Compared to most other years, 2024 is most certainly a year that will go down in the history books as one of the best years for sports video games.
Several of the top-rated sports games this year were put up for nomination in the Best Sports or Racing Game category at the 2024 Game Awards, and the winner will be announced on December 12.
Let’s dive straight in and take a closer look at what sports/racing video games players across the globe were treated to this year and reveal which game we think might come out on top at the upcoming awards ceremony.
Which sports-themed video games have made the biggest splash in 2024?
If you enjoy playing sports-themed video games frequently from your PC, console, smartphone, tablet or laptop, then you should already know that 2024 has been an unusually stellar year for this particular genre.
Most of these titles can easily be accessed online on today’s biggest dedicated gaming sites and preferred pay-by-mobile gaming sites, such as Steam, Google Play, and the App Store.
If you’re looking for something completely different, don’t forget that you can also find hundreds of feature-rich sports/racing-themed online slot machines on today’s safest iGaming sites.
This year’s nominees for the Best Sports or Racing Game category at the 2024 Game Awards were officially announced on November 18, which revealed the names of the most highly sophisticated and popular sports games of 2024.
The nominees mainly focus on the following sports disciplines: soccer/football, basketball, Formula 1, tennis, and wrestling.
The five sports video game nominees this year for the upcoming 2024 Game Awards on December 12 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, if you haven’t already guessed by now, are the following hugely successful titles:
- Game: WWE 2K24 – the best ever WWE-themed video game by far that offers the most life-like, engaging, and immersive player experience
- Game: Top Spin 2K25 – the realism in this unparalleled tennis-themed video game is fantastic, making it the world’s best game of its kind, and well-note for its well-polished and seamless gameplay
- Game: F1 24 – this motor racing-themed video game is the official title of the Formula 1 championship. The graphics and animated sequences in this game are fantastic, accompanied by the best-ever F1 gameplay and extreme attention to detail
- Game: NBA 2K25 – this iconic basketball-themed video game is without a doubt the best in this iconic series of NBA-themed titles and has raised the standard of what basketball video simulation games should be
- EAFC 25 – the newest instalment in an exciting new series of football/soccer-themed video games based on top-flight domestic and international football cups, leagues, tournaments, and competitions from across the globe, and so much more. This hugely successful game showcased improved graphics, gameplay, modes, and other features that took football/soccer video simulation games to a whole new level
Voting is still open, but time is running out, so hurry if you want to have your say on which of these titles deserves to win the Best Sports or Racing Game category at the 2024 Game Awards. You can vote for your favourite sports-themed video game on the official Game Awards website.
Some of the other video games that fall into this same category that were also popular in 2024 were ‘Rugby 24’, which was developed by Big Ant Studios and published by Nacon and is available on Microsoft Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X), and ‘Fitness Boxing – featuring Hatsune Miku: Isshoni Exercise’ (available on the Nintendo Switch, developed/published by Imagineer).
Other notable mentions include MLB The Show 24, Winning Post 10 2024, Turbo Golf Racing, Powerful Pro Baseball Eikan Nine Crossroad, EA Sports College Football 25, and Madden NFL 25. That’s not forgetting Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, UFL, Fairy Tail: Beach Volleyball Havoc, C-Smash VRS: New Dimension, Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports, and Undisputed, to name just a few.
Final thoughts
Besides football/soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis, F1 racing, and wrestling, some of the other popular sports that translated well to the video game sector were boxing, motor racing, skateboarding, futuristic sports, and sports management games.
As you can see from the list of nominees for the upcoming Game Awards – Best Sports or Racing Game category, 2024 has been an excellent year for sports fans. The game that will most likely come out on top this year is EAFC 25, and this is purely because of the incredible sales figures and how many people regularly enjoy playing this game and will no doubt vote for it.
However, that’s not taking anything away from the other four nominees this year, all of which are fantastic games to try for any sports fan.
EAFC 25 was released with a standard and Ultimate Edition, and the standard edition will set you back around £69.99 (or equivalent currency value, RRP).
This famous sports simulation video game was released on September 27, 2024. It was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts and can easily be accessed from multiple devices and platforms.
