding recreation of the sport that's as much about feel as it is mastering the game's robust mechanics. With 30 courses covering all four majors--including The Masters at Augusta National--EA Sports PGA Tour has a plethora of golfing action to sink your teeth into. It's just a shame there are a few notable issues in critical areas that hold it back from greatness.

The first of these is the game's swing mechanic. If you've played a golf game before, the actual act of swinging a driver or 5-iron will be familiar. You pull down on the analog stick to bring the club back, then push forward again to unleash your shot. This has been a staple in golf games for a number of years now, and there aren't any alternatives at the moment--not until a three-click system is implemented in a later update. The issue with EA Sports PGA Tour is that there's a slight delay between your input and the on-screen visual. Your swing isn't 1:1, so there's an uneasy disconnect where you never quite feel like you're in total control. The general malaise of each swing doesn't help matters either, with the slow, clunky pacing and frustrating lag making it difficult to nail the timing and power of each shot. I eventually grew accustomed to these idiosyncrasies over time, but it never feels quite right and fails to capture the satisfaction that hitting a 300-yard tee shot should achieve.

To compound the issue, EA Sports PGA Tour also lacks any sort of meaningful tutorial. There are tooltips that pop up and cover the basics the first time you play, but these brief snippets barely scratch the surface of everything going on under the hood. Instead, the game has a suite of challenges that happen to include a Coaching Academy. This is the best place to start, even if these challenges still neglect to offer any tips or feedback to help you along the way. What you get is a variety of contextual situations covering different aspects of the sport, from putting downhill to dealing with elevation changes and the multitude of shot types on offer. There's a lot of trial and error involved, but the repetition of replaying each situation does give you a greater understanding of how everything works. It's not a very user-friendly approach, but it sets expectations and is genuinely helpful in an unconventional way, even if it might prove frustrating for some. Plus, completing these challenges also earns you XP that can be used to improve your created character.

EA Sports PGA Tour

EA Sports PGA Tour's career mode sits front and center, starting off with your no-name golfer competing in the qualifying school before moving on to the amateur Korn Ferry Tour. The ultimate goal is to reach the PGA Tour, which can be done either by winning one of the many four-round courses or by placing highly enough in the Korn Ferry rankings come season's end. You can expedite this process by opting for a quick play mode where you only need to play a few holes rather than an entire round, but I think playing full rounds is the way to go. That's mostly because it gives you ample time to fine-tune your skills, learn the courses, and gain a better understanding of the game's mechanics. There's also a palpable sense of progression that comes from leveling up your golfer. Earning XP lets you build your skills in driving, approach play, short game, and putting, while progressing each attribute also unlocks more shot types, giving you additional options when preparing to send the ball careening toward the green.

Fortunately, the Coaching Academy includes challenges for each of the game's myriad shot types, giving you the opportunity to see how each one functions before playing competitively. There's value in understanding the differences between a runner, spinner, or knock-down shot, but knowing when to utilize each one essentially comes down to a matter of feel. In this respect, EA Sports PGA Tour resembles the sport of golf more accurately than any other game. There are a number of variables at play for every single shot, to the point where there's a real thought process behind each swing. You have to choose the right shot type and club for each situation, adjust for wind and elevation, judge how much power you need to put into the swing, and account for the distinct ways each course plays--tweaking your shot shape depending on the shape of the fairway and lie of the bunkers. The game helps to some degree by displaying relevant information such as wind speed and distance, but then you're left to your own devices. This can be frustrating, particularly early on when you're still learning the ropes and your golfer's attributes aren't up to snuff, but once everything clicks, EA Sports PGA Tour plays an engrossing game of golf that can be incredibly rewarding.

Much of this is down to the courses themselves. Every single one of the 30 officially licensed courses is staggeringly beautiful and offers an authentic attention to detail, whether it's Liberty National and its view of the Manhattan skyline, the waves crashing against the sand at Pebble Beach, or the alligators lurking in the water at TPC Sawgrass. Almost every course is iconic on some level, and they've all been faithfully rendered and recreated, right down to individual blades of grass. The absence of a course designer is a tad disappointing, but unlike PGA Tour 2K23, it's not something that feels like a necessity because there are already so many 18-hole delights. The courses are the game's main character, providing the kind of variety and depth to stave off any tedium. Mastering a golf game's mechanics is usually the key to success, but EA Sports PGA Tour's courses demand much more from you. Each one plays differently, whether it's the roll of the green or the width of the fairway impacting your decision-making. It genuinely feels like you're playing against the course rather than the shot meter.

EA Sports PGA Tour

The physics model, which is built around the official TrackMan data for ball tracking and swing analysis, is excellent for the most part. However, there are some inconsistencies when it comes to ball rollout. On The Old Course at St Andrews, for instance, the rollout is overly extreme to the point where the ball will roll uphill at pace, even through heavy rough. This forces you to account for situations that shouldn't really occur. Once you land on the green, putting is also equally aggravating for different reasons. Each green contains a grid that uses moving beads to show you the direction of the break. The problem is that sometimes this data is inaccurate and the break is opposite to what the beads are showing. The putt reader alleviates this somewhat by showing the ideal path to the hole, but this is also misleading at times. With no reliable way to gauge the breaks, putting is a lesson in irritation that will only be rectified if these issues are fixed in future updates.

