Sports have been a part of human culture and society, dating all the way back to the earliest forms of human civilization. By now, we are all familiar with the ancient Greek Olympic Games, which were the main inspiration for the Olympic games that we still play today. We know that Romans would watch all sorts of sporting competitions in the numerous Coliseums that they built all over Europe and parts of Western Asia (the Middle East today).

With the massive popularization of video games in the 21st century, many sports games, some licensed by the biggest leagues in the world, have become hugely popular. In this article, we are going to take a look at a few of the best sports games that have gotten big in the video game world.

The NHL Series

Hockey is one of the biggest sports in the United States of America and by far the biggest sport in Canada. While the NHL is the biggest hockey league in the world, however, it is not the only one. Other popular leagues in the world, include the 3ICE Ice Hockey Team league, the Swedish Hockey League, Liiga, etc. However, the NHL remains at the top. So it is no surprise, that one of the most popular series of licensed sports games is the National Hockey League video game series, created by EA Sports.

Of the various NHL games that have been produced in the 20+ years that the games have been made, the most popular ones are, by far, NHL 2014, NHL 94 (widely regarded as one of the best), and NHL 2004. Of the three mentioned, NHL 94 is the most beloved and fondly remembered, a game against which all other NHL games in the franchise have been compared. Though largely outdated in graphics and mechanics, the game remains beloved among fans of the sport, and fans of the NHL video game franchise.

The FIFA Series

Is it any surprise that the FIFA series got a mention on a list like this? With over 3 billion fans the world over, football (or soccer in the USA) is the biggest sport in the world, played, watched, and beloved all over the globe. The FIFA World Cup is the most significant sporting event in football (and in sports in general), and the FIFA game series is unmatched in terms of popularity. The game is not just hugely popular as a single-player game but is massively popular in the world of eSports, and competitive multiplayer tournaments.

Of the 30 games that have been created under the FIFA license, the most popular are FIFA 2010, FIFA 2011, FIFA 2012, and FIFA 2003. Many players, and reviewers, agree that the 2010 iteration of the FIFA franchise is the top one. The game included the beloved Manager Mode, which allows players to manage a team, instead of taking control of players. It is one of the most beloved EA Sports games ever produced.

The WWE Series

For those of you who are fans of World Wrestling Entertainment, you are certainly familiar with the game franchise that uses the WWE license to create some of the most popular and beloved games in the sports-game genre. While the argument of whether or not pro-wrestling can be considered an actual sport, the show is still widely regarded as “sports entertainment”, so including the series on this list may be a bit of a grey area, however, the entertainment which these games provide more than make up for it.

Of the numerous games that have been produced under the WWE license, the most beloved, popular, and fondly remembered is the PlayStation 2 classic, WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain. The 2003 video game was the last of the Smackdown! series, and the final in the franchise to be named after the weekly Smackdown television show.

Including fast gameplay, some of the most popular wrestlers, such as Roddy Piper, Undertaker, Batista, and Ray Mysterio, and smooth, masterfully designed mechanics, the game has certainly aged well, and absolutely lives up to the favorable reviews it garnered in its day. Definitely a game worth checking out, even 20 years later, in 2022.