The holiday season has begun, and it’s time to start getting your shopping game plan together. If you’re looking for something for that special person on your list who loves both sports and video games (and, perhaps, video games about sports), it may be hard to tick both boxes at once.
But don’t worry; we’re here to help. Here are some solid picks for that sports-gaming person in your life.
Normal sports games
Odds are your gift recipient grabbed their sports game of choice as soon as it came out. But if they didn’t, you have plenty of options to help them get their fix for virtual competition.
Racing fans will want to check out NASCAR Heat 3, MotoGP 2018, F1 2018, Forza Horizon 4, or The Crew 2. Soccer fiends will want to put some hours in with Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 or FIFA 2019. Football fans will love Madden NFL 2019. NHL 2019 is for hockey lovers, and basketball fans will want to check out NBA 2K19 or NBA Live 19. Fight fans will want EA Sports UFC 3 or WWE 2K19, and baseball fanatics will enjoy MLB: The Show 18.
Prices on these will vary, but new copies are typically $59.99, and you can find them on Amazon or at any store with an electronics department.
Wacky sports games
The titles we just talked about feature straightforward and accurate versions of popular sports. But developers are also putting out less faithful — or just completely made-up — sports games. Mario Tennis Aces for the Nintendo Switch puts beloved game characters up against each other in frenetic, powered-up matches.
Laser League is a frantic arena-sports game about placing and avoiding deadly lasers that both you and your opponents send zipping around the game field. This is the sort of game that would be really exciting to watch in real life. But we’re not sure how it would work since the lasers instantly vaporize the players they touch. And that seems like it would be a bad idea.
NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 is the latest entry in the goofy, arcade-style basketball series. While it has an official league license, it drops the realism for massive, over-the-backboard jumps and a ball with a strange habit of catching on fire.
Finally, 2015’s Rocket League is an older title, but it’s a ridiculously fun game in which you play soccer in high-speed cars. It’s the sort of sport we would wish actually existed if it weren’t so obviously difficult and dangerous to pull off.
Xbox One Design Lab Controller (NFL Edition)
Odds are your football-loving friend or relative already has no shortage of gear honoring their favorite team. But Microsoft has a line-up of special controllers for its Xbox One console that will let sports fans show their fanhood no matter what they’re playing.
The Xbox Design Lab has a suite of custom controllers for the Xbox One that have a logo for any NFL team right on front where your fan can show it with pride. They’re available at Xbox.com and start at $84.99. They’ll even engrave it with a personalized message for free.
PlayStation VR Creed: Rise to Glory and Superhot Bundle
Sony’s virtual-reality add-on for the PlayStation 4 console gives players a new, more immersive perspective on compatible games. This includes some sports titles, one of which is Creed: Rise to Glory. It uses both the VR headset and Move motion controllers to put players right into the ring as Adonis Creed from the upcoming Creed II movie.
This bundle runs for $350 and includes both Rise to Glory and the more strategic action title Superhot, along with everything your gift recipient needs to start playing in the virtual world.
Xbox One S NBA 2K19 Bundle
If your gaming friend or loved one loves basketball but hasn’t gotten into the current generation of game consoles yet, this bundle is a good way to start them off. It costs $299.99 and includes an Xbox One S console with 1 TB of storage built in to hold tons of games and downloadable content. It also comes with a copy of the latest entry in 2K’s annual basketball franchise, NBA 2K19.
This gift idea will not only help the recipient catch up with the newest and fanciest video games with the hardware, but they’ll also have a sporty one to start with.
