Summary
- Indie sports games offer unique experiences and gameplay that can rival those of AAA corporations.
- Players should be aware that indie games may have lower budgets and graphics, but that doesn't mean they're worse.
- Games like Descenders, Legend Bowl, and OlliOlli World showcase the potential of indie sports games and provide enjoyable experiences.
With big money sports gaming companies like EA, 2K, and now even Epic Games dominating the sports gaming market, it can be difficult to find indie sports games that are as good or better than those of the big AAA corporations. Despite this, after the rather repetitive recent editions of FIFA (or EA Sports FC), Madden, and NBA 2K as examples, it may be time to turn to indie games and give them a chance.
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Not to be outdone by their AAA counterparts, indie games of 2023 quickly proved their releases to be wholly unique and memorable.
One thing to remember with indie sports games is the budget will be significantly lower, so players shouldn't expect the highest quality graphics or the most feature complete game, although that doesn't mean the game is worse than its AAA peers, it's just something that players should keep in mind.
7 Descenders
Metascore: 75
Descenders
From the developers of Action Henk, Descenders is a fast-paced extreme downhill biking game that's easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Grab your bike, pick your team, and attempt to live up to the legend of your Descender. Will you join the die-hard, trick-frenzy ranks of Team Enemy, the proficient, off-road stylings of Team Arboreal, or the high-octane, speed-is-everything Team Kinetic?
In Descenders, your team is your life. When you pick a side -- Enemy, Arboreal or Kinetic -- you'll be bound together with other players who choose the same side as you. Take on different jumps, slopes and hillbombs every time you play in procedurally generated worlds. Control every subtle movement of your rider, with an in-depth physics system made for slick whips and scrubs.
A fully-featured online Rep system lets you show off your worth, and earn new bikes and threads. Earn special mutators each time you play, and work out which abilities work best for your riding style.
- Released
- February 9, 2018
- Developer(s)
- RageSquid
- Platform(s)
- Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action
Downhill mountain biking probably isn't the most popular sport in the world, but in gaming, it can be extremely fun without the worry of breaking a few bones. This is where Descenders finds its spot to shine, as it is one of the best mountain biking sims available. It's high-octane, high-momentum, intense gameplay is gripping, and is accompanied by smooth liquid drum and bass music that adds to the experience.
Descenders is actually similar to a roguelike game, with boss jumps as opposed to boss battles and very difficult tracks that will push player reactions to their limit. The feeling that players can get from Descenders is quite impressive, as the character movements, sound effects, and overall pace of the gameplay really pulls the player in to this mountain biking experience.
6 Legend Bowl
Metascore: 69
Legend Bowl
Legend Bowl brings you back to the glory days of pixel style football games of the past! Enjoy a hybrid of arcade-style football and simulation aspects on and off the field. Fully customize players and teams to create an endless amount of variety in your league. Sim-based controls with challenging gameplay mechanics bring the fight to your doorstep! Legend Bowl includes Exhibition Mode, Tournament Mode, Franchise Mode, Training Camp Mode, and a boat load of customization options.
EXHIBITION MODE: Play an exhibition match with any of the 32 teams in the league. Here you can pick up and play against the computer or a friend to see who can beat each other and get all the bragging rights!
FRANCHISE MODE: Select your favorite team and play through an infinite number of seasons to see if you can win the Legend Bowl! You'll start off by selecting your favorite team and creating your very own coach or choose from an existing coach from the league. From there you'll play a full 17 week schedule, complete with player wire events, player and team stats, weekly wrap up news, and more to keep you engaged along the way.
Player traits are a major factor in how they play each week and you'll have to manage the chemistry of your team to keep you in the winner's circle. There's also a complete off season where you'll take your team through retirements, free agency, player progression, and a full 7 round draft. The goal is to have a deep and immersive Franchise mode where you can have endless hours of fun and challenge!