Outside of career mode, EA Sports PGA Tour also features various tournament options for use in online matches against the community. If you want to play against friends, however, stroke play is the only option, and there's a disappointing lack of alternating play for those who want to see each other tee off. A range of daily, weekly, and seasonal tournaments give you another chance to earn XP and items like club specs and in-game cash for a limited time before they're refreshed, so there's an incentive to keep coming back. That in-game cash can be spent in a store of rotating items including various cosmetics, which holds some appeal because the character creator is extremely barebones. Outfitting your golfer in branded clothing can be fairly costly, though, which is explained by the inclusion of microtransactions for those who would rather buy the in-game currency with real money. This isn't a surprising move, but it doesn't exactly vibe with the serene mood.

After almost a decade away from the sport, EA's return to the golf course is a promising one. The range of shot types, courses, and tangible variables make for a methodical and tactical game of golf that's both challenging and rewarding. It stumbles by barely introducing players to its robust mechanics, while a laggy swing and inconsistent putting are notable flaws on what is otherwise a fantastic golf sim. EA Sports PGA Tour represents a solid re-entry for the series and lays down a sturdy foundation for an auspicious future.

  • Leave Blank
  • Each shot must be carefully considered, taking into account a number of variables
  • All 30 courses are wonderfully recreated and each one feels distinct
  • Offers a tough but satisfying simulation of golf that's close to the real thing
  • The lack of tutorials makes for a rocky start
  • Swing mechanics are delayed and create a disconnect
  • Putting information is frequently misleading

About the Author

richardwakeling

Richard Wakeling

  • @richardwakeling

More GameSpot Reviews

Use your keyboard!

Log in to comment

ea pga tour on ps4

  • CBSSports.com
  • Fanatics Sportsbook
  • CBS Sports Home
  • Kentucky Derby 
  • Champions League
  • Motor Sports
  • High School

mens-brackets-180x100.jpg

Men's Brackets

womens-brackets-180x100.jpg

Women's Brackets

Fantasy Baseball

Fantasy football, football pick'em, college pick'em, fantasy basketball, fantasy hockey, franchise games, 24/7 sports news network.

cbs-sports-hq-watch-dropdown.jpg

  • CBS Sports Golazo Network
  • PGA Tour on CBS
  • UEFA Champions League
  • UEFA Europa League
  • Italian Serie A
  • Watch CBS Sports Network
  • TV Shows & Listings

The Early Edge

201120-early-edge-logo-square.jpg

A Daily SportsLine Betting Podcast

With the First Pick

wtfp-logo-01.png

NFL Draft is coming up!

  • Podcasts Home
  • The First Cut Golf
  • Beyond the Arc
  • Eye On College Basketball
  • NFL Pick Six
  • Cover 3 College Football
  • Fantasy Football Today
  • My Teams Organize / See All Teams Help Account Settings Log Out

'EA Sports PGA Tour' 2023 release date, price, courses, consoles and more on newest golf video game

Those who indulge will be able to play at major championship venues such as augusta national.

ea pga tour on ps4

EA Sports is officially back in the golf video game space with its impending release of "EA Sports PGA TOUR". Marking its first venture back to the golf scene since "Rory McIlroy PGA Tour" in 2015, the return to consoles will feature stark contrasts compared to those that came before. Having previously featured cover athletes such as McIlroy and primarily Tiger Woods from 1999-2014, this year's edition of the game will not include a big-name superstar on the cover. EA Sports will instead lean on new gameplay options, advanced technology and the inclusion of some of the most storied golf courses around the world.

Below is everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming release of "EA Sports PGA Tour".

Release date

The official release date for "EA Sports PGA TOUR" is Friday, March 24, just two weeks before the 2023 Masters. This makes some sense as the game will feature a Road to the Masters gameplay option. 

Price and consoles

The game will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Featuring three different editions, each will come at a different price point. The "Deluxe Edition" is available for pre-order at $84.99 while the "Standard Edition" comes in at $69.99. Lastly, the "EA Play Pro Edition" is listed at $99.99/yr.

The game will include 30 courses in total, and boasts some of the world's most prominent venues such as Augusta National Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Southern Hills Country Club, The Old Course at St Andrews Links, The Country Club, Kiawah Island Golf Resort's Ocean Course, Torrey Pines, Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, East Lake Golf Club, TPC Southwind, The Los Angeles Country Club, Wilmington Country Club and more. It will also feature the major host courses from 2021 and 2022 as well as the new 2023 majors courses releasing post-launch. 

You can play the game as Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Champ, Xander Schauffele, Sungjae Im, Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau and Hideki Matsuyama.

