Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots

This is what I was waiting forrrreeee!

Everybody’s Golf, which was originally a PlayStation exclusive, has come to PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, a move that continues the arrangement that Sony is making to put some of their games on other platforms. And despite the title’s origins being that of the PlayStation platform, I can’t think of a better place to play it than on my Nintendo Switch 2. 

Hot Shots is exactly what you expect from an Everybody’s Golf title. It has the same approach to its timing systems, albeit with three different styles to toy around with, and the same cartoony vibe that will certainly appeal to those who enjoy Mario’s adventures on the green. You’ll still have your choice of clubs, foods that grant perks, numerous outfits, characters, and courses to unlock, as well as various golf balls to apply spin to in order to counter whatever the course throws at you. 

The amount of content featured in Hot Shots is staggering, making it likely to be the most content-rich golfer out there. This remains true for not only its multiplayer, which is an absolute riot, to its single player offerings as well, complete with several campaigns for its huge cast of characters. Even in my 25 hours of attempting for par or better, I feel I have barely scratched the surface here, with plenty left to take in both with friends or on my own. 

For the single player out there, you have Challenge mode, which is a series of bite-sized tournaments. As you fill out the VS bar, you’ll unlock characters. When you’ve beaten their World Tour mode, you’ll then unlock them fully. That said, it is a lot of work to do so, and I feel just unlocking them via Challenge mode would have been enough. Regardless, World Tour mode is the story mode that allows you to send a golfer through a series of mini-narratives as they try to become a pro golfer. If you don’t care for the story bits, you can actually manually or auto-skip through the conversations entirely. 

Following up is Stroke play, where you aim for the best score across all holes, Match play is where you aim to win. Wacky Golf, which is fine on its own, excels in multiplayer. This is a series of wacky rules, such as Colorful, which provides unexpected surprises at every hit, such as a tornado around the hole, Scramble, where two players team up to take turns hitting the ball, Survival Golf, where players attempt to steal each other’s clubs, and Boom Golf, which is very explosive, to say the least. Lastly, you have Solo Round, where you can just play through a course with no fancy rules built around it.

Multiplayer, which is built for 1 to 4 players, doesn’t have anything exclusive to its offerings. There is Stroke Play, Match Play, and Wacky Golf. Now, for when you don’t have friends over, there is online play as well. You have Group Match, which allows you to create or join an existing room, and World Tournament, where you will compete online against golfers all around the world in a tournament. That said, this is time-based, and a tournament may not be live when you are set to play. 

Group Match is likely the mode you’re wanting when playing online. You can create and find rooms, enter into a quick match, as well as select characters to play as. Now, as mentioned before, you do need to unlock characters; otherwise, you’ll only have Alie and Mizuki to choose from. You can also select your caddie, something that you’ll also need to do in World Tour. Initially, you’ll have Hannah, who simply does her best. 

As you win or play through various modes, you’ll unlock a ton of stuff. From new courses, outfits for your characters, colors for their outfits, balls, clubs, and of course, new caddies and characters. You’ll earn gold and use it in the shop to expand your collection. One of the best things to buy is stat-increasing foods, such as cupcakes, pies, or egg dishes, among others. These boost your power, spin, and control over your game. These can really come in handy when you are outclassed by another golfer. 

Depending on the timing mode you’ve selected, golfing is essentially a three-button system. You’ll press the button to start the range you want to hit, and then, on the rebound, you’ll stop the meter at how precise your hit will be. I chose the curved meter as I found it easier to manage, with the new mechanic utterly confusing to me. You can apply spin, move your target location, and use various other means to get the ball where you want it to go. If you’ve played a modern golfing game before, you’ll know what to expect here.

Everybody’s Golf has had a cartoony look for some time, and Hot Shots certainly continues that tradition. While it has been over 8 years since the last game, there isn’t much visually here that feels improved. There is still the same anime aesthetic, and characters actually feel a tad more cartoony this time around when compared to the previous game, since you are only playing as preset characters and are no longer able to craft your own. Environments also seem a bit more streamlined and less detailed than the previous game, almost as if the Nintendo Switch was the lead platform, given this title is not designed for the PS4.

While the game is visually fun, with a ton of characters to unlock, the voices are another story. Most characters have maybe three lines of quips, and you’ll hear them constantly back-to-back. It’s a shame there were not more lines recorded to break this up. Music does get a pass, but it’s only really serviceable, with various tunes that play throughout gameplay and via the menus. 

With some solid golfing mechanics and a content-rich offering, Hot Shots is a great addition to the Everybody’s Golf series, despite the grindy nature of how to unlock its cast and its courses. Regardless, there is a ton to do here, both in single player and with friends, both on the couch or around the world. With Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots breaking free of the PlayStation exclusivity, it allows this game to finally go head to head with Mario Golf and hopefully drive innovation to the hole, hopefully under par. 

Developer - Hyde.
Publisher - Bandai Namco Entertainment America. Released - September 5th, 2025. Available On - Nintendo Switch, PS5, PC (Steam.) Rated - (E 10+) - Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes. Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch. (Played on Nintendo Switch 2) Review Access - Review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.