These are the best sports games for Android in 2020!

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Get your game on — even in the offseason — with the best sports games available for Android.

After a few golden years of fantastic entries, it seems like most mobile sports games have succumbed to the freemium model. There are far too few quality titles available that just let you jump into the game without having to deal with player cards, pointless upgrades, or waiting for ‘stamina meters’ to refill. Nearly all the top mobile sports game franchises have switched over to a team building system that requires you to unlock (or buy) card packs to upgrade your team.

But there are still great games to be played. We’ve tried to cover the five major North American sports here — football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and, ahem, soccer — with the best available options for each. Be sure to note which games are more sim-based for the hardcore sports fan, while others offer more arcade-like option for casual players.

The best sports game for Android

NBA 2K20

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$2 at Google Play Store

Staff Pick

NBA 2K20 is a rare premium sports title for Android that doesn’t rely on micro-transactions and loot crates, which automatically makes it a great game, in my opinion. The graphics and presentation are top-notch and compare nicely to the console versions. NBA 2K20 offers multiple game modes including the MyCareer Run story mode, Run The Streets, and NBA Stories for reliving some of the greatest moments in NBA History. There’s also online multiplayer and full support for Bluetooth controllers.

Batter up!

MLB Nine Innings 2019

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Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store

The 2019 edition of Nine Innings builds on the franchise’s great graphics and gameplay, featuring all 30 MLB ballparks and over 1,700 players carefully rendered in 3D for a very authentic gameplay experience. There are multiple ways to play with gameplay optimized for one-handed controls. This is easily the best baseball game available for Android.

Hit the slopes!

Grand Mountain Adventure: Snowboard Premiere

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Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store

Grand Mountain Adventure feels like the spiritual successor to the 90s classic SkiFree, offering endless and calming gameplay. You get to explore the first mountain for free, completing timed runs to unlock new ski lifts that let you access new areas of the mountain. An in-app purchase unlocks the other seven mountains, along with the ability to shred powder on a gnarly snowboard. This is absolutely one of the best winter sports games for mobile.

GOOOOOOOOOOAL!

eFootball PES 2020

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Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store

Konami’s celebrated football franchise is back for 2020 with enhanced dribble controls and options for local and real-time online matches against friends or strangers. It’s all part of the developer’s focus on taking this mobile soccer game into the eSports realm with competitive online play that’s responsive and rewarding.

Become a football legend

Score! Hero

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Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store

Score! Hero offers a unique take on the sports game genre. Instead of charging you with building a team, you create your own player and must progress through your professional career from rookie to legend. Instead of the free-flowing action found elsewhere, here you only take over once your team has control of the ball. Play freezes, waiting for you to swipe at the ball to take your shot or pass to a teammate. It’s an interesting dynamic that really highlights the strategic elements of soccer.

Point. Set. Match!

Australian Open Game

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Free at Google Play Store

This is the best tennis game I’ve found for Android. Developed by Big Ant Studios for Tennis Australia to help promote the Australian Open, this free title delivers a surprisingly robust number of gameplay options. You can play a quick match, beat the AO tournament to unlock the other Grand Slam events, or play career mode with your customized player. The default controls automatically position your player to return shots with swipes used to perform different shots, but there are settings for more advanced controls as well.

Super Bowl bound!

Madden NFL Mobile Football

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Free w/IAPs at Google Play Store

An EA Sports title that’s designed around pay-to-win mechanics and restrictive gameplay? I guess that’s just what’s “In The Game” these days. Still, Madden NFL Mobile Football reigns supreme among the few playable American Football games available for Android, with the latest edition adding a redesigned GM mode.

BOOMSHAKALAKA!

NBA Jam

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$4.99 at Google Play Store

NBA Jam is a classic title that’s continued to be updated by the developers and remains one of the most polished and fun sports games in the Google Play Store. This remake of the 90s arcade classic features all the fast-paced two-on-two action you remember with upgraded graphics and rosters. Touch controls are simple and responsive, making it super easy to set up an epic alley-oop, or sink three shots in a row and hear Tim Kitzrow — the original NBA JAM commentator — yell his infamous line, “HE’S ON FIRE!”

It’s in the hole!

Golf Star

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Free w/Ads, IAPs at Google Play Store

Golf Star is the best golfing game on Android, featuring excellent graphics and intuitive controls. The game lets you customize your golfer and jump into Career Mode, where you learn the ropes and hone your skills. It’s going to take you a bit of time to figure out the intricacies of the physics and how to properly read the greens and aim your putts, but you’ll pick it up in no time. Beyond Career Mode, there are multiplayer modes such as Tournament Mode and Goodwill Match Mode that let you compete in one-on-one competitions against live opponents.

Gnarly shredding, dude!

Snowboard Party: World Tour

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Free w/Ads, IAPs at Google Play Store

Snowboard Party: World Tour is easily the best snowboarding game available on the Play Store. The graphics are great, the pop-punk soundtrack is fitting, and the touch controls are surprisingly tight. There are also four different modes to choose from — Time-Attack, Freestyle, Big Air, and Halfpipe, along with a multiplayer mode for playing against your friends. There are 16 snowboarders to customize and upgrade, which you can do without spending a dime — although in-app purchases are included.

Step aside, Mr. Hawk

Skateboard Party 3 ft. Greg Lutzka

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$2 w/IAPs at Google Play Store

Fans of the classic Tony Hawk Pro Skater games from back in the day who lament the storied franchise’s current state should check out Skateboard Party 3. It’s a throwback game to those classic skateboarding games we loved from the late 90s and early 00s before things went awry. The game physics and controls feel very familiar and you’re given a couple of game modes to choose from. In Career mode, you get four minutes to explore the eight different locations and rack up a huge score, collect P-A-R-T-Y scattered around as floating letters, and find other hidden items. Things are unlocked by spending experience points, which you collect by completing challenges and landing tricks.

Mobile sports games are really hit or miss

The current state of sports games for mobile, as a whole, is pretty miserable. The vast majority of sports games I’ve checked out are straight up trash, but there are some true gems and I’ve done my best to highlight them above. I’d still love to see a quality hockey game released and wish EA Sports would release games like 2K Sports did with NBA 2K20, but there’s clearly more money to be made with the free-to-play model.

NBA 2K20 is the best sports game for Android — and I’m not even a huge fan of basketball. There’s just so much content included that make it well worth paying the full price. I’d also recommend Grand Mountain Adventure, which is a beautiful game that you can try out for free before paying to unlock the rest of the game.

Load up your Google Play account

Google Play Gift Card

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From $25 at Amazon

For whenever you need to pay to play

Getting a play gift card is the safest way to load up your Google account with credit to use towards in-app purchases or premium games without overspending.

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