Online sports games have been an extremely popular choice for gamers since William Higinbotham introduced Tennis for Two in 1958. Sports games have come a long way since then and now boasts some of the most impressive gaming experiences available. It was a natural choice for developers to move into the sports world given the timeless obsession mankind has with sports. Depending on location, finance, and fitness levels, many people prefer to play online sports games over the physical traditional sports they are based on.
It has become big business for bookmakers and casino operators, generating billions of dollars each year. Some of the world’s biggest sports stars wholly endorse these games, with lucrative contracts to put a name and face to new and existing eSports games. The world’s developers now have the technology to create games that actually make you feel like you are on a pitching mound or race track.
What Are The Top 10 Online Sports Games Currently
Here is the current top 10 online sports game franchises, the number of people playing just may surprise you:
10: Football Manager 8.1m This is the most detailed game out there, and takes months and months, if not more, off your life. Football Manager has a large and very diverse following of players from all over the world. Buying and selling players to improve your squad, making the team’s tactics never the same ensures each experience provides something new.
9: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 25m: Everybody has heard of Tiger Woods. He is one of the most famous sports stars in the world. It came as no surprise when Electronic Arts (EA) added his name to the title of their already successful PGA Tour game in 1999. At the peak of the game’s popularity, Tiger Woods was making around $7 million in endorsements from EA.
8: Tony Hawk 30m: Pretty much anybody who owned a PlayStation 2 had Tony Hawk. The game released in 1999 and it went on to become a classic. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater allowed players to take control and perform death defying tricks and maneuvers that most people could only dream of. With 16 different versions until 2018, it is one of the most played games of all time.
7: NBA Live 35m: Although not quite in the same league as NBA 2K this game has impressive sales of 35m games. Electronic Arts may be the kings of many sports-based games, basketball has proven not to be their forte.
6: WWE 2K 60m: Professional wrestling is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, especially in the United States. Despite recent history, the WWE 2K franchise maintains a large following. Developed in 2000, the game has been redeveloped each year since.
The Big Five Sport’s Games to Play
These games are huge on a global scale, they have created an industry that year’s ago nobody would have seen coming, eSports gambling. Betting on eSports games has become a billion-dollar industry. Tournaments are held daily and live events attract thousands of spectators from all over the world. Just as with traditional methods of gambling like casinos and online casinos, such as kazino igre, the odds offered can be quite favorable. Here are the big 5:
5: Gran Turismo 80m: Often regarded as the best driving game of all time, and one of the most popular of types of game, Gran Turismo has been incredibly successful since its release in 1997. Its realistic graphics are constantly updated along with the courses available to race compete on.
4: NBA 2K 90m: The widely popular basketball game has so many features and incredible gameplay, it’s not hard to see why it’s number four. With constant updates, players can build their team and challenge friends or play online.
3: Pro Evolution Soccer 107m: Konami has been battling EA and their FIFA soccer game for years, and have often been criticized for their lack of licenses. This still does not diminish the huge success they have had globally with Pro Evolution Soccer, currently known as eFootball PES.
2: Madden NFL 130m: Named after a Hall of Famer and commentary star, Madden NFL is the oldest franchise, releasing in 1990, and one of the most widely known. Likely many long time franchises, Madden NFL has faced issues common with longevity. However, due to regular updates, the game continues to offer experiences that attract large numbers of players.
1: FIFA 260m: The biggest game of all, FIFA has only been outsold by a handful of titles like Grand Theft Auto, Mario, and Call of Duty. With constant team and player updates, EA Sports cemented itself as the developer of one of, if not the, top sports game in the world. Soccer is the number one played game around the world, so it is only fitting that it’s also the number one sports game.
Summary
Gaming and eSports have come a long way over the years and are only getting more popular. With developers constantly updating games and releasing new iterations, the growth of eSports is set to continue. In a possible surpassing turn of events, Covid-19 added to the popularity and proved how deeply these games have become intertwined in society. It used to be one would play games just for fun, aspire to play sports professionally, or aspire to become a developer, but now many have designs on becoming a pro gamer where there plenty of eSports opportunities exist.
If you are looking for a bit more excitement from the sports world and are of legal age, consider gambling on online matches and tournaments. It can be great fun and profitable betting on eSports, or you can go for Iowa sports betting if you’re interested in traditional sports. It also helps if you are betting on games you are familiar with. Gambling or not, eSports continues to give us hours and hours of sheer entertainment and the trend does not look to be diminishing anytime soon.
