How to Vote for the Best Sports Game of All Time and Win Prizes!
Sports gamers unite! It’s time to vote in IGN’s Best Sports Video Games Showdown Contest! We’ve created a seeded, elimination tournament featuring the 32 greatest sports video games of all-time across four ultra-competitive regions: Traditional Sports; Arcade Sports; Racing/Fighting; and Wildcard.
Fan Voting: March 29th 10am PT to April 13th 12am PT
Want a chance to win a $100 to the digital games store of your choice? Visit https://bestsportsgame.ign.com/ between March 29th 10am PT – April 13th 12am PT and make your predictions on which sports video game will win each bracket matchup. Ten (10) people who enter will win a $100 gift card to the digital games store of their choice. Visit https://bestsportsgame.ign.com/ for sweepstakes details.
Relevant Dates:
- Giveaway Entry Period: March 29th 10am PT – April 13th 12am PT
- Round 1 “Round of 32” Fan Voting: March 29th 10am PT to March 30th 10am PT
- Round 2 “Sweet 16” Fan Voting: March 31st 10am PT to April 1st 10am PT
- Round 3 “Elite 8” Fan Voting: April 5th 10am PT to April 6th 10am PT
- Round 4 “Final 4” Fan Voting: April 10th 10am PT to April 11th 10am PT
- Round 5 “Championship” Fan Voting: April 12th 10am PT to April 13th 10am PT
- Winner Revealed: April 15th at 11:59pm PT
Now onto the regions…
Region 1 pits traditional sports titles against one another. These simulation-style games aim to replicate their real-life counterparts, and tend to target hardcore sports fans.
Madden 2005 (2004)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1988-Present
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The defensive improvements alone are worth the price of admission.”
NFL 2K5 (2004)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2004
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “This game rivals Madden in every way and surpasses it in feature set.”
FIFA Soccer 12 (2011)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1993-Present
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “Matches unfold with a more authentic tempo, taking it much closer to the real thing.”
PES 2016 (2015)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1995-Present (as eFootball)
IGN Score: 9.5
IGN Review Blurb: “I can’t remember ever being so consistently thrilled, surprised and delighted by a football game before.”
NBA 2K14 (2013)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-Present
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “A smooth-flowing piece of pro basketball simulation.”
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (2003)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1990-2015
IGN Score: 9.1
IGN Review Blurb: “One of the best multiplayer titles around.”
MVP Baseball 2005 (2005)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1995-2002 (as Triple Play); 2003-2007
IGN Score: 9.2
IGN Review Blurb: “MVP 2005 delivers the best baseball experience on the market today.”
MLB The Show ’21 (2021)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2006-Present
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “The best baseball sim you can play on any platform.“
Region 2 is comprised of arcade-style games that tend to put a spin on real sports. They boast a pick-up-and-play style unlike their more traditional counterparts.
NBA Jam Tournament Edition (1995)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1993-2011
IGN Score: 6.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The action is fast paced and intense, and by keeping the court limited to four players, the ball moves around quite a bit. Perhaps the title’s best aspect is its simplicity in game design — just grab that ball and sink it!”
Golden Tee Golf (1989)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1989-Present
IGN Score: N/A
NHL ’94 (1993)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1991-Present
IGN Score: N/A
Tecmo Super Bowl (1991)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1987-2008
IGN Score: N/A
Mario Golf World Tour (2014)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2021
IGN Score: 8.6
IGN Review Blurb: “Mario Golf strikes an excellent balance of risk and reward.”
Mario Tennis Aces (2018)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2000-2018
IGN Score: 7.5
IGN Review Blurb: “Colorful and dazzling to look at and smartly balanced in its back-and-forth play.”
NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2001-2007
IGN Score: 9.4
IGN Review Blurb: “More dunks, more players, more moves, more music and a lot more street.”
NFL Blitz: The League II (2008)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2008-2012
IGN Score: 5.5
IGN Review Blurb: “The League II brings many of the same conventions as the first with Clash and Unleashed moves becoming available for positive yardage and good plays on defense.”
Region 3 features racing and fighting games. These eight boast white-knuckle, high-octane action on the road or fierce fisticuffs in the ring.
Forza Horizon 5 (2021)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2012-2021
IGN Score: 10
IGN Review Blurb: “A deep and nuanced car nirvana for revheads and auto geeks.”
Forza Motorsport (2005)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2005-Present
IGN Score: 9.2
IGN Review Blurb: “Forza is a force to be reckoned with, out-maneuvering ‘GT4′ in several respects, and beating out everything else in the sim department.”
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (2001)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1997-Present
IGN Score: 9.8
IGN Review Blurb: “The finest racing, the best cars and the highest-quality automotive audio-visual feast available on any gaming system anywhere.”
F1 2010 (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2000-Present
IGN Score: 8.5
IGN Review Blurb: “As visceral a take on the art of threading 600bhp through less than half a tonnes’ worth of steel, carbon fiber and rubber as a console’s ever seen.”
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2010- Present
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “It completely embraces that spirit of adolescent madness and just runs with it.”
UFC Undisputed 3 (2012)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2009-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “The sheer amount of new content in UFC Undisputed 3 is staggering.”
Punch-Out!! (2009)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1984-2009
IGN Score: 8.8
IGN Review Blurb: “Little Mac comes out of retirement to give Wii owners something that’s both familiar and fresh.”
Fight Night Round 4 (2009)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2004-2011
IGN Score: 8.8
IGN Review Blurb: “The champ has returned to reclaim the title.”
Region 4 is loaded with games beyond simple categorization. It’s a high-adrenaline grab bag of extreme sports, management sims, and more.
Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1992-Present
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “The best kart racing game Nintendo has made in a long time.”
Wii Sports (2006)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2006-Present
IGN Score: 8.4
IGN Review Blurb: “It’s probably the most fun you and a bunch of friends are going to have around a console”
Rocket League (2015)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2015-Present
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “A rare example where the execution of a simple, absurd idea is so strong and so engaging that it doesn’t need a ton of extra features around it.”
Football Manager ’23 (2022)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2004-Present
IGN Score: N/A
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2020
IGN Score: 9.3
IGN Review Blurb: “One of the best games to ever grace this or any console.”
WWE No Mercy (2000)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 1999-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “A terrific game from top to bottom.”
Skate 3 (2010)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2007-2010
IGN Score: 8.0
IGN Review Blurb: “Still the most impressive virtual representation of skateboarding around.”
SSX Tricky (2001)
Franchise’s Lifespan: 2000-2012
IGN Score: 9.0
IGN Review Blurb: “Tricky’s stylized distortion of reality for the sake of fun is what videogames are supposed to be about.”
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