The sports video game genre remains one of the most popular among gamers because of its variety of options. Whether you’re simulating your favorite athlete in single-player mode or taking on a friend or sibling incouch co-op mode, the thrill is unmatched. What’s more, many sports games get yearly releases, meaning that you get frequent performance updates, which (hopefully) makes your experience feel better than the previous year’s.
If you’re a newcomer to the sports game genre, a handful of titles can help make your transition feel less tedious. These games are excellent for beginners to the sports niche and present approachable challenges, whether you are playing against AI or human opponents.
10Nintendo Switch Sports
Nostalgia On Full Display
Nintendo has always made nostalgia one of its primary selling points, and with this game, nothing’s changed. Switch Sports brings back activities such as tennis and bowling and adds football, volleyball, and badminton. If you’re a newbie, getting into Switch Sports shouldn’t be much of a hassle, as it is quite easy to play.
Whether you want to start with football or bowling, the good news is that all activities immediately become available after launching the game. Using your Joy-Con, you get to swing a racket or level bowling pins with a ball. It’s amultiplayer-friendly game, too, so feel free to invite a friend to challenge and see who’s the best.
9UFC 3
Ultimate Fighting For Newbies
If you’d like to try out thefighting game genre, UFC 3 might just be the ideal starting point. Grappling in this game sees you utilise the right stick for switching from one hold to the other. It may seem repetitive, but it’s easy to master. Ahead of playing Career Mode, you build your skills against fighters in quick matches.
UFC 3 isn’t without its flaws, and a major one is the inconsistent resiliency of your opponents. You could maul a fighter in a match, and he still won’t go down, but a few kicks and blows in another match, and the opponent takes a long nap on the mat. Despite this issue, it’s still a fine sports game to play as a beginner.
8Super Mega Baseball 4
Home Runs Have Never Looked Better
Although Super Mega Baseball 4 doesn’t use licensed teams like the MLB The Show franchise, it’s a unique game that strikes a fine balance between simulation and arcade. The character models look nothing like the real-life faces of pitchers or batters, and that’s why this game rocks.
If you’re familiar with the basic steps of baseball, then you should be hitting home runs in no time. Admittedly, the lack of different camera angles means you’re stuck with one default angle. This is by no means a deal-breaker, as the game’s minimalist presentation makes it look more inviting.
7TopSpin 2K25
Win Grand Slam After Grand Slam
InTopSpin 2K25, you get to be a big-time tennis hero in a game whose well-detailed graphics and character faces blur the line between reality and simulation. Exhibition matches allow you to sharpen your moves or develop new ones depending on your skill level before starting the game.
Like other 2K games, Career Mode is plagued by annoying microtransactions, which you can bypass by submitting yourself to a long grind. Whether you’re playing Exhibition or Career matches, you can tweak the difficulty level. As a beginner, it’s fine to select the easiest difficulty and work your way to the top.
6Rocket League
Drive Around And Shoot Balls
Ever played football with cars? While some players may argue that this isn’t the mostbeginner-friendly gamedue to its player-matching system,Rocket Leagueoffers a great deal of fun that makes its learning curve easier to deal with. Driving around to shoot balls is simple and fun to do as you can climb walls and boost your car across the field.
If you have some basic knowledge of football, then settling into Rocket League shouldn’t be too difficult. Try to score more goals than the opponent within a set time limit without running out of fuel. If you need some guidance, consider playing co-op with a friend and have them show you the ropes.
5Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Bigger Roster, More Fun
If you loved the 2014 version of this game, then loving this one will be easier as you get an expanded roster along with more tracks on which to showcase your abilities.Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis kind to beginner racers by offering features like Smart Steering, which makes it easier to navigate corners.
Additionally, you can choose from a variety of difficulty levels. For instance, a 50cc race translates to less competitive AI opponents compared to a 150cc race, where everyone is jostling for pole position. In the game, certain tracks are more beginner-friendly than others, which require an expert driver to place first in the ranking.
4Madden NFL 22
Gameplay Feels More Immersive
Although Madden NFL 22 was affected by several annoying bugs, the smooth player animations and more realistic opponent AI make this game a solid choice for beginners. If you’re new to the football video game world and want to see what it’s like to play, this would be a great place to start.
Franchise Mode has significant improvements, as you can control more aspects of your team. For instance, you can decide between pushing your players to the limit every day or giving them a break so they don’t risk getting injured before a big game. There are also press conferences, which make it feel like you’re in the real world, running your favorite team.
3MLB The Show 21
Easy Enough To Learn
MLB The Show 21 carries on the franchise’s tradition but spices things up by being incredibly accessible to rookie players. If you play on a current-gen console like the PS5, then you’ll notice that the players, managers, and even the stadiums look better, more life-like, thanks to the enhanced graphics.
Although the rules of baseball may overwhelm you, the game offers a tutorial that, upon completion, will make you less confused than you were before. What’s more, you can control how difficult the game gets by setting the difficulty level to automatically increase based on your in-game progress.
2WWE 2K25
Acknowledge The Best-Looking Wrestling Game Yet
One quality thebest wrestling gamesof all time have in common is that they are good enough to be recognized, no matter how old they are.WWE 2K25is headed in that direction thanks to several unique updates that make the gameplay more enjoyable for all players, including newbies.
Whether you’re familiar with the game’s grappling system or need a tutorial, you can adjust the difficulty level so you can move at your own pace. Universe Mode is better this year, and now you can cut promos, a feature missing from the predecessor. The inclusion of more match types, like underground and intergender, makes this game more fun to play.
1EA Sports FC 25
Claim Bragging Rights Like A Champ
Whether you’re looking to manage thebest teams in career modeor lead a legacy with one player,FC 25adequately caters to all needs. In-game players' movements and ball physics have never looked better. Look closely, and you’ll see that the character model of Lionel Messi looks exactly like the real-life counterparts, a plus for realism.
Like many sports games, the learning curve isn’t too steep, and you can always lower the difficulty level if you’re feeling overwhelmed. The availability of an online mode means you can play with friends or strangers for bragging rights. The game is not without glitches, though, but for the most part, they’re inconsequential.
