Updated September 2026
This is the ranking of the best Sports Games, sorted by NextGameLike Score: a 0-100 metric blending Steam reviews, IGDB ratings (community and critic), Metacritic, OpenCritic and the NextGameLike community votes into a single number. Unlike opinion-based editorial lists, this order is computed from real data and applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment so games with few reviews can't inflate the top of the chart. Beat Saber, FlatOut 2 and Mario Kart 8 lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average NextGameLike Score is 87/100, out of 84 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.
Top 3
Top of “The 20 Best Sports Games (2026)”: Beat Saber (89.2/100). Close behind: FlatOut 2 and Mario Kart 8.
Ranked by NextGameLike Score · 84 games catalogued
Players and critics agree on Beat Saber, which is rarer than it sounds in Sports Games. It is the newest on the list (2019), and has already earned its place. Hence the first place.
FlatOut 2 is carried by its players more than by its reviews. That puts it at number 2.
Mario Kart 8 is more loved by critics than by the average player. That puts it at number 3.
No argument here: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection wins over players and critics alike. Number 4, inside the top 10.
Walkabout Mini Golf VR is here because of its players — they are who it won over. No other entry of the 20 has a higher share of positive reviews: 98%. Number 5, inside the top 10.
No argument here: Rocket League® wins over players and critics alike. It is the most reviewed of the 20: 579,186 Steam reviews. Number 6, inside the top 10.
Critics were lukewarm on The Thrill of the Fight - VR Boxing; players were not. That gets it into the top 10, at number 7.
Zombie Bowl-o-Rama earns its place on presence rather than on a score. That gets it into the top 10, at number 8.
Burnout Paradise earns its place on presence rather than on a score. That gets it into the top 10, at number 9.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has little in the way of ratings and a great deal of standing. Number 10, inside the top 10.
Super Mario Kart earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It is the oldest game in the ranking (1992) and still here. It sits at 11 of 20.
BallisticNG is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It lands at 12 of 20.
Mario Kart DS earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It sits at 13 of 20.
Burnout 3: Takedown earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It sits at 14 of 20.
Forza Horizon 3 is more loved by critics than by the average player. It holds the best critic score on the whole list, 91/100. It lands at 15 of 20.
Crash Team Racing has little in the way of ratings and a great deal of standing. It lands at 16 of 20.
Blur earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It sits at 17 of 20.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It sits at 18 of 20.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! has little in the way of ratings and a great deal of standing. It lands at 19 of 20.
No argument here: Need for Speed™ Most Wanted wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 20 of 20.