My Career mode

The game will include a role playing game mode-type progression in the Road to the Masters. As one's golf game improves, the likelihood of donning the green jacket or raising a major championship trophy increases. Users will be able to create and customize a golfer and develop their skills through the 20 different shot types available. From there, players will compete in major championships, participate in some of the PGA Tour's best events -- such as The Players Championship -- and ultimately the FedEx Cup. In addition to this, players can take on top amateur championships including the Augusta National Women's Amateur, the U.S. Amateur and other elite international amateur events.

LPGA and the Amundi Evian Championship

In partnership with the LPGA, fans can compete at The Amundi Evian Championship, one of the LPGA Tour's five major championships. They will also have the opportunity to play as several female athletes as well as create a female golfer in the Create-A-Player feature and be able to participate in a series of LPGA-themed challenges and other events.

New technology

  • True-to-Life course visuals:  EA's Frostbite engine uses state-of-the-art equipment such as drone technology, custom LiDAR flight helicopters and more to develop terrain maps allowing to game to depict courses exactly as they appear in real life
  • ShotLink:  Golfers will authentically be replicated with accurate player ratings, skills and magnified true-to-life in-game events by utilizing the PGA Tour's proprietary real-time scoring system since 2001.
  • Trackman data:  Insights from TrackMan will allow for authentic gameplay utilizing a myriad of stats including club tuning, flight trajectory, landing position and much more.

What about Tiger Woods?

Woods is no longer with the EA Sports family after their partnership from 1999-2014. The 15-time major champion is now with the 2K franchise , and made it known to his followers where they can play as him.

The only way to play as me, and my friends, is in PGA TOUR 2K23, available now. #team2k pic.twitter.com/5lwCJ73o4v — Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) January 20, 2023

Our Latest Golf Stories

koepka-file-friday.jpg

2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson odds, picks, prediction, bets

Cbs sports staff • 4 min read.

stephan-jaeger-2024-rbc-heritage-g.jpg

CJ Cup Bryon Nelson preview, expert predictions

Patrick mcdonald • 5 min read, 2024 pga championship odds, picks, best bets, field, cbs sports staff • 5 min read.

Zurich Classic of New Orleans  - Final Round

McIlroy finding his smile may be exactly what he needed

Kyle porter • 4 min read.

zurich-classic-general-getty.jpg

How to watch 2024 Zurich Classic

Patrick mcdonald • 1 min read.

rory-mcilroy-shane-lowry-round-1-2024-zurich-classic-g.jpg

McIlroy, Lowry hang on to co-lead at Zurich Classic

Kyle porter • 3 min read, share video.

ea pga tour on ps4

What to know about 'EA Sports PGA TOUR'

ea pga tour on ps4

CJ Cup Bryon Nelson preview, expert picks

ea pga tour on ps4

Rory finds his smile in Zurich victory

ea pga tour on ps4

Report: Woods, McIlroy set to receive loyalty bonuses

ea pga tour on ps4

Rory McIlroy on expected return to PGA Tour board

ea pga tour on ps4

2024 PGA Championship odds: Scheffler on top

ea pga tour on ps4

Nelly Korda ties record with fifth straight LPGA win

ea pga tour on ps4

Scheffler stays hot with fourth win in last five starts

ea pga tour on ps4

Scheffler earnings up to $16.3 million since March

ea pga tour on ps4

Davis Love III enthused about golf's young stars

Filed under:

Planes, drones, and lidar: How EA Sports built the courses of its PGA Tour game

A process that shut down a course 10 years ago is much more accurate, and less invasive, today

Share this story

  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Reddit
  • Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Planes, drones, and lidar: How EA Sports built the courses of its PGA Tour game

What most impresses Craig Penner, a gameplay designer on EA Sports PGA Tour , isn’t the game’s butterlike rendering of the middle of the fairway, or the slight harassment of the first cut lining it, or even the anything-goes tangle of the second cut. It’s when things get really hairy. Like, close-to-the-rope or ask-for-relief bad, almost out of bounds.

“The Country Club comes to mind,” Penner said, of the course in Brookline, Massachusetts, scene of the 2022 U.S. Open. “We have certain areas that are kind of mixed rough — heavy rough and dirt together. It’s kind of uneven terrain. And the artists mapped in the terrain to that. It’s all over the place, because you’re going through these different materials, which actually makes it true to real life.

“But then it has this interesting effect of giving you a situation where you don’t really know, until you get up to your ball, if it’s a good lie or a bad lie,” Penner said.

EA Sports PGA Tour , launching March 24 on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X, will include 30 courses at launch , the most ever on the disc in an EA Sports golf video game, with more hinted as live-service updates. All but two of those are real-life courses, and for each of them, EA Tiburon developers flew drones and aircraft, and deployed lidar scanning from the air and on the ground, to map the terrain and get even the most subtle nuances of their greens true to life.