TOURNAMENT MODE: Take your team through a bracket style tournament tree to see if you can become a legendary squad! There are 16 teams in total and you must beat your bracket each week to get to the final championship game. Do you have what it takes to win it all?
TRAINING CAMP MODE: Take on special drills to earn unlockable items and practice until your thumbs get sore! This mode is a sandbox where you can hone in on your skills and practice plays with your favorite teams.
CUSTOMIZATIONS: Are you the creative type? Well look no further! In Legend Bowl, you'll be able to fully customize players, coaches, and teams to recreate your very own league. Choose from a variety of hairstyles, faces, visors, earrings, hats, headbands, gloves, and more to build as unique of a roster as you can dream up. This is one of the main pillars of our game and we can't wait to see what the community brings to the table!
REALISTIC WEATHER: Weather is key to any football game, so why not in Legend Bowl? Play in clear, cloudy, rain, and snow types of weather. Be careful not to get struck by lightning! There's also a Day time cycle lighting system so you can feel the heat on the field.
PRESENTATION: On the field stat overlays, halftime stats, end of game stats, field art, live referees, chain gang, mascots, advertisements, fans and more get you immersed in the game and bring the action to your screen!
HYBRID ARCADE & SIM-STYLE FOOTBALL ACTION: Travel to the golden era of sports games when you had fun mixed with realistic gameplay. Customize your rosters and build a legendary team using speed, agility, acceleration, and more to battle your way through the gridiron!
ON THE FIELD: Player movement is a mix between simulation and arcade based mechanics. Momentum and weight help to make your players "feel" alive! A unique throwing mechanic allows you to control the ball and give your receivers the best chance to catch the ball!
RETRO PIXELATED GRAPHICS: Experience timeless pixelated graphics and fully customizable player faces, hair, helmets, hats, visors, facial hair, equipment, and more! The customization options are endless and make for a unique artstyle!
RETRO CHIPTUNE SOUNDTRACK: Listen to classic chiptune music that make you feel like you're back in the arcade with your friends.
For the best experience a gamepad is highly recommended (e.g. Steam Controller, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation + many others will work with emulation) - The game can also be played with only a keyboard in single player mode. A controller is required in order to play local multiplayer.
- Released
- November 27, 2020
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer
- Super Pixel Games, Top Hat Studios
- Genre(s)
- Sports, Simulation, Strategy
American Football games are quite sparse when it comes to indie options, with many games looking to replicate the Madden style of gameplay and feel. Legend Bowl does the opposite, opting for a pixel art style that injects a retro kick that connects with many gamers, alongside up-to-date game modes and graphical quality.
Legend Bowl has a franchise mode alongside a deep database of players, custom team names and stadiums, game conditions, and plays. The pixel art is an element of this game that may put players off, but the art in Legend Bowl is crisp and has a very modern feel to it, despite the retro look.
5 OlliOlli World
Metascore: 84
OlliOlli World
- Released
- February 8, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Roll7
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Sports, Platformer
Since the days of Skate a nd the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games by EA, skateboarding games haven't exactly been amazing, with some attempts to recreate the baforementioned games generally failing. OlliOlli then arrived on the skateboard gaming scene, with an arcade-like gameplay style that was simple, unique, and very fun.
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Since then, OlliOlli's sequel, OlliOlli World, was released, with bundles of new graphics, a multiplayer open-world style set up, and the unique gameplay that OlliOlli has made it's own. The cartoon-like feel mixed with the mountain of cool tricks and that players can pull off, and the multitude of maps available, has combined nicely to make OlliOlli World a great indie sports game.
4 Fishing Planet
Metascore: TBD
Fishing Planet
Fishing Planet® is a highly realistic first-person online multiplayer fishing simulator. Developed by avid fishing enthusiasts to bring you the full thrill of actual angling on your PC.
Fishing Together with other players on the same boat. Our ocean fishing yachts can accommodate 2, 3, or 4 friends simultaneously.
Compete online with other players in events and competitions with personal scores, achievements, leader boards and top-players lists.
