Tennis is a sport involving a racket and a fluorescent yellow rubber ball that may be performed in singles or duos. One may surprise why there are so few tennis video video games. Licensing tennis video games that comprise venues world wide might be sophisticated; though it is doable to get many of the grand slams, most of the smaller occasions are overlooked.
Still, video games like Mario Tennis show it is not all about realism however enjoyability that makes a smash hit. Let’s make a journey down reminiscence lane to go to the highest tennis video video games ever made. This is a rating of the finest tennis video video games of all time.
Updated on January sixth, 2023, by Jack Pursey: It’s arduous to disclaim that tennis video games have fallen by way of the cracks a bit in recent times, as vastly profitable sports activities franchises like FIFA, Madden, and NBA 2K have left the racket sport within the mud considerably by way of recognition and industrial success. There have nonetheless been some fulfilling tennis video video games launched in recent times; although, sadly, they’ve been few and much between.
Thankfully, there may be sufficient of a catalog of nice tennis video games from the previous to maintain followers of the game occupied. We’ve up to date this checklist to incorporate a number of extra entries and a few extra info to assist gamers select what to play subsequent.
16/16 Mario Tennis Aces
- Release Date:
June 22, 2018 - Available Platforms:
Nintendo Switch - Best Feature:
The wonderful visuals and animations, which instantly draw the participant’s consideration
Mario Tennis Aces is the newest entry within the long-running Mario Tennis collection – one of many many sporting franchises starring the platforming plumber. The recreation appears to be like fittingly lovely on the Nintendo Switch, with attractive visuals which are bursting with colour and stellar animations that make the sport a pleasure to play.
Like many fashionable Mario sports activities video games, Mario Tennis Aces is missing in content material and replayability, although it is nonetheless value selecting up on sale for followers of arcade-style tennis video games.
15/16 Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip
- Release Date:
February 25, 2010 - Available Platforms:
PlayStation Portable - Best Feature:
The fulfilling, arcade-style gameplay that emphasizes enjoyable
As the identify suggests, Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip (often known as Everybody’s Tennis Portable) is a spin-off of the favored Hot Shots Golf collection (often known as Everybody’s Golf).
The recreation continues the Hot Shots custom of ignoring realism, opting to supply over-the-top leisure as a substitute. Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip scored a formidable 80 on Metacritic, ten factors greater than the lackluster Hot Shots Tennis that was initially launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2006.
14/16 Mario Tennis: Power Tour
- Release Date:
December 5, 2005 - Available Platforms:
Game Boy Advance - Best Feature:
Surprising quantity of depth and variation to the gameplay
The Game Boy Advance most likely is not the primary system that springs to thoughts when folks consider the very best locations to play sporting titles, however Mario Tennis: Power Tour supplied a good time to anybody prepared to present the hand held recreation a strive.
Released in 2005, the gameplay was just like that of Mario Power Tennis on the GameDice (extra on that later), with the gameplay being centered round incomes energy photographs. Moreover, there are each offensive and defensive energy photographs out there, which provides an excellent degree of selection and technique to the gameplay.
13/16 Virtua Tennis (GBA Version)
- Release Date:
October 8, 2002 - Available Platforms:
Game Boy Advance - Best Feature:
Offers strong tennis gameplay, regardless of the GBA’s limitations
Surprisingly, Mario Tennis is not the one Game Boy Advance tennis title value testing, as Virtua Tennis gives easy but addictive gameplay on the restricted system. The recreation’s visuals are, unsurprisingly, very lackluster, although the gameplay is splendidly well-balanced and nonetheless totally fulfilling immediately.
Virtua Tennis was nominated for GameSpot’s award of Best Sports Game on the Game Boy Advance in 2002, although it finally misplaced out to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
12/16 Virtua Tennis: World Tour
- Release Date:
September 1, 2005 - Available Platforms:
PlayStation Portable - Best Feature:
The spectacular visuals for a handheld launch
The second, however definitely not the final recreation from the critically acclaimed Virtua Tennis collection to seem on this checklist, Virtua Tennis: World Tour, launched on the PSP in 2005. As can be anticipated with a PSP title, the sport did not provide too many variations from the primary collection, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a improbable tennis recreation to play on the go.
