Of all the game genres out there, some of the most popular have to be ones that involve role-playing.
After all, one of the main purposes of any video game is to lose yourself in another world and become a true alter ego. It could be that you’re exploring the outer reaches of distant galaxies or taking on wave after wave of marauding zombies. It might even be that you’re a soldier engaged in one battle after another.
But there’s another form of role-playing that may seem to have been a little neglected over the years, that of the sporting hero. But if you look around, you’ll find that there are, in fact, plenty of video games where you can become that player who scores the winning touchdown or boxer who delivers the knockout punch.
Considering that sporting success is something that so many of us fantasize about from childhood, it’s surprising that games like these don’t have a much higher profile.
Madden NFL
American football is a game with a truly massive following in the US, whether you’re a fan following a team or someone who likes to bet on the sport via a sportsbook like DraftKings.
While you’ll never get to sign the multi-million dollar contracts like the pros do, in Madden NFL you can reinvent yourself a rookie player with its Superstar feature. First you need to get through the draft and then it’s time to hit weekly goals and challenges. In games, you control your player and the ultimate aim is to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
EA Sports FC
With the FIFA World Cup coming to the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026, interest is sure to ramp up in this game from EA Sports. The game also gives you a chance to test your managerial skills in its Career Mode.
In this, you have to lead your team through whole seasons, taking responsibility for everything from player transfers, training schedules and game day tactics. Working with a fixed budget, you also have to protect the club’s finances.
To add to the pressure the board of directors will be on your case if there’s a run of poor performances, so you’d better shape up.
MLB: The Show
If baseball’s your sport and you don’t mind playing a little hardball, then MLB: The Show could be the game for you. It includes both the features of the previous two games, but in a slightly different format.
In the game, you can choose to control a single player or the whole team as the manager of any one of 30 different franchises. You can also decide whether you want it to be for a single game, a season or over a number of years.
If you prefer, you can take the Road To The Show route that lets you take charge of a single player right through from high school right up to MLB stardom.
Fight Night
This is another game from EA Sports and it’s fair to say that it definitely doesn’t pull its punches. In fact, so graphic are some of the effects and scenes that it earned a Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board.
Playing in Champion Mode, the aim is to rise through the rankings by winning bouts against increasingly powerful opponents. There’s even the ability to upload your boxer to EA Sports World, where other players can use them in their own contests.
Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Who knew that a plumber would be so good at sport? This is one of a series of Game Boy titles that include golf, too, that feature Nintendo’s poster boy, Mario. In the game, you can be either of the young players, Clay or Ace, who are members of the Royal Tennis Academy.
Through the game, you practice to become match-ready to take on a series of masked challengers with the aim of reaching the grand final. Along the way, there are mini games, tennis challenges and a whole lot of fun.
Dodgeball Academia
It’s the sport made famous by the movie. But in this version of it, you play Otto, a high school dropout who has to prove himself good enough to enter the famous Dodgeball Academia.
On the way you’ll be schooled in the arts of the game and invited to participate in quests and adventures that will earn rewards. When you eventually make the grade and enter the academy, Otto’s “potential” is revealed by a ball from the Great Dodgeball War. He then joins forces with two other characters in the game to create what, hopefully, will be a team good enough to conquer all opponents. In three words – it’s Pokémon meets dodgeball.
So, there you have them. A super six of RPG sports titles. So now it’s time to get your game face on.