By Tom Hatfield
published
From PES to Pyre, here are the best sports games on PC.
Sports games come in many shapes and sizes. Football Manager and Rocket League have almost nothing in common, but they’re both undeniably sports games. Meanwhile Fifa has added a story driven campaign, and Pyre is a fantasy RPG that plays like a sport.
To try and help, I’ve broken this list down into four broad categories. Sports Simulations, which attempt to realistically depict a sport, Sports Management games (self explanatory), Arcade Sports, which depict a stylised version of a real sport, and Fantasy Sports, which are wholly invented.
There’s obviously a lot of crossover, since even Rocket League is loosely based on football, but hopefully this will help you tell your QWOPs from your Fifas.
SPORTS SIMS
Fifa 2018
Developer: EA Sports
Release Date: Sep 2017
Link: Official site
EA's annual football series is on a high right now, with the addition of a surprisingly compelling single player story mode. Unlike PES, Fifa's strength is in a Xavi-esque short, quick passing game. If you’re looking to play online, Fifa will be your football sim of choice, as a strong and healthy online community ensures it's always easy to find a game.
PES 2018
Developer: Konami
Release Date: Sep 2017
Link: Official site
While Fifa will draw in those interested in the single player story or online multiplayer, PES is my preference for local multiplayer, or when I want to sink into the signature Master League. The two games also play slightly differently, with PES leaning more towards long passes and lofted through balls for a faster paced, more frenetic game.
MANAGEMENT GAMES
Developer: Sports Interactive
Release Date: Nov 2017
Link: Official site
It’s hard to overrstate the enormity of Football Manager. It is consistently one of the most popular games on Steam, its scouting network rivals real life clubs and once a player received an international call up from the wrong country because of it. It's also incredibly absorbing and fun, even more so since they added the streamlined variant Football Manager Touch. Play it with care: it is all-consuming.
Out of the Park Baseball 18
Developer: Out of the Park Developments
Release Date: Mar 2017
Link: Official site
It's strange how few other sports have a Football Manager equivalent, but understandable that the highly stat-driven baseball is one of those that does. Out of the Park Baseball doesn't seem to change that much from year to year, but the underlying game remains an engrossing way to live out your Moneyball fantasies.
Motorsport Manager
Developer: Playsport Games
Release Date: Nov 2016
Link: Official site
Another sensible sport to adapt into a management game, Motorsport Manager is half about the strategy, half about the cars. Between races you’ll spend time improving and upgrading your vehicle, then make strategic calls like what tires to use and when to make a pit stop, but all without having to bother getting your hands dirty actually steering the thing.
ARCADE SPORTS
Sensible World of Soccer
Developer: Sensible Software
Release Date: Jan 1996
Link: GOG (opens in new tab)
"I don’t like football but I did enjoy Sensible Soccer" is a thing I’ve been told by more 40-year-old game journalists than I care to count. By stripping the sport down to its essentials, SWOS finds a purity in the tick tock of precision passes. GOG only stocks Sensible World of Soccer 96/97, so expect to be stuck in the days of David Seaman and Ian Wright.
Developer: Out of the Bit
Release Date: Early Access
Link: Official site
Super Arcade Football is built on the classic top down approach of Sensible Soccer but with some more modern touches, the most impressive being a physics defying slow motion aftertouch shot. Unlike SWOS it also works online, making it much easier to get a game against a human.
QWOP
Developer: Bennett Foddy
Release Date: Nov 2008
Link: Official site
QWOP is, in many ways, the anti-sports game. Most sports games are about using easy, accessible controls to allow anyone to simulate being a peak athlete. QWOP on the other hand uses an overly complicated control scheme to make the relatively simple act of running a 110m hurdles (yes there are hurdles, most people don’t make it far enough to realise that) astonishingly difficult and hilarious. It’s the Eddie the Eagle of sports games.