They’ve done this before; for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 , designers spent 10 days with state-of-the-art scanning equipment to bring Augusta National Golf Course into a video game for the first time — a process that often required the closure of several holes to club members. A decade later, the technology is more accurate, more compact, and a lot less intrusive, producer Ben Ramsour said.

In other words, no real-life tee times were harmed in the making of this video game.

“It’s better now, because we would have to bring these really heavy tripod things, and set them up, and it would take a week to do a course,” Ramsour said. “But the helicopter, besides anyone hearing it, is not invasive, and we can get everything we need in 30 minutes. It’s when we’re doing the photogrammetry, and the panoramic shots, and the color and lighting stuff, that could be seen as invasive.”

 alt=

Even then, “in my pitch to the courses” to get their participation in the game, “it’s always, ‘It’s business as usual.’ Some of these places that are super private, they don’t want to see a guy in an EA Sports shirt with a camera running around,” Ramsour said. The developers show up early, plan around the watering schedules, and try to be invisible. “We’ve had people hit by golf balls,” he laughed.

The 30 courses included at launch in EA Sports PGA Tour on March 24. Wetlands and Lighthouse Pointe are fantasy courses brought back from 2015’s Rory McIlroy PGA Tour .

  • Augusta National Golf Club
  • Pebble Beach
  • The Country Club
  • Southern Hills
  • TPC Sawgrass
  • Wilmington Country Club
  • TPC Southwind
  • TPC Scottsdale
  • Whistling Straits
  • Quail Hollow
  • Torrey Pines
  • Kiawah Island Ocean Course
  • Chambers Bay
  • Banff Springs
  • Liberty National
  • Harbour Town
  • Riviera Country Club
  • Top of the Rock
  • Bandon Dunes
  • Evian Resort
  • Teeth of the Dog
  • Lighthouse Pointe

One of the private courses where members don’t want to be bothered is Los Angeles Country Club, a super-exclusive joint up in Beverly Hills, and the site of the 2023 U.S. Open. Unlike Augusta National, it’s never appeared in a video game before. (No, the Los Santos Golf Club in Grand Theft Auto 5 does not count.)

EA Sports PGA Tour ’s designers committed to bringing all four major championships of men’s golf, on their real-world courses, to their video game back in 2021, which makes the L.A. Country Club’s inclusion almost mandatory. It won’t be in the game on release, but it will arrive as post-launch DLC before the tournament begins in mid-July. The same goes for Oak Hill’s East Course, the scene of May’s PGA Championship.

As a members-only course dating to 1911, Los Angeles Country Club is one of those bucket-list venues that Ramsour would have been calling up even if it wasn’t hosting a major this year, along with Augusta National, St Andrews, and Pebble Beach.

“It’s in the heart of Beverly Hills, so you’ve got the buildings, you can see L.A. in the distance,” Ramsour said of LACC. “It’s incredibly bucket-list exclusive. That one was very hard to get into the game, because they don’t need the publicity of being in a video game. But they understand how we can render their course, and the level of detail that we can create.”

However, it’s not just the drones, the helicopters, and the flyover scanning that builds a course. Penner described multiple meetings with course superintendents to discuss the terrain and how the ball should play, specific to each hole there. The conversations were so detailed that Penner was marking up a yardage book under a nondisclosure agreement, because the course super was giving him information that pro golfers (and analysts, and bookmakers, frankly) would love to have three months in advance.

“I know exactly what the yardage is going to be, on the boards, for the U.S. Open this year,” Ramsour interjected. “And I am not going to share that. If Scottie Scheffler [the 2022 Masters Tournament winner] called me, and asked, like, confidentially? I would still not share that. But having that open dialogue, to make sure we’re representing it exactly, it’s in all of our best interests to be doing that.”

  • International edition
  • Australia edition
  • Europe edition

Authentic ball flight … EA Sports PGA Tour 2023

EA Sports PGA Tour 2023 review – serious players have much to master in EA’s return to the virtual fairway

Electronic Arts; PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S The controls can be tough to get the hang of, but the visuals are stunning, the commentary impressive and the play itself gives you all the challenge and realism you could want

A fter an eight-year hiatus from the world of golf simulation, Electronic Arts is back on the fairway, bringing its considerable licensing power and slick sports TV presentation skills with it. Featuring 30 courses, a large roster of current professionals, and a physics model built around the official TrackMan data for authentic ball flight measurement and swing analysis, this game is exactly what you’d expect from EA Sports – comprehensive, packed with options and deadly serious about the sport.

Those hoping for an accessible knockabout are going to be quickly disappointed. The new swing mechanic, which requires you to pull down on the analogue stick to bring the club back, then forward again to unleash your shot, takes considerable time and effort to master. There’s a slight lag between your input and the onscreen swing visual, which makes timing tricky, especially when you’re not going for a full-power shot. Consequently, you spend a lot of matches over-hitting wildly, and this isn’t helped by the fact that the transition on the stick from pull-back to forward has to be precise or your golfer just pulls a practice swing. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that there’s no real tutorial mode. Instead you get a Coaching Academy section in the Challenge mode, which has lots of little mini-games based around various elements of the sport – but these don’t provide tips or feedback, so it’s all trial and a lot of error.

