Our list with the Best Sports Games includes titles in the snow, on skateboards, American football, basketball, handball, punches, fights and soccer, a lot of soccer.

There are new names and “historical” games.

For all audiences and others with levels of demand and difficulty that make them almost “intolerable”

We begin:

1. FIFA 17

If a football game is called FIFA, there is not much more to say. The competition would have to invent another more spectacular name or develop a product by far superior. And until now it seems that neither of the two things has happened. Or at least it is what we think.

Created by the Canadian conglomerate EA Sport, a subsidiary of the American EA, whose executives have managed to obtain licenses for the use of the names of several sports “brands”, as well as the official game of the International Federation of Associated Football , have franchises of games called: NBA Live , Madden NHL, Nascar, Tiger Woods PGA Tours, NCAA and UFC .

If they are the best sports simulations in their respective disciplines is another issue.

More than 20 years of history.

The first game of the series debuted in 1993. It had many errors and flaws but still became an instant hit. His path to success was marked by licenses for the use of real names of equipment (with their respective costumes and real shields) and players.

Although the real impact was on the change of perspective that gave the gamers: until that time the available view to see the field on the TV screen or the computer was overhead or bird’s-eye view (did any of you play Kick Off ?). With FIFA 94 that changed since the Isometric view was chosen or three quarters. In addition, he incorporated real sounds recorded in the stadiums themselves, which helped to “build” the “realistic” magic.

FIFA 17 and the obligation to innovate

EA Sport has been publishing one game per year since 1993 uninterruptedly. This has allowed each edition to incorporate real skills that take place in the year of publication. However, it is a challenge for programmers and designers. How to offer a new game every 365 days? What does FIFA 17 have to be worth? Let’s see the news:

Game mode Alex Hunter: this is a fictitious character of 17 years, with a natural talent for football. Those who decide to play in this way can advance the boy’s career until he is signed by a Premier League team. (Eye, but the boy does not do everything alone, the gamer should really know how to play).

Another novelty is that now if you can interact with the coaches, in fact, EA also got the license to be able to make use of the names of the 20 “misters” who lead teams in the First Division of English Football.

Most of the most emblematic stadiums in the world are still available, although the game suffered a noticeable decline with the departure of the Camp Nou since the use of Barcelona FC arena is now an exclusive license of Pro Evolution Soccer, a franchise that we will review later.

You can play leagues from 33 countries, with the news regarding the previous version of the debut of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League and the Japan League Cup , as well as the return of the Brasileirao to career mode, although with only 18 of the 30 teams since two of the most emblematic, Corinthians and Flamengo are exclusive to PES .

The other added values

There are two factors that have always made a difference in the series, although they do not have to do directly with the gameplay: the soundtrack and the commentators.

The list of songs that come in this version includes songs by Beck, Bishop Briggs, Kyngo, Kasabian, Capital Cities, Sofi Tukker Souls, Solar System, and Bars Country, among many others. In addition, it has music produced by Oscar winner Atticus Ross

Is it the best FIFA?

Already above we discussed the challenge of launching a new game year after year. We must also evaluate the “sacrifice” that may be for some, investing, during the same time interval, in a product that may end up being a little more of the same. And to a large extent, this is what happened with FIFA 17. While there are notable improvements (the graphics engine Frostbite 3 works wonders), in the end, many felt that maybe we could continue in the FIFA 16 a little more without it had been the big thing.

Available for Xbox 360,  PlayStation 3 (in these “seventh generation” consoles you can not play the Race Mode Alex Hunter ); Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. Also the FIFA ULTIMATE TEAM 17 for iOS and Android.

To play under Windows environment, it requires a computer with the following minimum requirements: Processor Intel Core i3-2100 @ 3.1 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 965 @ 3.4 GHz; 8 GB of RAM, 50 GB available on the Hard Drive, NVIDIA GTX 460 or Radeon R7 260; DirectX 11.0, in addition to Windows 7 operating system or higher.

2. NBA 2K17

EA Sport also wanted to establish an official video in basketball as it did in football, (both the one they call “Soccer-Soccer” in the United States and the “American”) but could not. Between 1994 and 2015 they published NBA Live,  but they never reached the levels of playability, much fewer sales of the FIFA or Madden NFL series. They tried, in the middle of the last decade, with an NBA Elite, but practically died before being born. Maybe in the future we will talk about the top sports game failed or something like that, meanwhile, let’s focus on what we have to do.

