Sports gamers unite! It’s time to vote in IGN’s Best Sports Video Games Showdown Contest! We’ve created a seeded, elimination tournament featuring the 32 greatest sports video games of all-time across four ultra-competitive regions: Traditional Sports; Arcade Sports; Racing/Fighting; and Wildcard.
Fan Voting: March 29th 10am PT to April 13th 12am PT
Want a chance to win a $100 to the digital games store of your choice? Visit https://bestsportsgame.ign.com/ between March 29th 10am PT – April 13th 12am PT and make your predictions on which sports video game will win each bracket matchup. Ten (10) people who enter will win a $100 gift card to the digital games store of their choice. Visit https://bestsportsgame.ign.com/ for sweepstakes details.
Relevant Dates:
Giveaway Entry Period: March 29th 10am PT – April 13th 12am PTRound 1 “Round of 32” Fan Voting: March 29th 10am PT to March 30th 10am PT Round 2 “Sweet 16” Fan Voting: March 31st 10am PT to April 1st 10am PT Round 3 “Elite 8” Fan Voting: April 5th 10am PT to April 6th 10am PTRound 4 “Final 4” Fan Voting: April 10th 10am PT to April 11th 10am PTRound 5 “Championship” Fan Voting: April 12th 10am PT to April 13th 10am PT Winner Revealed: April 15th at 11:59pm PT
Now onto the regions…
REGION 1: TRADITIONAL SPORTS GAME
Region 1 pits traditional sports titles against one another. These simulation-style games aim to replicate their real-life counterparts, and tend to target hardcore sports fans.
Madden 2005 (2004)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1988-Present
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The defensive improvements alone are worth the price of admission.”
NFL 2K5 (2004)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2004
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “This game rivals Madden in every way and surpasses it in feature set.”
FIFA Soccer 12 (2011)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1993-Present
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “Matches unfold with a more authentic tempo, taking it much closer to the real thing.”
PES 2016 (2015)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1995-Present (as eFootball)
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “I can’t remember ever being so consistently thrilled, surprised and delighted by a football game before.”
NBA 2K14 (2013)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-Present
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “A smooth-flowing piece of pro basketball simulation.”
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (2003)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1990-2015
IGN Score: 9.1
IGN Review Blurb: “One of the best multiplayer titles around.”
MVP Baseball 2005 (2005)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1995-2002 (as Triple Play); 2003-2007
IGN Score: 9.2
IGN Review Blurb: “MVP 2005 delivers the best baseball experience on the market today.”
MLB The Show ’21 (2021)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2006-Present
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “The best baseball sim you can play on any platform.“
REGION 2: ARCADE SPORTS GAME
Region 2 is comprised of arcade-style games that tend to put a spin on real sports. They boast a pick-up-and-play style unlike their more traditional counterparts.
NBA Jam Tournament Edition (1995)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1993-2011
IGN Score: 6.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The action is fast paced and intense, and by keeping the court limited to four players, the ball moves around quite a bit. Perhaps the title’s best aspect is its simplicity in game design — just grab that ball and sink it!”
Golden Tee Golf (1989)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1989-Present
IGN Score: N/A
NHL ’94 (1993)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1991-Present
IGN Score: N/A
Tecmo Super Bowl (1991)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1987-2008
IGN Score: N/A
Mario Golf World Tour (2014)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2021
IGN Score: 8.6
IGN Review Blurb: “Mario Golf strikes an excellent balance of risk and reward.”
Mario Tennis Aces (2018)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2000-2018
IGN Score: 7.5
IGN Review Blurb: “Colorful and dazzling to look at and smartly balanced in its back-and-forth play.”
NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2001-2007
IGN Score: 9.4
IGN Review Blurb: “More dunks, more players, more moves, more music and a lot more street.”
NFL Blitz: The League II (2008)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2008-2012
IGN Score: 5.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The League II brings many of the same conventions as the first with Clash and Unleashed moves becoming available for positive yardage and good plays on defense.”
REGION 3: RACING/FIGHTING SPORTS GAME
Region 3 features racing and fighting games. These eight boast white-knuckle, high-octane action on the road or fierce fisticuffs in the ring.
Forza Horizon 5 (2021)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2012-2021
IGN Score: 10
IGN Review Blurb: “A deep and nuanced car nirvana for revheads and auto geeks.”
Forza Motorsport (2005)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2005-Present
IGN Score: 9.2
IGN Review Blurb: “Forza is a force to be reckoned with, out-maneuvering ‘GT4′ in several respects, and beating out everything else in the sim department.”
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (2001)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1997-Present
IGN Score: 9.8
IGN Review Blurb: “The finest racing, the best cars and the highest-quality automotive audio-visual feast available on any gaming system anywhere.”
F1 2010 (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2000-Present
IGN Score: 8.5
IGN Review Blurb: “As visceral a take on the art of threading 600bhp through less than half a tonnes’ worth of steel, carbon fiber and rubber as a console’s ever seen.”
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2010- Present
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “It completely embraces that spirit of adolescent madness and just runs with it.”
UFC Undisputed 3 (2012)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2009-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “The sheer amount of new content in UFC Undisputed 3 is staggering.”
Punch-Out!! (2009)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1984-2009
IGN Score: 8.8
IGN Review Blurb: “Little Mac comes out of retirement to give Wii owners something that’s both familiar and fresh.”
Fight Night Round 4 (2009)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2004-2011
IGN Score: 8.8
IGN Review Blurb: “The champ has returned to reclaim the title.”
REGION 4: EXTREME SPORTS / WILDCARD GAME
Region 4 is loaded with games beyond simple categorization. It’s a high-adrenaline grab bag of extreme sports, management sims, and more.
Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1992-Present
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “The best kart racing game Nintendo has made in a long time.”
Wii Sports (2006)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2006-Present
IGN Score: 8.4
IGN Review Blurb: “It’s probably the most fun you and a bunch of friends are going to have around a console”
Rocket League (2015)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2015-Present
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “A rare example where the execution of a simple, absurd idea is so strong and so engaging that it doesn’t need a ton of extra features around it.”
Football Manager ’23 (2022)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2004-Present
IGN Score: N/A
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2020
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “One of the best games to ever grace this or any console.”
WWE No Mercy (2000)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “A terrific game from top to bottom.”
Skate 3 (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2007-2010
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “Still the most impressive virtual representation of skateboarding around.”
SSX Tricky (2001)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2000-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “Tricky’s stylized distortion of reality for the sake of fun is what videogames are supposed to be about.”
Adverstisement by The U.S. ARMY
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