Fire Pro Wrestler
Developer: Spike Chunsoft
Release Date: Early Access
Link: Steam
Is wrestling a sport? According to Vince McMahon it’s 'sports entertainment', which is close enough for this list. Unlike the awful official WWE games, Fire Pro Wrestling World leans into the fact that wrestling is a performance, subtly pushing players to put on an entertaining match, rather than just trying to win. That, coupled with its astonishing Steam Workshop-supported character creation makes it unique among wrestling games.
OlliOlli
Developer: Roll7
Release Date: Jul 2014
Link: Steam
OlliOlli's great success is in taking all the fun of older skating games like Tony Hawk and distilling them down to two dimensions. The simplicity of OlliOlli's side on approach makes it easier to learn a track while constantly embellishing your performance with tricks and flourishes.
Desert Golfing
Developer: Captain Games
Release Date: Dec 2017
Link: Official site (opens in new tab)
Weird zen minimalist golf game Desert Golfing was a cult hit on mobile and it's just gotten a Steam release. It's a testament to achieving a little with a lot, creating challenging holes with simple geometric shapes. Crucially, there is no going back, so every wasted stroke is there forever. Previously, the game was only available on the Windows Store.
Tennes
Developer: Jan Willem Nijman
Release Date: Nov 2012
Link: Official site
Originally a bonus game for people who backed the SportsFriends Kickstarter, Tennnes is a simplified tennis game with a flexible approach to rules. The game does not mind if, for example, you jump over the net and play on the other side of the court. If you liked SportsFriends, you'll like this.
FANTASY SPORTS
Rocket League
Developer: Psyonix
Release Date: Jul 2015
Link: Official site
I've had Rocket League installed on my PC for nearly two years now, and I still find myself jumping in for a quick 15 minute game every couple of weeks. The premise is simple: it’s football with rocket powered cars. What makes it work is the strange physics: the ball seems to be moving almost in slow motion, resulting in great slapstick comedy and much rage on the part of PC Gamer editor Sam Roberts.
SportsFriends
Developer: De Gute Fabrik
Release Date: Dec 2014
Link: Official site
SportsFriends is a bundle of local multiplayer indie games loosely themed around sports. Hokra is a very fast, minimalist ice hockey game, BariBariBall is a blend of Super Smash Bros and volleyball, Super Pole Riders is a strange pole vaulter jousting game and Johan Sebastian Joust is a kind of full contact musical chairs played with motion controllers. What they have in common is that they’re all a amazing fun with a group of friends.
Bloodbowl 2
Developer: Cyanide Release
Date: Sep 2015
Link: Official site
The Blood Bowl board game is as old as I am, which is testament to its enduring appeal. It is simultaneously one of the most frustrating and entertaining games I've ever played. Dice rolls are required for everything, meaning sometimes players fall over and die because they ran too fast. The digital port is solid enough, but the real charm lies in the time tested rules.
Frozen Cortex
Developer: Mode7
Release Date: Feb 2015
Link: Official site
Frozen Synapse's trademark interpretation of turn-based combat, where both sides plan their moves and execute them simultaneously, turns out to translate really well into sports. A paired down version of American Football featuring big stompy robots on a small pitch, Frozen Cortex excels at replicating the execution of a single play, but lacks the back and forth of larger, more fluid sports.
Pyre
Developer: Supergiant Games
Release Date: Jul 2017
Link: Official site
Pyre is essentially an RPG with a sport instead of random battles. The story and atmosphere are the kind of strong stuff you'd expect from SuperGiant (who also made Bastion and Transistor). The sport itself can end up a little one dimensional, as attacking players can’t move without the ball, there's little point in the passing game. Still, the way in which the fiction and the sport combine is a unique delight.
Tom Hatfield
See comments
FAQs
Which is the No 1 PC game in world? ›
Top Games on PC in August 2022
In August 2022, the top PC games in the world by monthly active users were Minecraft, the Sims 4, and Fortnite.
- Genshin Impact.
- Stardew Valley. ...
- Control. ...
- Red Dead Redemption 2. ...
- Prey (2017) ...
- Dota 2. ...
- Sid Meier's Civilization VI. ...
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) ...