EA Sports PGA Tour 2023

In the main Career mode, which lets you create a player then guide them through a competitive year (hopefully ending with a shot at the Masters), you start with hopeless stats and need to earn XP points to build your skills in driving, approach play, short game and putting before you have any chance of winning cups. It’s an RPG element that feels kind of weird within this very serious simulation, and it forces you to spend hours entering lesser tournaments and trying the hundreds of skill challenges to build up your XP and raise your stats. There’s a quick game mode that lets you jump into a round on any course with any player, so you do get to experience high level play from the outset – but if you want to beat Career get ready for a real golfing grind.

When you do start to get the hang of the controls, PGA Tour 2023 becomes an enjoyable and engrossing sim. The visuals are beautiful, with lusciously detailed courses, from Liberty National with its view of the Manhattan skyline to Pebble Beach where the holes edge along rugged cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. These courses don’t simply provide aesthetic contrast – they play very differently and require planning. Each hole demands that you tweak your swing, club and shot shaping depending on the shape of the fairway, the lie of the bunkers and myriad other factors. The commentary is also extremely good, with genuinely interesting and helpful observations, and excellent reactions to your play – I managed to land an incredible shot from a bunker 30ft from the flag and there was notable surprise in Rich Lerner’s voice. Together with the slick UI and swooping overhead cameras, EA has done a superb job of simulating modern sports broadcasting.

Alongside the Career, Challenge and Quick Play modes there are also various tournament options, including online matches against friends or the wider community. A range of daily, weekly and seasonal tournaments also allow you to earn XP and items for a limited period before they’re refreshed, so you’ve got lots of reasons to keep coming back. Unfortunately, the game features a loot box mechanic, rewarding in-game achievement with random packages of cosmetic goods and XP boosts. You can also earn in-game money to spend in the game’s outfit store, but those who can’t wait can buy the currency with real cash. Considering the money the Fifa series has made from micro transactions this is hardly surprising, but it sits uneasily in the more austere atmosphere of a golf sim.

This is a promising return to golf for EA Sports. It’s slow of pace, it’s tough to get into, and it’s a little staid and fuddy-duddy at times (most of the background music makes you feel like you’re on hold to a financial service call centre), but the accuracy of the ball physics, the huge range of shots and the highly tactical nature of the play gives serious players the challenge and realism they want. I wish there was a smoother on-ramp for beginners, or a much more basic arcade mode for those who want to thrash through a few holes with pals, but this is a sim after all and when it comes to sport, EA does not mess around.

after newsletter promotion

  • Sports games
  • PlayStation 5
  • Xbox series S/X

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ Community FAQs

Check out the answers to some of the community’s top questions below, will crossplay appear in ea sports pga tour.

We are always trying to bring you the best golf game on the market with EA SPORTS PGA TOUR, which we know includes a variety of features like crossplay. At launch, crossplay will not be a feature that appears in-game, but we are constantly evaluating the possibility of this feature appearing post-launch. 

There are a variety of ways you’ll be able to play with your friends in online modes throughout the game. Cross-Platform progression is available for your created golfer so you can save your gear, outfits, and achievements to access your created golfer across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.

When will the Masters be playable in EA SPORTS PGA TOUR?

The Masters at Augusta National will be available to play at launch with any purchase of the deluxe or standard edition of the game. You’ll get 30 courses to play at launch, including the host courses of the 2022 men’s major championships.

With a purchase of the deluxe edition you will receive EA SPORTS PGA TOUR three days early which will include access to Augusta National as well as a variety of benefits like 1500 PGA points, Masters vanity gear, and more . 

What is the current live service timeline?

The 2023 major courses including Oak Hill, Los Angeles Country Club, Royal Liverpool as well as Olympia Fields as a part of the FedExCup series and Marco Simone for the Ryder Cup will be released prior to each major championship.

We will also be releasing updates alongside golf’s biggest moments like The Majors, FedExCup and Ryder Cup with compelling new content tied to current and historic golf moments for players to enjoy. 

The game will launch with Road to the Masters and will include a variety of Masters-themed Challenges.  We’ll share more details about the live service timeline after launch.

Why is this game only available on current gen (PS5, Xbox X|S, and PC) gaming systems?

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR’s high-fidelity visuals and gameplay are only possible with  PlayStation 5 and Xbox X|S consoles as well as some PCs, so the game was developed with this in mind.

What is the fps for EA SPORTS PGA TOUR?

On PC, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR can run at 30 fps, 60 fps, or unlocked framerate. Consoles (Xbox X|S and PS 5) will run 30 fps. 

We understand that some players have a strong visual preference for higher framerate in their video games and we’ve heard community feedback surrounding the fps of the game on console. As a result, we’re examining the ability to add it into the game in the future.