The NBA 2K series started in 1999, originally developed exclusively for the Sega Dreamcast, the latest console developed (to date) by SEGA. With the restructuring of the Japanese company, who had to adapt to survive the advancement in the Sony and Microsoft video games market, in addition to that at that time Nintendo maintained a strong and dominant position within the sector, in 2004 Visual Connect , subsidiary responsible for the production of the game, was acquired by Take-Two Interactive, who decided to form the 2K seal .

18 consecutive years of NBA

Along with the series FIFA and Madden NFL by EA Sports, NBA 2K series is the other major sports franchise games that could stand in the time and withstand wear and tear involved editing a new installment every year.

The premise of the game remains intact: that the gamers live the NBA as if they were professional basketball players playing in the “best basketball in the world”.

All players and all teams are still available, as well as the corresponding costumes.

One of the attractions of the game is the game mode MyCareer, where participants can design a character and put it to compete from novice to achieve the consecration. The most persistent will seek retirement.

Among the novelties of this edition are the possibility of playing with classic teams of the NBA (a challenge between the Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan and the Boston Celtics of Larry Bird becomes irresistible). You can also play games (outside the Career Mode ) with national teams or with 21 Euro League teams, such as Real Madrid or CSKA Moscow.

Among the specialists who narrate the incidents of the game and perform pre and, post-match analysis are, among others, Chris Webber and Shaquille O’Neal.

Mi Liga mode is back with this edition, which allows players to act under the NBA’s operational rules regarding team building and the execution of franchise changes. You can also schedule the expansion of the league, which immediately generates the Expansion Draft.

Also included is the My Team mode, with the objective that gamers structure a quintet at will (complying with certain parameters, of course). Under this option you can from, put the name of the franchise, design the logo, the uniforms, choose the technical director, in addition to other aspects concerning the construction of a basketball team.

Another attraction of the game continues to be the Soundtrack, which on this occasion comes with 50 songs available, highlighting singles from artists such as Imagine Dragons, Grimes, and Noah Shebib, among many others.

One of the promises made by those responsible for the game was to improve the audio environment, aspect with which, according to statements by several of them, they were not satisfied.

Again more of the same?

However, despite the fact that the “specialized critics” of the game acclaim it and that to date more than 7 million copies have been distributed among all platforms, many fans of the series were disappointed with this release.

Even beyond the actual lack of news, there are those who complain about having problems with the gameplay.

NBA 2K18 is already on the waiting list, we will see it in the next few years the creators of sports video games take the issue with a little calmer and stop editing games every year.

It is best ps4 sport games so it available for PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, iOS and Android. To play on a computer requires a computer with the following minimum: Windows 7 or higher, Intel Core i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 805 @ 2.5 GHz; 4 GB RAM , NVIDIA GeForce 430 Graphics Card or AMD Radeon HD 6450, (both with 1 GB VRAM); Sound Card compatible with DirectX 9.0 and 70 GB available on the Hard Disk.

3. PES 2017

In our ranking with the Best Sports Games (or at least the most popular ones, if we take the analysis of the first two lists without much emotion), we leave basketball and return to football hand in hand with Pro Evolution Soccer , the series of video games based on the “king sport” that has been trying to tear down the EA empire with its FIFA series for years, and which, according to some, every year is closer to achieving it. What do you think?

The people in charge of this saga are the Japanese of Konami, who began to develop video games based on soccer since 1994 when they launched International Superstar Soccer. After the success of this saga, started in parallel the launch of another game: Goal Storm (known in Japan as World Soccer Winning Eleven ), considered the first attempt to create a 3D sports simulator for PlayStation. In the following years, other games like International Soccer Pro (1997-1998) and then ISS Pro Evolution (2000-2001) went on sale, always having the PlayStation as a destination platform.

The first Pro Evolution Soccer came on the market in 2001 (known in Japan as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 5) and from then on, the PES era began officially.

What’s new?

We have already mentioned that, with regard to licenses for the use of real names, EA Sport has gained a considerable advantage over all its competitors. However, the people of Konami have managed to survive despite it. In the same way, over time they have been able to tear some licenses, obtaining some even for exclusive use.

For the 2017 edition, they entered into agreements with FC Barcelona (which also gives them the exclusive use of the Camp Nou name), Liverpool FC, Borussia Dortmund, River Plate, as well as exclusivity regarding the use of SC Corinthians and CR Flamengo del Brasileirao.

