2024 was a great year for sports games, with historic franchises returning after decade-long absences, new games arriving at the scene, and the juggernauts delivering new products.
With so many sports games released in 2024, it can be hard to choose which one to play, especially for fans just dipping their toes in the genre. However, some games are better than others as they provide players with a better gaming experience and more immersion.
In this article, we will tell you which are the best sports games of 2024, and what makes them so good. So let's dive right into it.
1 - College Football 25
The historic sports games franchise, College Football, made its highly anticipated return in 2024, releasing College Football 25, a true masterpiece of sports games.
College Football 25 is arguably the best football game of the last decade, with the EA Sports title being able to restore the joy in football games for millions of players.
The game was able to achieve the perfect balance between simulation and arcade gameplay, which most sports games fail to do. It brought back its most beloved modes, such as Dynasty, but with significant improvements, that can captivate players for hours on end.
When it comes to presentation, College Football 25 is not only one of the best sports games of 2024 but one of the best in recent memory. There is a lot of attention to detail, from the pre-match presentations to stadium atmospheres, College Football 25 nails every single aspect.
The game also has a plethora of customization options, allowing users to create their own College team, edit stadiums, uniforms, logos, and much more. It's a game all fans of the genre need to try out.
2 - WWE 2K24
WWE 2K24 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, introducing some slight improvements across the board. It doesn't move away from what made WWE 2K23 so good, instead, it works on top of it.
Wrestling has become mainstream again, and WWE 2K24 provides both hardcore and new wrestling fans with an immersive game, that allows them to replicate everything they see week in and week out on their tv.
The game includes all the imaginable match types, a star-studded roster, with legends of the past and of today, and modes that allow users to experience wrestling in different ways, as a wrestler, a booker, or a referee.
WWE 2K24 customization is nothing short of amazing. Players can edit current wrestlers, create wrestlers from scratch, and recreate historic arenas, belts, and entrances.
It's a must-try for wrestling fans, but also for players who want a game with great gameplay mechanics, and a good storyline mode, and that allows them to have fun with their friends.
3- Football Manager 24
Football Manager 24 is a solid entry in the best simulation sports games franchise in history.
It marks the end of an era for Football Manager and its developer Sports Interactive. The franchise is moving to a new engine and will introduce a revamped interface in FM 25, so FM 24 is the last of its kind.
While FM 24 doesn't introduce any revolutionary features, those were kept for FM 25, it has the classic feeling of a Football Manager game, and it's capable of hooking you for endless hours.
The match engine has been slightly improved, set pieces changed, and agents play a more pivotal role in the hiring of players or their contract renewal.
Getting into Football Manager isn't easy, as the game has a big learning curve. However, progressing through that learning curve and slowly learning all the aspects of the game is incredibly fun, and is one of the things that makes FM 24 so unique and magic.
This is a must-have game for any football fan in the world or for players who love simulation games, even if they aren't familiar with football.
4 - TopSpin 2K25
TopSpin 2K25 marks the return of the historical TopSpin franchise, and while the game is far from perfect, it's still the best Tennis game in the market by a considerable margin.
The gameplay experience is great, all of the game modes deliver a unique experience, and while MyCAREER could be more immersive, it's still an entertaining mode.
The game's main problem is its lack of content since release, as the roster is incredibly small. Contrary to what happens in other 2K sports titles, such as WWE 2K24, users can't create players, leaving TopSpin 2K25 with an underwhelming roster, with some of the biggest names in Tennis not being in the game.
Despite that, the gameplay is great, especially offline, and the game does a great job of introducing new fans to the game of Tennis. It's a perfect title for players who are new to sports games, as it's an easy game to pick up and play since the controls are very straightforward.
5 - NBA 2K25
NBA 2K25 is the best basketball game on the market, and while many of you will rebut this by saying it's also the only one, you can't argue facts.
The new entry in the NBA 2K franchise is far from spectacular, but that's mainly due to microtransactions, the biggest disease that has affected sports games in the past seven years.
Microtransactions transform NBA 2K25 into a bad game. It's almost impossible to be competitive on MyTEAM or The Park and its various modes without spending money on the game.
Regarding gameplay, NBA 2K25 is great, and a solid case can be made that it's the best NBA 2K gameplay of the past decade, especially on offline modes.
The AI is more responsive and smarter, dribbling feels more realistic, and the addition of Signature Go-To Shots makes the game more immersive. Shooting, while not perfect, feels more realistic.
It's a game that players should try if they can get it at a good discount, especially for new basketball fans.
Honorable Mentions
There are some honorable mentions such as Madden 25, MLB The Show 24, and FC 25, which are incredibly popular games from some of the biggest franchises in the sports games genre.
Both Madden 25 and FC 25 aren't the best entries in their respective EA Sports franchises and have received plenty of negative feedback from players and critics.
MLB The Show 24 is a solid game but isn't quite good enough to make the top five this year. However, this is a game baseball fans should definitely try out if they can.
In my opinion, these games weren't among the five best sports games in 2024, but they still have some positive aspects, so certain players might stil enjoy them.
What do you think of this list? What are your top five sports games of 2024 and why? Let us know in the comments below.