What impacts your shot?

There’s a reason players and caddies talk before their shot to best achieve success on the course so you’ll experience this in the pre-shot decisions you’ll have to make for a great shot. The challenge of your shot appears in a split between pre-shot decisions like club and shot types, with swing execution and placement based on course dynamics. This way you’ll be thinking more “golf” and less “golf swing” only.

A variety of factors like club and shot type all impact your shot but most of all, course dynamics and ball behavior like wind, altitude, terrain reactions, ball dribbling, and more will impact your shot. The full list of aspects that impact your shot are listed below

  • Slope of the terrain
  • Velocity & spin reduction from adverse terrain (like rough)
  • Golfer, club, and ball attributes
  • Power boost
  • Swing execution
  • In-flight Spin Control
  • Ball Reactions depending on terrain type and course Conditions
  • Ball dribbling

What game modes (online and offline) are available in-game?

Online game modes:

Online game modes support simultaneous play for up to 16 players and include the following game mopeds. 

  • COMPETITIVE mode is ranked matchmaking to test your skills in numerous game types including 9 and 18 hole rounds.
  • SOCIAL mode allows you to play against similarly skilled players online in a more relaxed  unranked environment, offering multiple ways to play such as 9 and 18 hole rounds.
  • PRIVATE MATCH mode allows you to group up with your friends and play online together with full control of gameplay and round settings allowing you to fully customize your round.

Offline game modes:

  • If you just want to dive in quickly and play a round, QUICK PLAY is exactly what you’re looking for.  Quick play can also be played as local multiplayer (couch co-op) with up to 4 golfers offering varying ways to compete such as match play, skins, alternate shot rules, and more.
  • CAREER MODE is an offline mode that will be playable at launch (but will require an online connection). You’ll hear more about that during our career mode deep dive in the coming weeks.
  • CHALLENGES provides bite-sized experiences of various lengths. Ranging anywhere from a 4 hole challenge to recreating a golfer’s hot streak from a recent PGA Tour event, to single shot challenges where you, for example, are given 5 opportunities to hit a specific shot, challenges are short yet difficult moments for you to grow your skills and earn rewards. Within Challenges mode, there’s “PGA Coach Skill Center” which is a great way to learn more about game mechanics, shot types, and the game of golf in general.
  • TOURNAMENTS provides limited-time tournaments for players to go in by themselves and submit a score to a global leaderboard that other users are also submitting to. From here, the game gives you a final rank that is paid out in rank points based on finishing position. Most of it is stroke play, where the number of holes can be variable. Ongoing seasonal events throughout the pro golf calendar can also alter the tournaments for different settings on different courses.

How can I customize gameplay to my personal preferences?

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR features a variety of gameplay styles from arcade settings that assist you with a putting grid, power boost, and spin control to simulation settings that remove all assistance for a true-to-life gameplay experience.

Is there weather available in-game?

There are a variety of factors that impact gameplay on the course including altitude and wind. Courses in traditionally cloudy areas like The Old Course at St. Andrews will appear cloudy while sunny courses like The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island will appear bright. Other weather conditions will not affect gameplay or appear in-game.

Will there be a 3-click swing option in-game?

We know that the 3-click swing is important to the community and as a result of early community feedback we are planning to include this swing in an early title update after launch.

When will I hear more about EA SPORTS PGA TOUR?

We’ll be sharing more information about a variety of aspects of the game in the coming weeks leading up to launch. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay updated with the latest announcements. Below is a roadmap for when you’ll learn more about the game!

Pre-order now!*

*Conditions & restrictions apply. See  https://www.ea.com/games/ea-sports-pga-tour/disclaimers  for details.

Related News

Ea sports™ pga tour™ patch notes 12.0, ea sports™ pga tour™ patch notes 11.1, ea sports™ pga tour™ patch notes 11.0.

EA Sports PGA Tour

EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™

  • PS Plus required for online play
  • In-game purchases optional
  • Supports up to 16 online players with PS Plus
  • Online play optional
  • 1 - 4 players

MRO 3

What is EA SPORTS PGA TOUR?

Experience the exclusive home of the Majors

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is the only place you can tee up at the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship.

Compete in the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long race for the FedExCup. Conquer the top Amateur Championships, including the Augusta National Women's Amateur™, the U.S. Amateur™ and other elite international amateur events.

Buy EA SPORTS PGA TOUR on PlayStation Store

EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™

Deluxe Edition

  • 1500 PGA TOUR POINTS
  • PGA TOUR XP Bundle

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR key features

EA SPORTS PGA Tour 23 screenshot for Pure Strike module showing golfer swinging golf club.

Pure Strike

Utilising official PGA TOUR ShotLink powered by CDW and TrackMan data, Pure Strike gives you all the tools you need — including a set of 20 Shot Types — to realistically attack every hole on every golf course, the same way the pros do.