1. FIFA. The most popular sport worldwide also has the most popular sports video game franchise in the world. FIFA allows you to control and play as all your favorite teams, create your own player to play as, and make an ultimate team (play with current and past players on a fantasy team you make).
Is Madden 22 on PC? ›Buy Madden NFL 22 – PC – EA. THIS PROMOTIONAL PRE-ORDER OFFER EXPIRES ON JUL 31, 2021. REDEEM OFFER BY SEP 1, 2022 TO RECEIVE 20 STAFF POINTS 1 COVER ATHLETE VANITY CAPSULE AND 1 ELITE NFL STAR PLAYER ITEM.
What PC game should I play? ›Personal computer
What is the most downloaded game? ›| Rank | Game | Combined score for downloads & revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roblox | 169 |
| 2 | Candy Crush Saga | 143 |
| 3 | Coin Master | 130 |
| 4 | Evony | 96 |
- Valorant (5v5 tactical shooter, Riot Games)
- Apex Legends (battle royale hero shooter, Respawn)
- Halo Infinite Multiplayer (sci-fi shooter, 343 Industries)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (military shooter, Activision)
- Destiny 2 (sci-fi fantasy shooter, Bungie)
Budget Breakdown
In this budget-range, we'd recommend spending between $600 and $800 for a solid 1080p-oriented gaming PC build. For a Mid-Range system, the CPU you should aim for will be either an i5 or Ryzen 5 processor.
FIFA – 260 million
By far the biggest selling sports game in the history of sports games is FIFA.
What sport is most popular? ›
Football – 3.5 Billion Followers
Football is supreme. Over half of the world's population tunes in once in every 4 years to watch the World Cup. Over 250 million individuals reportedly play soccer regularly. As a result, it is the most popular and widely followed sport in the world.
1- Major League Baseball
The MLB season, with 162-games, is the longest of the major American sports.
Soccer or football has been voted the no. 1 sport. Over 250 million athletes play it in more than 200 countries.
What is the biggest sport in the world 2022? ›1. Soccer. Soccer is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. It is played by 250 million players in over 200 countries, making it the world's most popular sport.
What sport is the most difficult? ›| Degree of Difficulty: Sport Rankings | ||
|---|---|---|
| SPORT | END | RANK |
| Boxing | 8.63 | 1 |
| Ice Hockey | 7.25 | 2 |
| Football | 5.38 | 3 |
To play Madden NFL 23 you will need a minimum CPU equivalent to an Intel Core i3-6100. However, the developers recommend a CPU greater or equal to an Intel Core i5-680 to play the game. Madden NFL 23 will run on PC system with Windows 10 and upwards.
Is Madden 23 worth buying? ›Madden NFL 23 is a clear step up over Madden NFL 22 in many ways, with some key gameplay and animation improvements making the game feel weightier, more precise, and less stilted. That said, other issues that have plagued the series for years are still here.
Can my laptop run Madden 22? ›Your computer should at least have an NVIDIA GTX 660, an AMD Radeon RX 460, or any GPU that could support at least a DirectX 11 or something similar. We believe this is pretty sufficient for Madden 22.
Who is your daddy? ›Who's your daddy? is a slang expression used to show dominance over someone else in an aggressive, playful, or sexual way. Daddy goes way back. Records from the early 17th century show daddy being used for any controlling and older figure, regardless of biology.
What is the longest game to complete? ›- Baldur's Gate 2 Has An 88 Hour Average Completion Time. ...
- Final Fantasy 12 Averages 92.5 Hours To Complete. ...
- Completing Assassin's Creed Valhalla Takes Over 90 Hours. ...
- 96 Hours May Be Needed To Become Elden Lord In Elden Ring.
Is Steam a free? ›
Steam itself is free to use, and free to download. Here's how to get Steam, and start finding your own favorite games.
Who is the best game in the world? ›| Game | Online Player | Launch Year |
|---|---|---|
| Leauge of Legends (LOL) | 27 Million | 2009 |
| Counter Strike; Global Offensive | 32 Million | 2014 |
| Heartstone | 29 Million | 2012 |
| Minecraft | 91 Million | 2011 |
Garena Free Fire from Garena was the most downloaded mobile game worldwide for January 2022 with 24 million installs, which represented a 51.6 percent increase from January 2021.
