Top 10 Sports Games for PC
Like many of you out there, I’m both a huge fan of sports and videogames. So, I understand it is a little bit discouraging to see that, on PC, it’s impossible to play some of the biggest sports franchises out there (like MLB The Show, or Madden NFL). But, fear not my friends, PC is the land of opportunities for gaming. Where big titles fail, smaller ones rise, giving us some fantastic games to play. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of the best sports games on PC. Enjoy!
10. Football, Tactics & Glory
Football Tactics is a 2018 turn-based strategy football simulator (try saying that 5 times in a row). It was developed by Creoteam and it’s a game that redefines the way you play football. This game has been compared to XCOM before, and the similarities are clear. The game has a strong campaign mode with robust customization features, a progression system with skill trees, and a top-notch face editor. It also supports mods, generating a playing experience that doesn’t get old after hours of play. Rather than create a Fifa/Pes clone, Creoteam has developed a robust strategy game that (like XCOM) is fun, addictive and challenging. For doing something different in the football simulator genre, Football Tactics and Glory deserves a spot on this list.
Football Tactics & Glory lets you play amazing strategy battles on the field with a charming cartoon style animation
A Football game for Civ fans
9. Blood Bowl 2
From one turn-based strategy game to the next. Like FTG, Blood Bowl 2 takes elements of XCOM and blends them perfectly with a real-life sport. Here’s the catch though, 2015 Blood Bowl 2 gives you teams of fantasy characters, puts them in an American football field and let’s you see what would happen. Developed by Cyanide, BB2 let’s you choose from a group of different races (orcs, elves, humans, etc.) with wildly different styles which you must use to score touchdowns against the other teams. The turn-based gameplay and strategy elements are on point, easy to learn, difficult to master.
The main mode is campaign, where you choose your race, enter championships and become the best football team in the realm. Newer patches let you create inter-species teams which only become more varied and fun. You can use stronger races to injure opponents or smaller ones that can dodge and attack faster. This is a fun game that gets a spot on this list for combining two worlds that shouldn’t go together so well.
The distinctly different characters and playing styles of Blood Bowl 2 provide hours of fun
Real American Football should be more like this
8. Football Manager 2018
Quietly but steadily, Football Manager has been around for almost 15 years providing a managerial experience that each year gets closer to reality. The core gameplay is pretty straight-forward, as its name would suggest, Football Manager is not about playing as team, but becoming an actual manager with all that the position entails. Every new release is better than the last, and 2018 is no exception, with a couple of additions that complement the fantastic game formula already in place.
While in FIFA or PES you can always win by simply being good at playing, FM2018 is all about testing your ability to strategize and analyze the way in which your team plays and adapt to circumstances (like injuries) to win games. Buy and sell players, create formations and take your team to glory in one of the most realistic simulators in the market, and one of the best sports games for PC.
Despite being mostly text, Football Manager has an addictive gameplay that’s sure to keep you busy for hours
It’s a football game where you don’t play football… and it’s glorious!
7. OlliOlli2
OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood is a 2015 2-D skateboarding-runner hybrid developed by Roll7. Originally a PS4 game, it’s a sequel to 2014 OlliOlli and the best way to describe it is Tony Hawk meets Bit.Trip Runner. The game consists of completing different levels by doing tricks with your skateboard and getting to the end. It’s a game for perfectionists because you’ll need to time every move to a tee. It has amazingly tight controls, a great score and it works well with both keyboard and controller. In conclusion, if you’re a skateboarding fan, this smaller game, which is by no means easy, should already be in your collection.
Thanks to its vibrant retro style, OlliOlli 2 is an all-around stunning gaming experience
Skating games have never been this fun! (or hard)
6. Steep
Steep is an astonishing 2016 online mountain extreme sports simulator developed by Ubisoft. If I can make another Tony Hawk comparison, Steep borrows the open-world elements of Project 8 and let’s you explore the vast Alps by doing one out of four available activities (Skiing, snowboarding, paragliding and wingsuit flying). While the game has been criticized for not having many rewards (besides cosmetic items), Steep is a blast to play with your friends.
The open-world elements work fantastically with the setting, as it is enjoyable to explore the beautiful mountains you’ll visit. While the exploration is front and center, the sports aspect of the game is also enjoyable, Steep is simply the best snowboarding simulator in the market and it’s an easy recommend for anyone who wants a fun online experience with friends.
