A game based on a sport. Simple, right?
Well, there are basically two types of Sports Games:
- Simulation, the game that tries to get as close as possible to the real thing. The Madden series is a prime example, as are most of the sports titles from EA Games.
- A subclass of these are management simulators, in which instead of taking control of the players you're in charge of the club itself with control over such things as transfers and tactics. The Football Manager series is currently the most popular example.
- Arcade-style, the game that puts the emphasis on fun (and breaking the rules). NFL Blitz and NBA Street fall into this category.
- A subclass of these take the base sport as a framework, then add wacky alterations like magic or other powers, trick balls, traps, or excessive violence that would never be allowed in the real game.
Sports games are older than grit. One of the first video games ever was a tennis sim.
Compare Exergaming (which often features sports), Racing Game (which give racing a similar treatment), Digital Tabletop Game Adaptation (which simulate tabletop games)
Notable games in this genre:
- Actua Sports
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro Am
- Arc Style: Baseball!! 3D
- ARMS
- Basketball Nightmare
- Backyard Sports
- Basketball
- Beach Spikers
- Big Win Sports
- Blackout Rugby
- Blaseball
- Blood Bowl
- Bobble League
- Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
- Captain Tsubasa
- Dark Summit
- Date Night Bowling
- Deer Hunter (Series)
- Doodle Champion Island Games
- EA Sports Street
- Election Year Knockout
- FIFA Soccer
- Football Manager
- Gamevil Pro Baseball
- Go! Go! Hypergrind
- Go-Go! Nekketsu Hockey Club Slip-and-Slide Madness
- Golf With Your Friends
- Hattrick
- Head Sports
- Inazuma Eleven
- Kelly Slaters Pro Surfer
- Kinniku Banzuke: Kongou-Kun no Daibouken!
- Line Rider, based on the sport of sledding.
- Live Powerful Pro Baseball
- Looney Tunes B-Ball
- MacSki
- Madden NFL
- Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
- Mario Golf
- Mario Sports Mix
- Mario Strikers
- Mario Superstar Baseball
- Mario Tennis
- Mexican Wrestling
- MLB: The Show
- Mutant Football League
- NBA 2K
- NBA Ballers
- NBA Jam
- NBA Playgrounds
- NCAA Football
- Playaction Football
- NFL Blitz
- NHL Hockey
- Nicktoons MLB
- Numan Athletics
- Omega Strikers
- Pangya
- PGA Tour
- Playaction Football
- Pong
- Pro Evolution Soccer
- Punch-Out!!
- Putt Party
- Quadrapong
- Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
- Rebound
- Ribbit King
- Rocky Legends
- Sega Superstars Tennis
- Sensible Soccer
- Shaun White Skateboarding
- The Simpsons Skateboarding
- Skate
- Skate or Die
- SkiFree
- Slalom
- SSX
- Snowboard Kids
- Street Slam
- Sumotori Dreams
- Sunday X Magazine: Nettou! Dream Nine
- Tecmo Bowl
- Tennis for Two
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Tony Hawk's Underground
- Track & Field
- Trials
- Tropical Angel
- Video Olympics
- Wade Hixton's Counter Punch
- WarioWare
- Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey
- Wii Play
- Wii Sports
- Winnie the Pooh's Home Run Derby
- Wonder Wickets
- Zany Golf