Can free Fire play on 1GB RAM? ›The minimum configuration to be able to play Free Fire on Android devices is: OS: Android 4.4. CPU: Dual core 1.2GHz. RAM: 1GB.
What game can I play free? ›- Mahjongg Dimensions. Mahjongg Dimensions is a 3D take on the popular tile-based game. ...
- Sudoku is a classic logic puzzle that first appeared in Japan in 1986. ...
- Spider Solitaire. ...
- Bubble Shooter.
- iMac M1 2021 (24-inch) Sleek and speedy. $1,294 at Amazon. ...
- HP Envy 34 All-in-One PC. A great, and rare, big-screen all-in-one. $2,199 at Amazon.
- Origin PC 5000T. Highly customizable gaming. ...
- Dell XPS 8950 Desktop. Great performance for gamers and creators. ...
- Apple Mac Mini M1 (2020) Affordable Mac upgrade.
Personal computer
Is 32gb too much RAM? ›That said, when it comes to RAM, it does make sense to buy more than to buy less – given it's of the same quality, and you have the budget. For most workloads, 32 GB of RAM is sufficient now and will be for the near future.
Is 64GB RAM overkill for gaming? ›No, 64GB of RAM is not overkill for gaming. In fact, it is the ideal amount of RAM for gaming, as it will allow you to run the latest games at their highest settings without any issues. If you have a lower amount of RAM, you may start to experience performance issues, such as stuttering and FPS drops.
Is 1000 enough for a gaming PC? ›For $1,000 you can build a gaming computer that can max out anything on a 1080P monitor easily. However, $1,000 in components will also allow you to max out most games on a 1440P monitor as well as serve as an entry-point into 4K gaming.
Does gaming slow down laptop? ›
Whether you experience that slowdown or not, though, if you have inadequate cooling and play games on your system for a long time, that heat build-up can slowly degrade your hardware.
Why is PC gaming so popular? ›Everything from MMO's to browser games, PCs have a much wider variety of games available over gaming consoles. Even games that are exclusive to certain consoles, such as Halo and many other Xbox games, are available on PC but not other consoles.
Will Steam slow down my laptop? ›Steam uses RAM that takes up around 400MB. If your computer has plenty of RAM, Steam and Steam games won't really lag your PC. If not, Steam can make your PC run slower. Since your PC delicates more push to games, other programs can be slower if Steam or Steam gamesare running in the background.
Where can I download free PC games? ›- Origin.
- Steam.
- G2A.
- Mega Games.
- Battle.net.
- Epic Games Store.
- Acid Play.
- AllGamesAtoZ.
Yes, you can play games on a non-gaming laptop. But if you want to play your games in the way they were designed for, you want a gaming PC. Check out this article for a more in-depth explanation of whether a laptop or PC is better for gaming.
Do people play Madden or 2K more? ›However, since 2K released its first title after partnering with the NBA in 1999, they've become the NFL's biggest competitor in the gaming market. Given the ten-year lead in sales, the NFL's Madden series has outsold NBA 2K in terms of all-time revenue.
What is the biggest game franchise? ›| Rank | Franchise | Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pokemon | $90,000,000,000 |
| 2 | Mario | $30,250,000,000 |
| 3 | Call of Duty | $17,000,000,000 |
| 4 | Wii | $14,808,000,000 |
1. Tetris – 520 million. Arguably the most timeless video game ever created, Tetris sits comfortably atop the list of all-time bestsellers with 520 million copies sold, according to The Tetris Company.
What is China's main sport? ›Running has now become the most important sport for Chinese recreational athletes. 44 percent of sports-playing Chinese count running among their main activities. “In 2016, there were over one million marathon runners in China,” says China expert Martin Kössler.
Is chess a sport? ›Like all sports, chess has a defined set of rules and etiquettes. The International Chess Federation serves as the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. Additionally, the International Olympic Committee considers chess to be a sport.
