If you count skateboarding, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is the best sports game on PS1. It’s undeniable fun, with ideal controls and great-looking levels, more expansive than the first installment and more balanced than later installments.
And if you count auto racing, the Gran Turismo series is usually acknowledged for being great by PS1 standards.
After that, it takes a pretty sharp drop and it’s a very subjective argument…
Soccer
FIFA 99 is pretty good, kind of an arcade-style game with a sim-style look that was impressive for its time. There are six more FIFA games that came after it that I’m sure are good too.
The Pro Evolution Soccer games are well-regarded, but I haven’t played any of them because they’re rare and extremely expensive. I hear that ISS Pro Evolution 2, released in 2001, is the cream of the crop.
Football
The late Madden games, Madden NFL 2001 through 2005, are decent but very chunky looking. They’re probably more interesting than fun generations later, showing some evolution toward the polished, deep simulations to come.
If college football is your thing, the NCAA series closely mirrored Madden, and NCAA Football 98 seems to be a fan favorite years later.
NFL Blitz is simple fun, but you’ve probably played that on any number of other consoles.
And there’s also Tecmo Super Bowl, which doesn’t have the lovable vibes of the earlier versions, but it’s not a terrible game in its own right.
Hockey
I have a huge soft spot for Midway’s arcade-style NHL Open Ice: 2-on-2 Challenge, despite how shallow and cheap it feels.
I also have a soft spot for Sony’s first hockey game on PS1, NHL FaceOff, which is uber simple and just sort of easy to play.
Some people claim that NHL 99 through NHL 2001 are good, but I’d caution you on that. The graphics have aged poorly and the gameplay isn’t nearly as sophisticated as it seemed in its time.
Basketball
Basketball is where it starts to get dicey. The award should probably go to NBA Jam: Tournament Edition, but I’ve never actually played it on PS1 because it’s ridiculously expensive. I hear it’s not up to snuff with the 16-bit versions. I haven’t played the followup NBA Hang Time either, but I do like the N64 version.
If you insist on trying a more sim-style game, I suppose I could give a very half-hearted recommendation to NBA Fastbreak ’98 and NBA Live 98.
Baseball
Baseball is where it gets even dicier. The old crusty PS1 just wasn’t cut out for baseball. But if you must, my recommendation is Sony’s MLB Pennant Race, followed by Grand Slam and Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001.
Published March 27, 2020
Updated December 5, 2024