Although they are niche, sports games manage to top sales charts yearly. Often, sports games are criticized for following the same formula of annual releases that don't offer much improvement. However, in March, gamers can expect a few titles that appear to have the potential to shake up the sports gaming world. Several franchises are getting new releases, including MLB: The Show, WWE 2K, and PGA Tour.
Thanks to the wide variety, sports fans will be satisfied regardless of which sports they're into. Baseball fans can check out MLB: The Show 23, while wrestling fanatics can give WWE 2K23 a try. For golf enthusiasts, there is EA Sports PGA Tour, which serves as a rejuvenation of the series.
MLB: The Show 23
MLB: The Show is a series of baseball games developed by San Diego Studio. The franchise has found much success with PlayStation, and since expanding to other platforms, its popularity has only grown. Last year's entry was well-received, although some critics did note that it suffers from performance issues on the Nintendo Switch. The franchise will be swinging again in March with MLB: The Show 23. This year, Miami Marlins player Jazz Chislom graces the game's cover. MLB: The Show 23 should be extra attractive to Xbox players, as it will be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass. This was also the case with last year's entry, which puts the franchise in a strange position where it once used to be a PlayStation exclusive and is developed by a Sony studio, but it is now most easily accessible on Xbox. It is set to release on March 28 on PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
WWE 2K23
There was a time when WWE wrestling games were sources of great fun, with the Smackdown vs Raw series drawing plenty of fans during gaming's sixth generation. In more recent years, the games have seen a dramatic drop in quality, with WWE 2K20 being written off by many as a glitchy mess. Nevertheless, the series has been making attempts to regain its former glory, and the fruits of all the labor may be seen in WWE 2K23. This year's entry features John Cena on the cover, and it will introduce a multiplayer mode called WarGames which has wrestlers doing battle in a cage. The game will also feature Showcase, which is an interactive documentary that will explore Cena's lengthy career, along with the highlights and his toughest matches. WWE 2K23 is set to release on March 17 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
EA Sports PGA Tour
PGA Tour is a highly successful golfing sports franchise developed by Electronics Arts. Since the first entry was released in 1990, the series has raked in a staggering $771 million. There hasn't been a major entry in the series since 2015's Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, though things are about to change thanks to EA Sports PGA Tour which is set to release on March 24 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game will feature over 30 courses and a full list of golfers that includes stars such as Cameron Champ, Nelly Korda, Jordan Spieth, and Lexi Thompson.
March is a good month for gaming overall, as there are plenty of big releases for gamers who don't like sports games. This includes the Resident Evil 4 remake which launches on March 24 and The Last of Us Part 1 which makes its debut on March 3. This paints a good picture for the rest of the year.