4 Best Golf Games On Xbox In 2023

As of 2023, the Xbox brand has spanned three console generations and shows no sign of slowing down. Xbox has published thousands of excellent games on its platform during this time, but what are the best golf games on Xbox?

Four of the best golf games on Xbox are:

• PGA Tour 2K21: Ideal for accurate golf simulation.

• Dangerous Golf: Ideal for arcade, frantic action.

• Powerstar Golf: Ideal for character-driven variety.

• Golf With Your Friends: Ideal for a casual, multiplayer experience.

While some may argue the best golf games should be reserved for simulation, many would agree that the best thing about gaming is the various ways game developers try to shake up the golf formula. Let’s explore the best golf games for Xbox right now!

1. PGA Tour 2K21 Review

With the runaway success of other sports titles by 2K, such as the NBA2K and WWE2K series, the developers have shifted their focus from basketball and wrestling, respectively, and looked to capitalize on the PGA Tour brand.

As an officially licensed product of the PGA Tour, PGA Tour 2K21 focuses on:

• The simulation of the game of golf.
• The simulation of golf tournaments.
• Golf as a profession through the career mode.

With regard to simulation, 2K21 offers controls that are easy to learn and difficult to master, paying particular attention to how analog movements affect both the speed and direction of your virtual swing.

Consequently, this Xbox golf game requires an understanding of its mechanics and how they relate to the sport it is ultimately trying to simulate, namely the lay of the ball, wind direction, different shot types, putting terrains, and ball spin.

The highlight of the single-player mode is the career mode, whereby you create your virtual avatar that begins your journey in Q school and (hopefully) sees you work your way up to the PGA Tour competing for majors and titles.

Concerning the online modes, Online Societies allows players to join virtual groups that allow them to compete with players globally subject to personalized criteria.

This allows online gamers to cater their experience to their level, meaning they can compete with other players at a novice, intermediate, or advanced level.

Where the game truly shines in terms of creativity is the course designer. This allows players to customize and share all aspects of their own designed courses for themselves and other gamers to play.

Although this may sound daunting, the controls and interface make designing courses simple, efficient, and loads of fun. This is definitely the best golf game on Xbox in terms of golf simulation – even when using a console controller as opposed to a mouse and keyboard.

2. Dangerous Golf Review

Developed by ex-Criterion developers, the creators of the insanely popular and manic Burnout series, Dangerous Golf for Xbox looks to capitalize on Burnout’s explosive and frantic racing gameplay and apply it to golf (of all things)!

While on paper, this Xbox golf game may seem like an impossible combination, Dangerous Golf combines explosive energy by shifting the focus from calm, collected stroke play in favor of all-out destruction, akin to a 3D rendition of Angry Birds.

Consequently, the game’s hook is to rack up as many points or cash as possible by sending golf balls flying into various objects across multiple settings, mainly with explosive and fiery results.

While the physics model, gameplay, and graphics may be on the simpler side. Dangerous Golf more than makes up for this through a style and energy all of its own and unique among other golf games. You can buy this golf game at the Microsoft Xbox Store.

3. Powerstar Golf Review

Ever since the early days of fighting games in the arcades, gaming has capitalized on the appeal of different characters having different move sets and abilities to add variety, complexity, and, well, character to games.  

Although other Xbox golf games have toyed with the use of different characters to change up a player’s experience, such as the use of different golfers in the Tiger Woods series or Mario Golf’s characters, few have done so on the level of Powerstar Golf.

Powerstar Golf relies on using various characters with superpowers to vastly change how a typical game of golf can be played in a virtual setting, with many of the settings themselves including fantastical elements.

The career mode expands upon this character-driven formula. It includes experience boosts for good performances, which can be used to purchase booster perks and gear packs for customization and gameplay variety.

The online mode, known as Rivals mode, further adds an extra dimension and longevity to Powerstar Golf, whereby you take your favorite character and test their abilities with your skills to try beat hole recordings of other players. 

This asynchronous multiplayer mode is perfect for allowing Xbox players to jump in and out of multiplayer with ease while not relying on active players to enjoy to the fullest like other online games.

4. Golf With Your Friends Review

Golf With Your Friends looks to strip down the complexities of most Xbox golf games and instead focuses on a simple, casual, and light-hearted experience that you can jump on at any time with multiplayer hosting of upward of eleven players.

In other words, Golf With Your Friends is the best golf game on Xbox for a perfect easygoing, multiplayer adventure.

While a bare-bones experience that doesn’t rely on graphical fidelity or realistic physics, it’s clear the developers have done their utmost best to couple the gameplay’s laid-back nature with the game’s visual style.

As a result, the game features bright colors, wacky modes, many themed courses, strange modes designed to break the game, and bizarre customization options for your golf balls (yes, golf balls, there are no players avatars)!

Finally, the gameplay hook isn’t focused on the traditional stroke play of golf. Instead, all players take their strokes simultaneously, turning golf from a cool, calm, collected experience and turning it into a manic race for the finish line. The game is available at the Microsoft Xbox Store.

Final Thoughts

While the above list is my preference for the best golf games for Xbox and a celebration of the different genres that golf games can be packaged in, it is ultimately up to you to play these games yourself to see if they appeal to you as well.