But beyond names, the developers made an effort to confer more realism to the game, with particular emphasis on improving aspects such as ball control and passes, as well as the movements and reflexes of the goalkeepers.

At the strategy level, teams can be “instructed,” to apply systems such as “Tiki Taka” or use high pressure when defending.

Another of the differential values of the game: the option to completely control the team gives the possibility in this edition that gamers can move from a stifling defense to a fast counter-attack quickly. You can also design “blackboard” plays for the situations of the stopped ball, such as corner kicks or free throws.

But while the players more innovate to try to win, the AI of the game will also improve, since it will generate a kind of game pattern of its “rival”. In plain words: the game will learn what the guest does to cancel it and not let it win.

At the graphics level, the Fox Engine was adopted and they were given the task of thoroughly reviewing the public’s models. On the other hand, there is a substantial improvement in what refers to the movements of the players within the screen.

The game includes the main leagues in the world, such as the English Premier, Serie A of Italy, La Liga de España or Brasileirao de Brasil, among many others. It also includes National Cups such as the FA Cup and the Community Shields of England, the Italian Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the Portuguese Cup. It also includes continental tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League, the Copa Libertadores de América and the Club World Cup. As for tournaments of national teams, you can play, among others, the European Championship, the America’s Cup and even the World Cup.

What do people say?

Most gamers praise the gameplay and realism of the game, noting that it far surpasses its arch-rival FIFA 17. However, in the end, most end up recognizing that this saga still lacks much of the content that the competition does have.

Another point of comparison and where PES 2017 does not work well, is in the Soundtrack and in the “environmental” sounds.

In any case, the disappointment rate is much lower.

Available for PS3 and PS 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, as well as their respective adaptations for Android and iOS.

To play it on the computer, the following minimums are required: Windows Vista or higher, Intel Core Duo 2 1.8 GHz processor or equivalent, 1 GB of RAM memory, DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card, 8 GB of available memory and an 800 x 600 monitor.

4. Steep

We put extremes now with Steep, created by the French of Ubisoft Annecy SASU, a subsidiary of the video game multinational Ubisoft.

Set in the Alps, built under Open World architecture and offering the options of playing with the perspective of first, the third person or exchanging both in the middle of a race or a flight

The disciplines to “practice” are skiing, wingsuit flying, snowboarding, and parachuting.

Steep was primarily intended to be played online, with competitors being able to practice different extreme activities simultaneously, competing directly with each other or imposing challenges on the general audience.

Players score according to the tricks they perform and the difficulty of them.

The Game Modes are divided into four categories, namely:

Explorer: since it is built in Open World, players have the real possibility of crossing a good part of the Alps, while discovering new places to compete and create new challenges.

Freestyler: those who perform the best and most acrobatic tricks stand out.

The Bone Collector: for those who are not afraid of ridicule or afraid to fall spectacularly. The more broken bones are collected, the better.

Freerider: a mixture of the three previous modes.

Steep, a game far from fame, close to glory

Although it does not drag the popularity of the previous titles listed in our ranking with the Best Sports Games, the truth is that Steep is a success. If when you turn on the console to play it, the atmosphere is cold, it will only be necessary for the snow to come out of the TV so you can really feel in the Alps.

The possibility that gamers have to “challenge” themselves online is another of the great attractions of a game that has little to write for the next winter Olympics.

However, to the “certified critics,” it seems that the game did not finish touching them since the reviews in portals like Metacritic are rather mixed.

Have you played it yet?

Available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows. To play it in the computer requires a computer with the following features: Windows 7 or higher, Intel Core i5-2400 @ 2.5 GHz or AMD FX-6350 @ 3.9 GHz; 6 GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon R7 260 X graphics card; 18 GB available on the hard drive.

5. Madden NFL 17

If you are a follower of the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons, then this is the video game made for you.

Before the FIFA series, EA Sport already had a gap in the history of sports video games with this saga, whose first volume went on sale in 1988 with the title John Madden Football and the legendary head coach, member of the Salon of the NFL Fame on the cover.

Since then they are more than 100 million copies sold (from 1994 it was renamed Madden NFL ) for all platforms.

The most outstanding novelty is the Play Moments option, contained within the Franchise Mode, where you have the option to play only the highlights of each game, without having to go through the long wake of minutes and seconds in which nothing happens. This, undoubtedly, gives it more dynamism, compared to previous editions.