With Pure Strike, golfer-specific tendencies are combined with unique Course Dynamics and revolutionised Ball Behaviour for the premier golf gameplay experience, resulting in unique golf swings with a fluid feel and realistic outcomes on every shot. 

EA SPORTS PGA Tour 23 screenshot for shot types module showing golfer chipping out of a bunker

Choose from a set of 20 Shot Types strategically during your round. Each Shot Type utilises different club types, and each produces different Ball Behaviour, so you can attack every course like a pro.

EA Sports PGA Tour 23 screenshot for course dynamics page section showing wide view of golf course

Course Dynamics

Backed by a rigorous course tuning process from tee to green, lifelike Course Dynamics ensure no two golf courses play the same. Every fairway, green and rough is meticulously scanned, handcrafted and uniquely tuned to simulate the individual nuances of different courses and terrain variables.

EA SPORTS PGA Tour 23 screenshot for Ball Behaviour page section showing the crowd watching a golfer swinging their club on the fairway.

Ball Behaviour

With three ball flight trajectories (high, medium, low), revolutionised Ball Behaviour delivers next-gen responsiveness between your club, the golf ball and the golf course. Once your shot lands, the ball spins, bounces, dribbles and rolls as it would in real life.

Augusta Tee 12

The world’s most exclusive courses

Play at 30 courses including 28 of the world’s most prestigious tracks and two fantasy courses. Designed in stunning quality with Frostbite™ so you can enjoy more of golf’s finer details than ever before.

Immerse yourself in the stunning visual beauty and photo-realistic detail of pristine, bucket-list golf courses around the globe. Featuring unique Course Dynamics, test your skills and face the same challenges as the pros on every golf shot.

What courses are featured in EA SPORTS PGA TOUR?

  • Augusta National
  • The Old Course at St Andrews Links
  • Pebble Beach
  • The Los Angeles Country Club
  • Southern Hills
  • TPC Sawgrass
  • Wilmington Country Club
  • TPC Southwind
  • TPC Scottsdale
  • Whistling Straits
  • Quail Hollow
  • Torrey Pines
  • The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
  • Chambers Bay
  • Banff Springs
  • Liberty National
  • Harbour Town
  • The Riviera Country Club
  • Top of the Rock
  • Bandon Dunes
  • Evian Resort
  • Teeth of the Dog
  • Wetlands (fantasy course)
  • Lighthouse Pointe (fantasy course)

EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Career mode video trailer

Your career, your way

Create and customise a golfer and take on the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long chase for the FedExCup. Develop your skills through unified RPG progression so you can master each course and learn to attack every hole like a pro on your way to becoming a Major champion.

Banner

Discover more great sports games

Explore a range of incredible sports games out now or coming soon to PS4 and PS5.

Enter your date of birth.

Sorry, you are not eligible to view this content.

SPINNER_LOADER

IMAGES

  1. EA SPORTS Rory McIlroy PGA Tour

    ea pga tour on ps4

  2. Rory McIlroy PGA Tour PS4 Review

    ea pga tour on ps4

  3. EA SPORTS™ Rory McIlroy PGA TOUR®

    ea pga tour on ps4

  4. PGA Tour 2K21

    ea pga tour on ps4

  5. PS4

    ea pga tour on ps4

  6. Is EA Sports PGA Tour on PS4?

    ea pga tour on ps4

VIDEO

  1. EA Sports PGA Tour & PGA TOUR 2K23

  2. EA Sports PGA Tour & PGA TOUR 2K23

  3. Good Good Plays EA SPORTS PGA TOUR for the First Time

  4. 60FPS Update

  5. EA sports PGA Tour Career Mode

  6. EA Sports PGA Tour

COMMENTS

  1. EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™

    Experience the exclusive home of the Majors. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is the only place you can tee up at the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship. Compete in the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long race for the FedExCup. Conquer the top Amateur Championships, including the Augusta ...

  2. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR

    "EA SPORTS PGA TOUR does an amazing job of being one of the truest tests of virtual golf yet." Dexerto. Pure Strike. Attack every hole like a pro with superior golf gameplay powered by ShotLink®. Learn More The world's most exclusive courses. The tee is yours at 30 courses at launch, including some of the world's most exclusive, designed ...

  3. Buy EA SPORTS PGA TOUR on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or PC

    1500 PGA TOUR Points PGA TOUR XP Bundle GET MORE EA SPORTS PGA TOUR WITH EA PLAY. EA Play† is the ultimate game destination for anyone who loves EA titles. Membership gives you more of your favorite Electronic Arts games - more rewards, more trials, and more discounts. EA PLAY BENEFITS FOLLOW US @EASPORTSPGATOUR

  4. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR, the exclusive home of all four men's majors and

    In addition, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR will launch with Road to the Masters which brings tradition and unmatched stakes featuring Augusta National, challenges, tournaments and gear tied to the Masters ...

  5. EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ (English)

    Experience the exclusive home of the Majors. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is the only place you can tee up at the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship. Compete in the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long race for the FedExCup. Conquer the top Amateur Championships, including the Augusta ...