Like most video games within the Virtua Tennis collection, certainly one of World Tour‘s predominant strengths is its wide selection of recreation modes. Along with the primary World Tour mode, gamers can compete on-line, play in tournaments, and tackle among the collection’ quintessential minigames.
11/16 Mario Tennis (N64)
- Release Date:
July 21, 2000 - Available Platforms:
Nintendo 64 - Best Feature:
Great physics-based tennis gameplay that does not depend on gimmicks or power-ups
Released within the 12 months 2000, Mario Tennis is certainly one of Mario’s few sporting titles that does not implement any form of power-ups in its core gameplay and as a substitute provides a surprisingly life like physics-based tennis expertise.
With a formidable Metascore of 91, Mario Tennis is the highest-rated Mario sports activities recreation ever when excluding kart racers, with simply Mario Kart Super Circut (93) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (92) being forward of it.
10/16 Super Tennis
- Release Date:
August 30, 1991 - Available Platforms:
Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Best Feature:
Classic, easy but addictive gameplay
Retro gaming is interesting for a wide range of causes. One of which is as a result of profitable might be extra rewarding. Retro video games like Super Tennis got here with an instruction handbook. It’s one more factor we miss about video games like this.
Super Tennis is certainly one of our favourite tennis video games due to the quantity of polish for its time. It was launched in 1991 and contained characters with completely different play types. Fine particulars like ball runners who seize balls caught within the web enrich the expertise.
9/16 Grand Slam Tennis 2
- Release Date:
February 9, 2012 - Available Platforms:
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 - Best Feature:
The Total Racquet Control mechanic, which lets gamers management their photographs with the analog stick, provides a singular gameplay expertise
Yes, EA Sports was within the enterprise of constructing tennis video games. They’ve dipped their arms into practically each sport by now. Tennis is much less prevalent in video video games, nevertheless it boasts quite a few followers worldwide for the game as a complete, so after all, EA Sports was going to make a recreation or two.
We are ready for Grand Slam Tennis 3 since there was a scarcity of first rate tennis video games in recent times. Featuring prime gamers like Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, the sport was praised for its on-line gameplay. It would not fairly measure as much as different franchises like Virtua Tennis and Top Spin, however that will not cease many from selecting up this tennis basic.
8/16 Virtua Tennis
- Release Date:
November 1, 1999 - Available Platforms:
Arcade, Dreamcast, PC, N-Gage, Game Boy Advance - Best Feature:
The World Circuit mode was revolutionary on the time, proving that sports activities video games can present high quality single-player campaigns
The recreation that kicked off certainly one of tennis’s greatest video gaming franchises deserves recognition for that and extra. Virtua Tennis was launched for platforms like Sega Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, and N-Gage.
Players should not really feel alone in the event that they have not heard about two out of three of those consoles. The Sega Dreamcast and the N-Gage had restricted gross sales regardless of Virtua Tennis being a important success. The console variations built-in a marketing campaign mode, including to their attraction.
7/16 Virtua Tennis 3
- Release Date:
December 31, 2006 - Available Platforms:
Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PC - Best Feature:
The spectacular soar in visible high quality from the earlier
Virtua Tennis
recreation
We’re glad Sega determined to launch Virtua Tennis 3 as a multi-platform recreation regardless of being out of the online game console market. The Sega Dreamcast might have kicked off the Virtua Tennis franchise, however Virtua Tennis 3 was a big enchancment over the primary.
Had this recreation constructed extra on Virtua Tennis 2, it might have ranked greater on this checklist. Virtua Tennis 2 and Virtua Tennis 3 are strikingly related and, sadly, comprise many of the similar faults.
