There’s been a real dearth of quality tennis games over the last few years, with players having very little choice. Last year, publisher NACON and developer Big Ant Studios released Tennis World Tour 2 to a lackluster reception from most critics and fans. Now the studio is launching Tennis World Tour 2 - Complete Edition for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, with the promise that it will smooth out the gameplay and improve the technical aspects of the sports game.

In terms of actual enhancements, fans might be a little disappointed with what is on offer. The ability to play in 4K resolutions at 60 frames per second is not actually all that impressive, especially considering that earlier games in the series could reach those figures when played on the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X. It is difficult to notice any particular improvement in animations or general player movement, suggesting that the frame rate hasn’t been boosted compared to the older version of Tennis World Tour 2. However, the port does seem to have a more consistent frame rate, with no noticeable drops during matches.

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The addition of ray tracing and a general improvement to the graphics of Tennis World Tour 2 does make the game look a bit better than it was last year. Everything is sharper, with the tennis stars having a more realistic appearance this time around, and it's even easier to make out the ball as it zooms around the screen. This was one of the major gripes with the game when it originally launched so it is good to see that it has been fixed, at least to some degree. Ultimately, this title still falls significantly short of other, more impressive, sports games and doesn’t feel as if it is truly “next-gen.”

A single match in Tennis World Tour 2.

Perhaps the biggest improvement in Tennis World Tour 2 is the reduced load times. The original release would force players to sit through tediously long load screens for every match but that is now a thing of the past. It takes just a few seconds to set up and launch a new round, while menus have also been made more responsive so that bringing them up in a match is snappier.

One other positive thing about this version of Tennis World Tour 2 is that it includes all the previously released downloadable content. That DLC includes a selection of extra official players, taking the total number of licensed stars to 48, along with some extra competitions and locations. The extra content is not all that expansive but it is nice to be able to play in more stadiums and have a greater roster of athletes to choose from.

A screenshot of a player returning a shot in Tennis World Tour 2.

The overall experience in this port has improved slightly compared to its predecessor on older consoles but it is still noticeably lacking in terms of its gameplay. Anyone who has already bought the previous version probably won’t find enough in this enhanced edition to justify a second purchase, though, for anyone who is desperate to play a tennis game, Tennis World Tour 2 - Complete Edition might just about scratch that itch. However, the game still doesn't provide the level of gameplay tennis fans want out of a video game, and even if it looks better, its content struggles and mechanical shortcomings remain a deterrent.

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Tennis World Tour 2 - Complete Edition is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X\S. Screen Rant was provided with an Xbox Series X code for the purposes of this review.