  6. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR, the Exclusive Home of All Four Men's Majors and

    EA SPORTS PGA TOUR features the most accurate representation of Augusta National, from exact locations of its flowers and trees, bird sounds, as well as the newly redesigned hole 13 commonly known as "Azalea." Within Road to the Masters, players can compete for a Green Jacket at the world famous Augusta National and participate in a variety of unique challenges including "Championship ...

  7. PGA TOUR Frequently Asked Questions

    On PC, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR can run at 30 fps, 60 fps, or unlocked framerate. Consoles (Xbox X|S and PS 5) will run 30 fps. We understand that some players have a strong visual preference for higher framerate in their video games and we've heard community feedback surrounding the fps of the game on console. As a result, we're examining the ...

  8. EA Sports PGA Tour Review

    EA Sports PGA Tour's career mode sits front and center, starting off with your no-name golfer competing in the qualifying school before moving on to the amateur Korn Ferry Tour. The ultimate goal ...

  9. 'EA Sports PGA Tour' 2023 release date, price, courses, consoles and

    The official release date for "EA Sports PGA TOUR" is Friday, March 24, just two weeks before the 2023 Masters. This makes some sense as the game will feature a Road to the Masters gameplay option

  10. Official Gameplay

    Pre-order EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Now: http://x.ea.com/pga/tour-gameplayYour first look at official EA SPORTS PGA TOUR Gameplay! Watch as The Apex Hound plays 9 h...

  11. EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™

    Experience the exclusive home of the Majors. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is the only place you can tee up at the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship. Compete in the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long race for the FedExCup. Conquer the top Amateur Championships, including the Augusta ...

  12. EA Sports PGA Tour

    EA Sports PGA Tour is a sports video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by EA Sports for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.It is an entry in the EA Sports PGA Tour franchise, the first since 2015's Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.It is also the first in the series not to bear an athlete's name in the title since PGA Tour 98.. Initially taglined as Road to the Masters, it was later ...

  13. Ea Sports Pga Tour, the Exclusive Home of All Four Men'S Majors, and

    New Trailer Provides a First Look at Pure Strike Gameplay Featuring ShotLink® Powered by CDW as Pre-Orders Begin Today Watch the Official Gameplay Trailer HERE Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced that EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ will be launching on March 24, 2023 for PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the EA App, Steam and the Epic Games Store.

  14. EA Sports PGA Tour

    Compete in PGA TOUR events like all three legs of the FedExCup Playoffs and THE PLAYERS Championship. Additional experiences include the LPGA, U.S. Amatuer Championship, and the Korn Ferry Tour. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is the only place to play the MASTERS Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Discover the best golfing destinations around the world and play championship courses, from Pebble ...

  15. EA Sports PGA Tour: Behind the scenes with the full list of 30 courses

    The 30 courses included at launch in EA Sports PGA Tour on March 24. Wetlands and Lighthouse Pointe are fantasy courses brought back from 2015's Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. One of the private courses ...

  16. Rory McIlroy PGA Tour

    Rory McIlroy PGA Tour is a sports video game developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.It is an entry in the EA Sports PGA Tour franchise, and was the first series since 1999 not to feature Tiger Woods as its namesake, replacing him with Rory McIlroy.. The game was re-built from scratch as part of its shift to eighth generation consoles, adopting ...

  17. EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ Courses Overview

    EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ Courses Overview. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR will have 28 real-life and 2 fantasy courses for a total of 30 beautiful golf courses at launch. And on each of these courses comes a variety of gameplay and visual features that result in 30 unique experiences to play. Check out the Course Deep Dive below and read on to learn more.

  18. EA Sports PGA Tour 2023 review

    Lusciously detailed courses … EA Sports PGA Tour 2023. In the main Career mode, which lets you create a player then guide them through a competitive year (hopefully ending with a shot at the ...

  19. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR

    Official EA SPORTS PGA TOUR YouTube Channel ⛳️🎮Rated E for EveryoneSubscribe for all the latest trailers and videos!

  20. Is EA Sports PGA Tour available on PS4?

    EA Sports PGA Tour will not be available on PS4 (Image via Electronic Arts) EA Sports PGA Tour is right around the corner, with its release set for April 7, 2023. While many players are excited to ...

  21. EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ Community FAQs

    EA SPORTS PGA TOUR's high-fidelity visuals and gameplay are only possible with PlayStation 5 and Xbox X|S consoles as well as some PCs, so the game was developed with this in mind. What is the fps for EA SPORTS PGA TOUR? On PC, EA SPORTS PGA TOUR can run at 30 fps, 60 fps, or unlocked framerate. Consoles (Xbox X|S and PS 5) will run 30 fps.

  22. EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™

    Experience the exclusive home of the Majors. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR is the only place you can tee up at the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship. Compete in the PGA TOUR's best events in the season-long race for the FedExCup. Conquer the top Amateur Championships, including the Augusta ...