The stellar scenery makes Steep incredible to watch and play
Ski your way through the world’s most beautiful mountains
5. Out of the Park Baseball
As fun as Football Manager is, the true king of stats in sports is baseball, and while you won’t find a baseball equivalent for FIFA on pc, Out of The Park is sure to have you covered in the managing simulator department. OOTP is a text-based simulation game in which you play the role of general manager for a team of your choosing. This game is a deep and complex affair that will push your baseball and statistics knowledge to the limit.
It’s difficult to explain what makes OOTP great, after all, the game consists of looking at baseball through a purely statistical lens, reading and analyzing crazy stats that only fans will (barely) understand, but there’s something intangible about controlling every aspect of your team and seeing them succeed. If you’ve ever dreamt about becoming Billy Bean, this is your game.
OOTP creates a stat-based gameplay experience every hardcore baseball fan will love
Be the world’s best general manager without playing a single game
4. WWE 2K18
Despite what your snarky friends from college tell you, wrestling is a sport (a different one, but still, a sport). It requires great mental and physical ability, as well as talent, and just because matches are fixed in advance, it doesn’t mean it’s less exciting to watch. WWE is basically the owner of wrestling across the world, and their 2K videogame series is one of the best out there. Of course, since you cannot tell a player to go out on the ring and lose, WWE 2K is more of a fighting game than anything else.
You get to choose from a long list of wrestlers today (like Roman Reigns and John Cena) and some industry legends (like Stone Cold and The Rock). Create your own personalized wrestler with a fantastic customization system and replicate some of the biggest fights in wrestling history. For anyone that loves wrestling and fighting games WWE 2K18 is a must-buy.
This year’s graphics are some of the best seen in a wrestling videogame
THIS IS AWESOME! (CLAP! CLAP! CLAP CLAP CLAP!)
3. NBA 2K18
To be honest, basketball has never been my cup of tea, I’m just not a huge fan of the sport or the teams. However, even I must admit that basketball videogames are fantastic, especially the NBA 2K series. Being developed by 2K Sports, it surprisingly shares many similarities with WWE, you can choose from a list of current or all-time teams in the best basketball gameplay experience I’ve played.
Outside of the great, satisfying gameplay, the selling point of NBA 2K is the huge variety of modes you can play. Besides regular exhibition games, you can play MyCareer and try to take the league by storm as a rookie, MyLeague and MyGM allow you to manage your team from just a season to a full career respectively, and 2K18 features a new online mode called Neighborhoods, where you can interact with other players. NBA 2K18 makes this list for being a great game for hardcore basketball fans and haters like me.
Create incredible plays with the best basketball players in the world today
The biggest stars of the NBA are waiting for you
2. FIFA 18
Sorry PES fans, but whether you are a football lover or a gamer, you probably know what FIFA is. This series, developed by EA, is one of the biggest franchises in the world, and their 2018 release is the best one so far. Get in the skins of the biggest football players in the world and use your skills to win matches in some of the greatest leagues, with over 200 different teams. While the core gameplay has remained the same over the years, it never stops being enjoyable, and the AI gets better with each new release.
This year they’ve added new ways of playing the game and have kept expanding the modes that were already available, like the manager mode whose progression system was completely revamped, or The Journey, that got a second Alex Hunter season which is just as good as the first one. On top of that, if you’ve not picked up FIFA yet, there's now a World Cup Update. All of this makes for the most complete FIFA experience and easily one of the best sports games.
The changes made to gameplay and quantity of playable teams give FIFA 18 the edge over every other football simulator
Get ready for the biggest event in the world by playing the new World Cup mode
1. Rocket League
Most sports games change little over time, we’ve heard countless times that sports games are yearly roster updates sold for 60$. If you subscribe to this idea, Rocket League is for you. Rocket League has become a sensation since its release in 2015, and it’s easy to see why. This racing/kart/football hybrid has reinvented the wheel in the most fun of ways.
In Rocket League, you are a car… And you play football with other cars… That’s it.
It’s a simple but gratifying gaming experience that sounds hokey but it’s incredibly entertaining, especially online. You drive a rocket-powered car and your goal is to play with your team to put a huge ball in your rival’s net. No online game today is this much fun. For that, and for reinventing what sports are, Rocket League is the best sports game for PC.
The over-the-top animation and gameplay style distinguish Rocket League from every other game out there
It’s football with cars. Need I say more?
This is only my opinion, of course. It’s up to you now. Comment below your favorite sports game ever.
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