Electronic Arts has officially unveiled EA Sports PGA Tour, the return of the publisher's popular golf franchise that has been on hiatus since 2015. The announcement includes EA Sports PGA Tour's release date, supported platforms, its debut gameplay trailer, Deluxe Edition content, and more. Fans have been anxiously awaiting EA Sports PGA Tour's return after EA confirms the game's development in 2021. In just a couple short months, EA Sports PGA Tour will be in their hands.
For many, EA's PGA Tour games are better known as Tiger Woods PGA Tour, the branding for the series used between 1999 and 2014. Woods' significant controversies at the time led EA to pivot, however, leading to Rory McIllroy PGA Tour's release in 2015. The game's poor reception and disappointing sales led EA to abandon its partnership with the PGA Tour, leading to the independent Golf Club series -- now known as PGA Tour 2K. But EA is ready to return to golf.
EA Sports PGA Tour will officially launch on March 24 and will be available on PC (Steam and EGS), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. EA seemingly wants to put its best foot forward with its first new golf game in seven years, and so it is leaving last-generation consoles behind. The game will include 30 different PGA Tour courses, including Augusta National Golf Club, Pebble Beach Golf Links, and more, with additional courses to be added post-launch. And, of course, all four PGA Tour majors are included -- the Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, USA Open Championship, and The Open.
Major features confirmed for EA Sports PGA Tour include the Road to the Masters career mode, featuring an RPG-like progression system, The Players Championship and FedExCup Playoffs, the Ladies Professional Golf Association and custom character creation including female character creation, "ShotLink" for real-time player ratings and scoring, and more. Also, expect high detailed true-to-life course visuals due to EA's extensive scanning of PGA Tour course clubhouses, greens, roughs, tee markers, and so on.
With pre-orders now available for EA Sports PGA Tour, EA has also confirmed the golf game's Deluxe Edition contents. For an additional $15 on top of the $69.99 standard pricing, players will get three days of early access and Augusta National, gear cosmetics based on The Masters, 1,500 Premium PGA Tour Points, and a PGA Tour XP Bundle. Alternatively, players can subscribe to EA Play Pro for unlimited access to the Deluxe Edition alongside their subscription.
It's been a long time coming for EA to return to golf games. EA still has a lot to prove, though. Many golf fans will recall the disappointing Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, but also frustrations with EA's modern iterative sports efforts. Here's hoping EA is able to rekindle the glory of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 and 2004 with the franchise's relaunch in March.
EA Sports PGA Tour releases March 24 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.