The best sports games of 2023 –

We are now at the sports games coming out in 2023. Besides the obvious annual releases of the top titles, there are also some smaller games to keep an eye on. We already dedicated a piece to the 2023 racing games, so if you’re curious about those, check out our article here.

Undisputed
Release: Available now (Early Access) / Platform: PC (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S coming with full release)

Boxing has been on the decline for a long time, but it looks like it will rise soon with Undisputed. We tested it and were very impressed with what we saw. The game is available on Steam in Early Access and over the course of the year things like a career mode and the ability to create your own boxer will be added. The boxing feels great and we have high hopes for the full release of the game.

Blood Bowl III
Release: Feb. 21 / Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox

The Super Bowl just ended and while many players are probably hurting in various places, it’s nothing compared to the injuries on display in Blood Bowl III. This is the ultra-violent version of American football with turn-based games set in the Warhammer world. Kick, fight and use weapons to go all the way to victory. Everything you can’t do in the Madden series. If you fancy a slightly more tactical and much more violent sports game, this might be something to check out.

WWE 2K23
Release: March 17 / Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Although it is debatable whether wrestling is a sport, WWE 2K23 falls under the category of sports and that is why it is included in this list. It has been a difficult few years for the WWE 2K series with the überfiasco that was WWE 2K20. The franchise needed a year’s break after that and hopefully they have now begun to warm up the machine to finally offer a well-polished wrestling game. As usual, we will see many of the current lineup of wrestlers alongside legends and legends such as Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage.

EA Sports PGA Tour
Release: March 24 / Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

It’s no secret that golf’s heyday was when the Tiger Woods series was at its peak. However, 2K managed to reverse that trend with PGA Tour 2K21, but there was no game the following year. Instead, PGA Tour 2K23 came out last year with perfectly okay reviews. Now it’s time for EA Sports to try out the art of golf with the all-new EA Sports PGA Tour, which will be the company’s return to the sport after eight years (Rory McIlroy PGA Tour was released in 2015).

MLB The Show 23
Release: March 28 / Platforms: PlayStation, Switch, Xbox

Year after year, MLB The Show offers perhaps the best gameplay in sports games. Unfortunately, outside of a few countries, the sport is not very big and the game is not as popular as it should be. We can expect the Diamond Dynasty mode (the best Ultimate Team mode in sports gaming), along with hopefully some new additions to the Career mode and Franchise mode. This year’s coverboy is Miami Marlins star Jazz Chisholm, and we have a feeling the game will be as exciting as Chisholm.

eFootball 2024
Release: Sept. 29 / Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Pro Evolution Soccer is buried and eFootball is what Konami now chooses to call their once classic soccer series. It’s long past time for them to take on EA Sports’ FIFA series, and we don’t expect them to this year. No longer an annual release, the series has a base game with annual updates for team lineups and the like. The look really should be better than what we’ve seen since the series changed its name, but on the field it hasn’t been completely terrible.

Madden NFL 24
Release: 2023 (probably August) / Platforms: Multiplatform (TBA)

The Madden series has been released in August for the past 22 years, so we’re going to hazard a guess that the game will be released this year as well. The Super Bowl, as mentioned earlier, just settled after a thriller, but we will have to wait six months until we can play the next game in the series. Of course, that means there will be updated team lineups and a game in the franchise that does not feature the retired Tom Brady (because he’s really retired now, isn’t he?). The Madden series has been criticized for being stagnant on many fronts and we need something new this year. Ultimate Team will be there, of course, and we hope for a more polished Franchise mode.

NBA 2K24
Release: 2023 (probably September) / Platforms: Multiplatform (TBA)

Like Madden, the NBA 2K series has been released in the same month for several years. In fact, eight years in a row, the game has arrived in September, so that’s where we’re putting it on the calendar this year as well. Of course, we expect to see the sports game’s best (and soon-to-be only) story mode in career mode. In recent years, 2K has also baked this in as a hub for online play, so it’s hard to see that important role being taken away. MyTeam (the Ultimate Team mode) will definitely be there, along with other game modes. The presentation has been on point for a long time, so we can expect a very nice looking game with hopefully solid basketball gameplay.