Under the Career Mode, now you can only play as a coach since the options to do it either as a player or as a president were suppressed. Before starting the season, you must set the goals to meet: if it turns out that the gamer for wanting to give Superman “win the Super Bowl” but can only win three games throughout the regular season, most likely to end fired and must start another career.

As a curious note, the game has a simulation of Super Bowl LI, where the opposing teams are precisely those who played, in real life, the same game: The Patriots against the Falcons. And as in reality, the team of Tom Brady ends up raising the cup, but with a score of 27-24. (The game played at the NGR Stadium in Texas on February 5 ended 34-28).

Let’s be clear, although to play Madden NFL 2017 you do not have to know about American Football, not even know the rules (the copies include a considerable number of tutorials that will not only teach you to manipulate the controls, they will also explain in detail what goes the game, regulations and other aspects of interest), is not too friendly if you have no genuine interest in this sport.

Available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox 0ne .

Suitable for anyone who is older than 3 years.

6. Handball 17

Soccer, American football, basketball, snowboarding, tennis, baseball, and handball? The French of EKO Software seem determined to fill that gap and have already published two editions of Handball, the video game that aims to become the official simulator of this sport, very popular in Europe, in addition.

Only good intentions?

Handball 16, the first installment of the game went practically unnoticed. Those who came to play claim that the matter was no more than a decalogue of very good intentions whose final result was nothing short of a disaster.

A year later, those responsible for the game made it clear that they are serious and the improvements are palpable. Now it is a video game.

Handball 17 offers the possibility of playing with 82 of the most prestigious teams in the handball leagues of the old continent, among which are FC Barcelona, PSG, Nantes, and many others. It also includes all the teams of the French Pro League.

In addition, true sports stars also participate, such as Raúl Entreríos, Javier Muñoz, Thierry Omeyer, Adrien DiPanda, and others.

The gameplay

Although it is a game mainly focused on handball connoisseurs, it is not impossible that someone who has just begun to become familiar with this sports practice can play it.

One aspect that should be improved in case the game lasts over time, is to make the ball bounce when it falls on the floor and not end inert, nailed.

It has four Game Modes, namely:

Career mode: the user can build a fictitious character, which will begin his professional career in the second division of any of the available leagues and will have to ascend progressively. In this section highlights the fact that the levels of demand are increasing progressively as the character ascends a level.

Season: A complete cycle can be completed with elite teams from the main leagues, such as the ASOBAL of Spain or the LILD Straligue de Francia. The names and equipment of the equipment are licensed.

Local Match: is the equivalent of the FIFA Initial Kick. One against one, with a friend or against the AI.

Online: to play games between people who are anywhere in the world. Far from generating the traffic of the titles that we have mentioned before, but there is more and more interest.

It is clear that there is still much that needs to be improved so that it becomes a real reference in the world of sports video games. We’ll see if it manages to persist in time and make a name for itself.

Available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.

It is PC sports games so, play it on the PC, it is required to have the following minimum: Windows 7 or higher, AMD Phenom 9850 processor @ 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT graphics card or AMD Radeon 6570; DirectX, version 9.0 and 9 GB available for storage .

7. Football Manager 2017

We take up football again, now with a game that has two differentiating characteristics: here we only play as a coach and its development is exclusively for computers.

It is the twelfth installment of the saga created by Sports Interactive LTD, a subsidiary of Sega, who also distribute it.

The game was originally conceived in the early 1980s for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, a microcomputer manufactured by the British company Sinclair Research and which was highly popular throughout Europe. Football Manager built the way for titles where coaches and not players became the stars. During the same decade and at the beginning of the nineties there were three more deliveries, but it was finally discarded.

It would not be until 2005 that Sports Interactive LTD retakes the name and would begin to publish a new series that remains until today.

The most notable improvement compared to previous editions is the way in which AI “interacts”. Before it seemed that only “stopped” in the field to do their job. In this edition, it is much more coherent and “acts” in accordance with the strategies presented by the guest, which undoubtedly adds an extra load of realism to an already consolidated title.

As for the graphics, the improvements are also notable, taking care of more and more details and adding small elements such as issuing the repetitions of the goals from various angles.

As for “the stories” within the game, now players have more tools to try to convince big stars to sign for “small” teams.

Interestingly, since the game was published at the end of 2016, contemplated the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, so from this version foreigners who work in the Premier League must comply with immigration procedures such as Visa application of work.

