I recently wrote about the state of sports games on Nintendo Switch 2. While I was happy with some and a bit disappointed in others, I’ve been hopeful for when 2K would bring a full PGA Tour release to Nintendo’s new console. Launching almost a year after the PS5, Xbox, and PC versions, PGA Tour 2K25 for Nintendo Switch 2 has arrived as a full-price release. It unfortunately needed a bit more time in the oven, and the irony of saying that for a port released this late isn’t lost on me.
Before getting into the technical details, PGA Tour 2K25 itself is a great golf game. It took 2K a while, but I can safely say that the PGA Tour series has gotten close to how good the NBA 2K games are when it comes to the actual sport. PGA Tour 2K25 ships with a plethora of ways to play golf, but based on what I played in the demo before getting a Switch 2 review code, MyCAREER with its added RPG elements is very good this year.
I say this year, but 2K’s PGA Tour series isn’t really annual. HB Studios and 2K’s PGA Tour games have recently been released in 2020, 2022, and 2025 for the initial release. PGA Tour 2K25 right now has a Year 2 edition as well, signaling more support throughout the rest of 2026.
I grew up playing Hot Shots Golf on the original PlayStation with its three-button press golf swing input. When presented with a 3-click or swing stick option in PGA Tour 2K25, I chose the former, and it works quite well, barring some annoying hitching that sometimes causes me to not get the precise input I want. This is also made a bit worse by the input lag that I will cover, but the core golf holds up well and PGA Tour 2K25 ships with more than enough core modes for the actual golf.
Going back to the MyCAREER mode for a second, the RPG elements and just how much I enjoy playing golf on a handheld should have made PGA Tour 2K25 a match made in heaven for the Switch 2 with the ability to grind out some tournaments and XP on the go, but the lack of offline support for most of the game holds it back. As for online, the MyCAREER with its varied golf rounds, interview system, and progression through not only skills but also equipment really justify this as a big new upgrade over the last entry, but the technical issues on Switch 2 hold it back from being an easy recommendation.
Visually, PGA Tour 2K25 on Switch 2 sees some cuts from the PS5 version, but it holds up well and still looks like it does on other platforms. The lower resolution is noticeable docked with some foliage cuts, but I think it holds up well regardless, and is quite good in handheld as well, considering how it is a bit rough on Steam Deck right now.
It appears to use FSR instead of DLSS as well. On PC, when I play on Steam Deck, PGA Tour 2K25 only has FSR 1.0 too, which is disappointing given how much better newer versions of FSR are, but using FSR on Switch 2 when the console has native DLSS support is even more disappointing.
The major technical issues with PGA Tour 2K25 on Switch 2 have to do with the performance, input lag, and load times. PGA Tour 2K25 is capped at 30 frames per second on Switch 2. That itself isn’t a dealbreaker here like it is in NBA 2K, but the 30 frames per second isn’t perfectly paced. This causes some hitching even in the QTE for playing actual golf. Barring that, there are some noticeable drops in camera cuts and other areas, but it isn’t too bothersome. I hope the drops during the actual golf QTE can be fixed.
Load times are very bad, though. Even on PS5, PGA Tour 2K25 takes about 20 seconds to load the title screen from the console’s dashboard, with 14-16 seconds to load a quick play round. On Switch 2, the initial load took me 45 seconds from the internal storage, and a round of quick play on the same course as PS5 took over 50 seconds. Input lag is also bad. When I capped the PC version to 30 frames per second while playing, it was still more responsive than the Switch 2 version, which suffers from sluggish menus and eating inputs often while scrolling through some menus.
All of this is compounded by the fact that PGA Tour 2K25 is a very online-focused game. This isn’t surprising, considering it is a modern sports game, though. If you mainly play docked, this isn’t an issue, but the reason I’d play PGA Tour 2K25 is portable play. If you get disconnected or boot up the game while offline, you can’t earn any XP or rewards. You can access quick play, training, and course creation only. Everything else, including the arcade-like TopGolf, is not available until you reconnect. If you play at home while connected to Wi-Fi, this is ok, but it is worth noting for a hybrid console like the Switch 2.
In its current state and with how it is discounted quite a bit on other platforms, I definitely recommend PGA Tour 2K25 on another platform if you’re a fan of golf games. On Nintendo Switch 2, it is only worth buying right now if you have no other platform and can play while connected to the internet. Once the input lag and load times are addressed, it will be easier to recommend.
Version Tested: Nintendo Switch 2
Review Copy Provided by 2K
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