NHL 24
Release: 2023 (probably October) / Platforms: Multiplatform (TBA)

In recent years, October has brought the field hockey experience of the year, the NHL series. Ice hockey, like baseball, is not very popular outside of a few countries. We finally got a new graphics engine a few years ago after the previous one had been used for an eternity too long. We are looking forward to World of Chel, an excellent and fast online game that is great fun to play, especially with friends. Otherwise, we expect the usual game modes, but we should see something new. After all, NHL 23 was a carbon copy of NHL 22, which is not okay as the game settles into the new console generation.

Football Manager 24
Release: 2023 (probably November) / Platforms: Multiplatform (TBA)

Every November, hours mysteriously disappear. We sit at our computer or console and suddenly it’s 4 a.m. and the sun begins to rise. That’s what the Football Manager series does to its players. The addictive “one more game” or “I’m just trying to contract a new center defender” lasts a lot longer than you might think. We know what we’re going to get out of the series every year, and it’s a deep, deep managerial experience where we can control everything our club does. Lots of stats and other numbers to check and games to play. This is king when it comes to management play.

EA Sports FC
Release: 2023 / Platforms: Multiplatform (TBA)

The separation between EA Sports and FIFA is complete and starting this year, we will have to get used to EA Sports FC. The question is how much the game will differ from what we have become accustomed to in the FIFA series. However, the feeling is that most things will be the same with the same game modes, but with a new logo and fewer licenses. However, EA Sports grabbed the license for the Premier League a few days ago for the equivalent of £6.15 billion. No small change exactly. Expect a FIFA experience, with accompanying Ultimate Team, under a different name. FIFA has been coming out around the turn of September and October for years, and EA Sports FC should also be around that time, but with a brand new game series, nothing is certain.

UFL
Release: 2023 / Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox

Since Konami decided to drop out of the battle with EA Sports, new rivals are needed. At least the brand-new game series UFL wants to try. The game from developer Strikerz will be free-to-play (“without pay-to-win”) and has partnered with FIFPro (an international union representing 65,000 professional soccer players). We’ve seen some small teasers and it looks promising. Somewhat disturbingly, the game was delayed from August last year and still has no launch date other than the promise that it will be released sometime this year.

AEW Fight Forever
Release: 2023 / Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox

Like the WWE game above, AEW Fight Forever falls under the category of sports, whether you like it or not. In real life, AEW is a good alternative to WWE and has even been the better product for a long time. Both WWE and its game series WWE 2K have really needed some competition and we hope AEW Fight Forever can compete in the wrestling game world. It should be a spiritual successor to titles like WWF No Mercy and Virtual Pro Wrestling and offers a career mode and nine different match types. We don’t have a date yet, but the game should come out sometime this year.

Tape to tape
Release: 2023 / Platforms: PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One

After all the great titles with the latest graphics, it’s refreshing to see a game like Tape to Tape. This retro-inspired field hockey game offers truly charming graphics where the games are completely without rules. Tackle and be offside as much as you want. We will be able to play against several fun teams with funny logos. One of the games we have been able to see online is against a team with referees where they can exclude one of your regular goals, laugh about it and give themselves a goal instead. Developers Null Games describe the game as a “roguelite field hockey game where every choice matters on your journey to build the best field hockey team.” How enticing does that sound? The game will be released sometime this year.

Skate 4
Release: Possibly 2023 / Platforms: TBA
When is the next installment in the Skate series coming? We have been waiting for 13 years now and many have been wondering if Skate 4 will ever be released. After many ifs and buts and Twitter posts and various images, it looks like this year could be the year Skate 4 finally arrives. We know the game is coming, as EA announced it in 2020 during an EA Play event. However, it would not be surprising if we do not see the game this year and instead next year is a launch.