In summary, FM 2017 continues to maintain the simplicity and functionality of a well-positioned saga, where a large number of small details are what make the difference.

Available for Windows, OS X, and Linux.

The requirements to play it:

Operating System: Windows 7 or higher, OS X 10.5.7 or higher, Ubuntu 12.04 to 64 Bits.

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 (Windows and Linux). Intel Core 2 1.8 GHz (MAC).

RAM memory: 2 GB

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT or equivalent.

DirectX, version 9.0c

3 GB of hard disk space.

8. Mark McMorris Infinite Air

In our Best Sports Games, we return to the extreme snow with a game that, like Steep, is built with Open World architecture.

Mark McMorris Infinite Air is the best of the Canadian house HB Studios under the seal of Maximum Games, for the Snowboard.

Mark McMorris, the Olympic bronze of discipline at the Sochi Olympics, in addition to multiple Gold winners in the winter X-Games, not only puts the name to the game but he also meticulously oversaw all the details to ensure that everything that happens inside it is real.

These are the Best Sports Games or the most difficult ones?

Snowboarding is not an easy sport. And the game ensures that the participants understand it. Packed with tutorials explaining from history to snow practice techniques, Mark McMorris Infinite Air can become frustrating for certain types of audiences.

For those who do not give up easily, the title is a challenge full of possibilities. Being built in Open World, it allows, among other things, that gamers customize their own challenges and challenge their friends and the online community. It also allows you to compete in “traditional” championships of Slopestyle, Salto Grande and Half-Pipe.

While most of those who have played praise realism, many have left a sense of emptiness. For example, the option of multiplayer competitions does not offer Player vs. Player encounters directly but instead sets up a ranking with the scores that each of the participants accumulates separately. The “professional” critics also seem to be cold with the experience of snowboarding in it, since the opinions are mixed and not overly enthusiastic.

Available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows.

As it is PC sports games so, play it on the PC, the computer must have: Windows 7 or higher, Intel Core 2 Quad Q2800 processor or equivalent, 4 GB RAM, Radeon 5750 graphics card or NVIDIA GTX 650 with 1 GB VRAM, Broadband connection, 3 GB available on the Hard Disk, DirectX 9.0c card.

9. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5

Another extreme saga, now on the skateboard and with the endorsement of Tony Hawk, considered the best skater of all time on the half-pipe.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is the tenth installment of the series, developed by Robomodo together with Disruptive Games and distributed under the Activision label.

For the most faithful gamers of what is in turn considered the top sports game franchise for and for skateboarders, each edition represents a high excitement and expectation such as that generated on a large scale by the release of a new installment of the FIFA series.

The best series, the worst game

But, it must be said: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is today on this list for his past and not for his present. It is here because two of the games in this franchise are on the list of the best ps4 sport games created in history.

The emotion that brought the publication of this delivery was diluted just playing it.

10. UFC 2

We closed our list to the blows with the EA Sports game based on the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

UFC 2 is the continuation of a series that began in 2014 with the publication of EA Sport UFC and that immediately attracted not only lovers of mixed fights, but audiences that before the game was not very clear that the matter was going (beyond bloody battles between two types or between two women in a kind of octagonal cage).

What’s new?

EA Canada, the subsidiary responsible for the development of the title, took very seriously the task of listening to the criticisms issued by the gamers regarding the first edition of the game.

For this release they worked hard to improve the graphics, giving them a greater dose of realism.

The Career Mode is deeper, offering players not only to design their own avatars but to learn step by step how to make them fight efficiently.

It’s an almost perfect metaphor of when we were kids, we wanted to practice some sport and our parents took us for the first time. We dreamed of instantaneous glory, then we discovered that to achieve success, in addition to the talent you need perseverance, perseverance, and discipline.

Without being so extreme (the handling of time is, as in almost all video games, relative), this is the process that players must develop to stand out.

Another aspect that shouted the gamers needed to improve was the fight on the ground or submissions. In the first installment, no one seemed to understand what the issue was or how it worked. If you were in a fight against AI and it was stamping you on the ground, only luck or divine providence could get you out of the situation.

Even more difficult was to subdue a rival. Now, this aspect in addition to being explained in detail within the tutorials of the game, not only is simpler but in the development of the combat itself, there are indications on how to operate the controls to get certain movements applied.

At disposal, there is a list of 250 fighters distributed in the 10 real categories that make life in the UFC, including the female branch.

In short, greater dynamism and more fun, even for those who are not fans of this type of combat.