6/16 Top Spin
- Release Date:
October 28, 2003 - Available Platforms:
Xbox, PC, PS2 - Best Feature:
In-depth Career Mode provides hours
of single-player gameplay
Now we’re moving into among the most influential tennis video games in historical past. The unique Top Spin is a feature-rich recreation with one of the crucial aspirational profession modes in sports activities video games.
The profession mode permits gamers to signal with sponsors, which in flip unlocks clothes and fame. Virtua Tennis is a masterclass, however the place so many failed, Top Spin surpassed Virtua Tennis by having an awe-inspiring profession mode.
5/16 Tennis For Two
- Release Date:
October 18, 1958 - Available Platforms:
Analog Computer - Best Feature:
Invaluable historic significance
Tennis for Two deserves particular recognition for being presumably the primary online game ever made. Players may assume that Pong was the primary recreation, however Tennis for Two launched years earlier than that.
Tennis as a part of video video games may not exist if it weren’t for video games like Pong and Tennis for Two. While Pong is predicated on desk tennis, Tennis for Two is performed from the facet view of a tennis court docket. The display screen was a mere 5 inches, however the attraction of taking part in the primary online game ever was limitless.
4/16 Wii Sports
- Release Date:
November 19, 2006 - Available Platforms:
Nintendo Wii - Best Feature:
It was the right showcase for the Wii’s movement controls
When the Nintendo Wii was introduced together with the launch title Wii Sports, many eyebrows had been raised, notably after the frustration of Sony’s EyeToy. However, Wii Sports proved to be the right launch title for the Wii, because it instantly confirmed how enjoyable and well-designed the console’s movement controls had been.
Wii Sports included 5 sports activities: baseball, bowling, boxing, golf, and naturally, tennis. The tennis portion of Wii Sports was a fan favourite, offering easy but addictive gameplay that was an absolute pleasure to play with associates.
Tennis solely being a fraction of Wii Sports‘ package deal might make the sport an unorthodox selection for this checklist, however the truth of the matter is that Wii Sports‘ tennis has offered many hours of leisure for households everywhere in the world.
3/16 Mario Power Tennis (GameDice Version)
- Release Date:
October 28, 2004 - Available Platforms:
GameDice - Best Feature:
Power-ups are properly applied and provide real depth to the gameplay, relatively than simply being gimmicks
Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo Wii was an utter catastrophe for the reason that movement controls did not work properly with the sport. Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameDice, nonetheless, is a critically acclaimed masterpiece and among the best tennis video games of all time.
This recreation stands out for its whacky antics and distinctive type of play as a result of it is not a tennis simulation recreation like many others on this checklist. The gameplay mechanics work properly, which is why this can be a notable entry within the Mario Tennis collection.
2/16 Virtua Tennis 2 (Tennis 2K2)
- Release Date:
December 1, 2001 - Available Platforms:
Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 - Best Feature:
The recreation was a formidable technical achievement for its time
While Virtua Tennis 3 did little to distinguish itself from its predecessor, Virtua Tennis 2 was a groundbreaking achievement. It added the slice tennis stroke, which is a elementary a part of the sport.
Virtua Tennis 2 was launched for platforms such because the PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast. The Sega Dreamcast is taken into account a console that was forward of its time due to video games like Virtua Tennis 2.
1/16 Top Spin 4
- Release Date:
March 15, 2011 - Available Platforms:
PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360 - Best Feature:
Over ten years on,
Top Spin 4
nonetheless provides the very best tennis gameplay out there
After the discharge of the primary Top Spin, enhancements to the collection had been unimaginable. Top Spin 2 and Top Spin 3 had been mediocre enhancements, however Top Spin 4 is a masterpiece.
We have to acknowledge Top Spin 4 for its intuitive gameplay. Tennis has by no means appeared so life like in a simulation recreation. Players can see the emotion of their character as they attempt for a Grand Slam victory.
