Decades after its Neo Geo arcade debut, SNK's classic baseball title remains one of the best arcade-style sports games ever made—even without a Major League Baseball license. Baseball Stars 2 captures the sports' essence via two leagues, 18 larger-than-life fictional teams, simple controls, oodles of charming animations, and incredible cut scenes that highlight tense moments, such as a play at the plate or a batter clocking a pitcher in the face after being on the receiving end of a beanball.

World has all of the elements that comprise a great Fire Pro game: robust character creation tools, a ridiculously deep move set, MMA rules, cage fighting, gimmick matches, tight controls, and exquisite match pacing. Developer Spike Chunsoft also includes online play, Steam Workshop integration for sharing user-created wrasslers, and New Japan Pro Wrestling DLC, making Fire Pro Wrestling World the best in the series.

Real-life football is a difficult sport. Yes, it's beloved by millions, but the concussions that result from giants hurling themselves at each other are an undeniable problem. The sport is much more enjoyable in video game form, especially arcade-style football, which lets you perform superhuman feats without hideous injuries. Digital Dream Entertainment's Mutant Football League runs with that idea by pitting skeletons, robots, orcs, aliens, and mutated humans against each other in not-so-friendly gridiron contests featuring landmines and cheat plays. Mutant Football League is definitely worth playing, and not only because it's the rare American football game that isn't Madden NFL; it's legitimately good, despite some annoying dirty trick plays.

The Psyonix-developed Rocket League is a prime example of a video game that wants you to do one thing and one thing only: have pure, uncut fun. This oddball sports title blends the charms of RC racing with soccer's heated, team-based competition, and adds plenty of over-the-top spectacle (big goals, wild saves) to keep every match interesting. Rocket League is just as fun during your first hour as it is during your twentieth; there are few multiplayer games that utilize addictive simplicity as effectively.

Steel chairs. Finishing moves. Cage matches. Few things define pro wrestling as well as those three elements, and RetroSoft Studios' RetroMania Wrestling has them—and more. Sure, RetroMania Wrestling isn't as deep as the excellent Fire Pro Wrestling World, but it caters to people who prefer their wrasslin' games more arcade-like than sim-like. It's a throwback title that recalls WrestleFest and other classic titles, thanks to simple controls that let anyone jump into the action and enjoy the theatrics.

Super Mega Baseball 3, with its focus on near-superhuman athletes and copious stats, is, in essence, an interactive baseball card. Metalhead Software's latest title is a snapshot of what makes the sport an internationally beloved game, as it inserts you into a world where dingers go deep, showboats flex their super-sized biceps, and pitcher-batter matchups are tense games of cat and mouse. This third entry introduces new on-field improvements, player traits, front office developments, and gameplay modes for both default and custom ball clubs, pushing the arcade-style series deeper into simulation territory.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2—a bundle that remasters two, iconic late-1990s and early-2000s skateboarding games—is a joyous return to form for a series that has fallen on hard times in recent years. The thrilling, combo-based action and pulsating energy will satisfy older folks longing for the game type that publishers have ignored, as well as younger people who are looking for a ridiculously entertaining diversion that features a blood-pumping, head-nodding punk and hip-hop soundtrack. 19 tracks, new and returning professional skaters (Tony Hawk, Kareem Campbell, and Nyjah Huston, among others), and a wonderful graphical overhaul round out this excellent sports package.

If you find standard golf games far too tame, check out the Hugecalf Studios-developed Turbo Golf Racing. The sports game combines traditional golf with kart racing to create an exciting multiplayer title. In fact, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between Turbo Golf Racing and Rocket League. Both titles feature cartoony karts that push balls into a goal, and the vehicles are aided by boosts, missiles, and other wild power-ups. The "golf with cars" gimmick works well and is a fresh spin on digital links.

Like the original title, Windjammers 2 is a sports game focused on the fictional Flying Power League, a competitive circuit featuring neon-drenched athletes tossing Frisbees—er, flying discs. Your goal is to be the first person to reach 15 points in best-2-out-of-3 sets (or accumulate the most points before the clock expires). However, the game is so much more than that basic description. In essence, Windjammers 2 is a sports game with a fighting game's heart; it even has parries and special moves! DotEmu's sequel to the cult classic Neo Geo game delivers the same thrilling action as its predecessor, but adds new offensive and defensive techniques, as well as smooth rollback netcode.