Who invented sport? ›
With the first Olympic Games in 776 BC—which included events such as foot and chariot races, wrestling, jumping, and discus and javelin throwing—the Ancient Greeks introduced formal sports to the world.
What is the longest sport? ›A record was set in tennis when Nicolas Mahut and John Isner had a match that lasted over eleven hours, covering three days. In baseball, the 1981 game between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox, in Rhode Island at the Red Sox stadium broke the record.
What's the least played sport? ›Unicycle Hockey, Chess Boxing, Indoor Kabaddi least popular sports among the fans around the world.
What is the biggest sport in USA? ›However, in more recent decades, American football has been the most popular sport in terms of broadcast viewership audience. Basketball has grown into the mainstream American sports scene since the 1980s, with ice hockey and soccer doing the same around the turn of the 21st century.
Why are there no sports games on PC? ›Historically they just haven't sold well on the PC. Some factors impacting PC sales are changing for the better (adoption of controller use on the PC, PCs being used in the living room) but it's still a relatively low return on investment.
Is there any MLB games on PC? ›“Officially licensed by MLB, MiLB, and the MLBPA, Out of the Park Baseball 21 is a strategy & sports gaming fan's dream come true and the only game ever to win Metacritic PC Game of the Year Award TWICE.
Is Madden on PC? ›Buy Madden NFL 23 – PC – EA. *Madden Points will be provided in monthly installments of 500 per month beginning August 16, 2022 and ending July 31, 2023. The first 500 Madden Points will be available August 16, 2022 – August 31, 2022.
Is there any way to play NHL 22 on PC? ›No, NHL 22 is not coming to PC.
What sports game should I buy? ›- Nintendo Switch Sports. 9.40 / 10. Read Reviews. ...
- Cricket 22 - The Official Game of The Ashes (PS5) 8.60 / 10. Read Reviews. ...
- Madden NFL 22. 9.00 / 10. Read Reviews. ...
- Tony Hawk Pro Skater. 9.60 / 10. Read Reviews. ...
- FIFA 22. 9.20 / 10. Read Reviews. ...
- EA Sports NHL 2022. 9.20 / 10. ...
- WWE 2K22. 9.40 / 10. ...
- Hunting Simulator 2. 8.80 / 10.
Personal computer
Can I play NHL on PC? ›
NHL 23 will not release on PC even though many other EA Sports titles already have a home on the platform. Unfortunately, NHL 23 will not be releasing on PC.
Can I play baseball on PC? ›Out of the Park Baseball is the only PC exclusive baseball game. With high ratings by both critics and players, it's priced at a fair $40 – but you can get it for much lower, if you keep an eye out for price drops.
What is the most realistic baseball game? ›MLB The Show is the most realistic baseball game of all time.
Can you play 2k on PC? ›A: NBA 2K22 will be available on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S, as well as PlayStation®4, PlayStation®4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch, and Steam for PC.
Can my PC run Madden 23? ›An Intel Core i3-6100 CPU is required at a minimum to run Madden NFL 23. However, the developers recommend a CPU greater or equal to an Intel Core i5-680 to play the game. In terms of game file size, you will need at least 50 GB of free disk space available.
How many GB does Madden 23 have? ›What is the Madden NFL 23 file size? Madden NFL 23 has around a 50 GB file size across its platforms. Steam recommends at least 50 GB of available space to download the game for PC. Meanwhile, Xbox estimates that Madden NFL 23 will need 46.16 GB for its consoles.
Is NHL 22 free? ›NHL 22 available for free through EA Play and Game Pass Ultimate.
Why is NHL not on steam? ›EA have exclusive rights to the franchise after all, so if they feel there's no market for the games on the PC then that's too bad - no NHL/Madden for you unless you own a console. Anyway, if EA change their minds then you still won't find the games on Steam... because Origin.
Can you play Xbox games on PC? ›Play cloud-enabled games with Xbox Cloud Gaming
To set up Xbox Cloud Gaming, you need to log in to your Xbox Game Pass Ultimate account. You can then access any cloud-compatible Game Pass title through the Xbox companion app and stream it to your PC.