Highly realistic world of fishing on your screen:
200+ species of fish with complex AI driven behavior depending on seasons, climate, time of day, water current, bottom type, water and air temperature, wind and more.
26 scenic waterways with photorealistic graphics from all around the world with their own climate conditions, landscapes, bottom topography and vegetation. All waterways are based on real locations.
Freshwater and saltwater fishing with their own features for realistic and immersive experience.
Four types of fishing - float, spinning, bottom and saltwater trolling.
Sitting back and relaxing with a fishing game like Fishing Planet is always a fun time, with multiplayer functionalities letting players have a fishing trip with their friends through the wonders of gaming. Fishing Planet isn't as simple as some might expect though, with an in-depth inventory section allowing players to customize their fishing rods, and a multitude of missions to spice up their fishing.
Fishing Planet has a great balance of a simple premise combined with a first-person and highly-technical style of fishing gameplay. Granted, fishing probably isn't the most popular sports game genre compared to other sports games. However, Fishing Planet does well at making their game playable for those who love fishing, but also for those who are not completely clued in to fishing.
3 Super Mega Baseball 3
Metascore: 83
Super Mega Baseball 3
One constant with sports games is that arcade-like games that don't take themselves too seriously are always fun. Super Mega Baseball 3 certainly fits into this category, with an art style and gameplay that makes baseball less technical and more about the fun parts of the sport. The teams and names of the players sum up this game, with many of the names being baseball-based puns.
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Super Mega Baseball 3, whilst being a fun take on baseball, still has elements that make it a genuinely good baseball game, with season modes and ranked modes that take more thinking than simply smashing the ball out of the stadium. Alongside this, the game is very in-depth, with morale meters for players, a large variety of pitch-styles, and a massive player database.
2 Golf With Your Friends
Metascore: 68
Golf With Your Friends
Why have friends if not to play Golf... With Your Friends! Nothing is out of bounds as you take on courses filled with fast paced, exciting, simultaneous mini golf for up to 12 players!
12 Player Multiplayer! Make sure your skills are up to scratch as you tee off against 11 other golfers in simultaneous online multiplayer.
Themed Courses! Go head to head on courses with unique mechanics and holes. Become a pro in the pirate course, aim for an albatross in the ancient theme or wage all out Worm warfare in the Worms course!
Powerups! Drive a wedge between your friends as you trap their ball in honey, freeze it or turn it into a cube.
Three Game Modes! Tee off in classic mini golf, shoot for the pars in hoops or swap the hole for a goal in hockey
Level Editor! Putt your own spin on the game by creating, sharing and playing your own courses.
Customisations! Turn the fairway into the runway, with unlockable hats, skins and trails for your ball.
Despite the rather low Metascore of 68, Golf With Your Friends is, without a doubt, one of the most popular games on this list, with many streamers and YouTubers playing it on stream and seemingly having bundles of fun. Golf With Your Friends is one of those games that, graphics wise and bug wise, isn't amazing, but in terms of the pure enjoyment players can get out of a game, it delivers.
Players get classic party-style type gameplay, complete with large lobbies that make Golf With Your Friends perfect for playing with a large group of people. The game has many different maps to keep the gameplay versatile, along with ball customization that adds a sprinkle of humor to an already funny game.
1 Rocket League
Metascore: 85
Rocket League
One of the most popular indie games of all time, Rocket League has firmly cemented itself as a legendary game, with the unique car and soccer crossover format that hasn't really been replicated or done before. Although Epic Games did get involved with Rocket league, allowing Rocket Racing to be created for Fortnite, the game at its core is still indie.
Psyonix created a game that players could play casually and competitively with equal amounts of fun. Rocket League has evolved so much, to the point where it became an eSports game, which is pretty amazing for an indie title to reach such heights. On top of the highly exciting and unique gameplay, Rocket League has a cool customization system, with more and more collaborations allowing players to score goals in their dream cars.
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