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Here are five great sports games to play on Xbox Game Pass.
FIFA 18
One of the most consistent annual sports franchises has to beFIFAfrom EA Sports. WhileFIFA 21reviewswere less than stellar, previous entries in the series earned critical acclaim, withFIFA 18being the highest-rated game in the series available on Xbox Game Pass. If one has played anyFIFAgame, they know what to expect fromFIFA 18, though this version of the long-running sports franchise takes great advantage of the Frostbite 3 engine and features a great deal of polish when compared to some other games in the series.
FIFA 18is also notable for including the second iteration of the Journey mode. For the uninitiated, theFIFAgames started adding story modes called The Journey, with this one picking up where the previous entry left off. While most fans will likely want to spend their time withFIFA 18playing multiplayer, this at least gives those who enjoy single player stories something to do.
Forza Motorsport 7
Microsoft’sForza Motorsportfranchise is arguably at the top of the heap when it comes to racing games, as the various entries that released on the Xbox One have earned widespread critical acclaim. Those wanting a more arcadey experience can check out the open worldForza Horizongames through Xbox Game Pass as well, but those wanting a more grounded experience that focuses on racing instead of destruction should look no further thanForza Motorsport 7.
A feature-rich racing game that will keep enthusiasts entertained for hours on end,Forza Motorsport 7has stellar visuals and won numerous awards when it launched back in 2017. Turn 10 Studios has been given a little more time to develop thenewForza Motosportgame for Xbox Series X, so it will be exciting to see if the next game in the long-running franchise manages to live up to the high bar set byMotorsport 7.
Madden NFL 17
LikeFIFA, the most recentMadden NFLgame wasn’t exactly a hit with fans.Madden NFL 21earned middling reviewsand was generally considered a disappointment, despite EA’s efforts to make up for it with post-launch updates. WithMadden NFL 21failing to live up to expectations, fans of the football franchise may find themselves turning to older entries in the series to get their fix, and one of their best options on Xbox Game Pass is easilyMadden NFL 17.
Madden NFL 17didn’t make any sweeping changes to the tried and trueMaddenformula, but it did include a revamped Franchise Mode that was well-received by fans. A lack of changes or improvements to Franchise is one of the main criticisms aimed atMadden NFL 21, soMadden NFL 17can be a reminder of the higher-quality Franchise Mode experiences from yesteryear. A generally well-rounded football experience,Madden NFL 17is one of the bestMaddengames to have released this past generation.
Skate 3
At the EA Play event this past summer, EA managed to generate quite a bit of buzz with the announcement that thelong-awaitedSkate 4is in development. Details on what exactlySkate 4will entail weren’t revealed, but hopefully more information comes sooner rather than later. In the meantime, fans of theSkatefranchise may want to revisit the older games in the series while they wait for the new entry, and luckily, Xbox Game Pass makes that pretty easy.
Skate 3is available to play on Xbox Game Pass, thanks to the Xbox One’s backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games.Skate 3was well-received by critics at the time of its release, with critics praising it for sticking to a more challenging simulation gameplay style as opposed to the over-the-top nature of theTony Hawkgames. Some criticism was aimed at the game for not changing enough when compared toSkate 2, but that hardly matters unless one is playing the titles back to back.
SSX
Snowboarding video games may be in short supply when compared to other sports, but there are still plenty of them to choose from. Possibly the most well-known snowboarding game franchise isSSX, with a slew of highly-ratedSSXgames releasing during the sixth generation of games. TheSSXseriesthen seemingly disappeared before EA Sports brought it back with the critically-acclaimedSSXreboot in 2012.
TheSSXreboot delivered exactly what fans of the franchise would want, earning high praise for its fun factor, and was a sales success for EA. It’s a bit odd that theSSXseries has been dormant for nearly a decade now after the launch of theSSXreboot in 2012, but hopefully snowboarding fans get a new entry in the series sooner rather than later. While they wait, they can check out 2012’sSSXthrough Xbox Game Pass.
