We are nearing the end of the yearly cycle for all of the big sports titles like Madden and Fifa and the next versions are looming in the distance. By now you’ve probably honed your skills and are getting a little bored scoring ad nauseam against the pretenders. While you wait for the next installment of your franchise to arrive why not try out a different sports title to break the monotony of destroying plebs with your eyes closed? Here are 7 fun sports games to try when your go-to game gets stale.
7 – Blood Bowl 2
- Release Date: September 22, 2015
- Developer: Cyanide
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Blood Bowl 2 is what happens when you take an already violent game like football and inject it with a heavy dose of Game’s Workshop Warhammer. It’s hard not to like this mash-up of the franchise manager portion of other popular sports games with deadly turn-based strategy on the field, full of blood, gore, and crude humor.
6 – Disc Jam
- Release Date: February 17, 2017
- Developer: High Horse Entertainment
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch
Disc Jam brings back fond memories of Discs of Tron. One part tennis, one part air hockey, the fast-paced action of Disc Jam requires quick reflexes to succeed. Compete in 1v1 and 2v2 matches for up to 4 player local or online games.
5 – Steep
- Release Date: December 2, 2016
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
In lieu of digging out your old PS2 or Xbox and loading up SSX Tricky – easily the best winter sports game of all time – I am offering up Steep to hold off the warmer days of spring just a little longer. Grab some skis, a snowboard, or a wingsuit (what the hell?) and blaze your own trail down the open-world environment, completing challenges and pulling big air as you see fit. Downloadable content adds more mountain ranges, the Olympics, and even the X Games into the fold.
4 – Mario Tennis Aces
- Release Date: June 22, 2018
- Developer: Nintendo
- Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Nintendo always finds a way to do two things: 1. Create enjoyable casual games on every console they make, and 2. Use Mario and friends to make them instant successes. So it’s no surprise that the Mario Tennis franchise found its way onto the Switch. It may not sell as well as other Mario titles but Mario Tennis Aces is still a good way to waste an hour or two with the kids.
3 – Golf With Your Friends
- Release Date: February 27, 2019
- Developer: Blacklight Interactive
- Platform(s): PC (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch coming May 19, 2020)
If regular golf is a little slow and boring for your liking then check out Golf With Your Friends. Going the mini-golf route, GWYF has up to 12 players trying to find the hole simultaneously. With that many people shooting at the same time, other players are often the biggest obstacle on the hole.
2 – Super Blood Hockey
- Release Date: August 17, 2017
- Developer: Loren Lemcke
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
If you long for the days when hockey was rougher and tougher then look no further than Super Blood Hockey. I’m usually not a fan of retro 8-bit games but the style fits the arcade action of Super Blood Hockey just fine. The base gameplay is akin to bumper cars on ice that’s only interrupted by fantastic last man standing brawls.
1 – Rocket League
- Release Date: July 7, 2015
- Developer: Psyonix
- Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
I’m sure you have heard of Rocket League but have you ever played it? If not, you don’t know what you’re missing. A colossal Esports phenomenon, Rocket League is fun for casual players as well.