2026 is here, but we wanted to take a look back at the best sports video games from 2025. There are certainly a few candidates worthy of making the list. But which ones were the most fun to play? We created a list of the top best sports & racing video games of 2025.
What Are The Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025?
1. Mario Kart World – Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025
The Nintendo Switch 2's best-selling game is without a doubt our favorite sports/racing game of the year. The latest entry in the Mario Kart franchise adds a lot cool features to be enjoyed with the game's massive roster.
Firstly, I love having 24 racers on one course. The mayhem is awesome, but not too chaotic where it constantly disrupts gameplay. It's also nice to have a roster that doesn't just consist of Bowser's kids or Mario and Peach in Cat Costumes. And speaking of costumes, there's a variety of them, and it's nice for characters other than Yoshi and Shy Guy to have different skins.
The modes offered here are a lot of fun too. Knockout Tour and Free Roam serve as nice modes to dive into when you're not feeling Grand Prix. And no matter what you play, Mario Kart World offers a fantastic gameplay experience that we've come to expect from the series.
We know there have been criticisms towards updates to the online mode, but it still stands as one of our favorite party games to play. That's why it's our #1 sports and racing game of the year.
2. NBA 2K26 – Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025
Out of all Sports video games that are based on real-life leagues, NBA 2K26 is without a doubt our favorite. And while the series could definitely use some improvements, the gameplay experience is still among one of the best around for a sports game.
Not only is the gameplay experience great, but NBA 2K26 still offers a ton of modes, and ways to plays those modes. Choose from one of several Eras in MyNBA, or create different builds in NBA 2K26 MyPLAYER before taking them to MyCAREER. And of course, MyTEAM is available for the card-collecting fanatics.
MyCAREER is still my favorite player-career mode in any game right now. Out of Bounds was a lot of fun to play through, and I love the option of playing either in Spain or France. I can't wait to see what 2K will do when their College Basketball game comes out.
3. Sonic Racing: Crossworlds – Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025
The first Sonic Racing Game in 2019 wasn't bad, in my opinion. But Crossworlds feels like an improvement in almost every other way. It's easy to get into, addicting once you get good at it, and filled with fun maps to drive in.
While I wish some of the DLC characters were different, the overall roster is pretty good. It's cool to see AiAi as a free character, and the base roster is filled with all the right characters.
Gadgets also completely change the game, making each race feel different, depending on your setup. The game features over 70 gadgets, making customization fun across all the characters and machines you can use.
Overall, Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is a great racing game, and definitely one worth checking out if you're a Sonic fan. While I prefer Mario Kart World as a party game, it's definitely worth rotating with Crossworlds every now and then.
4. College Football 26 – Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025
While not too different from College Football 25, that doesn't mean we don't love 26. The biggest improvements to the game are mostly in its presentation, but the developers also made improvements to the game's key modes.
I personally loved the improvements in Road to Glory, especially the High School experience. It's just five games, but the process of getting recruited to a College is a lot of fun. It also makes it possible for a two-star player to impress their way to a better program.
Of course, Dynasty is still fun, allowing you to play against real coaches this time around. Furthermore, the developers added new Mental and Physical abilities, as well as more options to control the Transfer Portal.
While I wish EA Sports would use a different engine for their sports games, Frostbite could be worse with College Football 26. Nevertheless, it's still a great title to play, especially if you run connected dynasties with friends.
5. EA Sports F1 25 – Best Sports & Racing Games of 2025
Codemasters always delivers when it comes to gameplay, and F1 25 is no exception. The latest installment in the series comes with the next chapter in the Braking Point storyline. And although it's cheesy and has some cringe moments, it's still awesome to have this mode in a racing game.
Along with Driver Career and My Team, F1 25 offers a good amount of content to complement its fun gameplay. Furthermore, the game also comes with beautiful courses designed to replicate their real-life counterpart. And with the ability to drive F2 cars, there's a wide variety of vehicles to choose from.
Additionally, each mode offers a lot of depth, making the experience fun for multiple seasons. It's fun to climb from F2 to F1 in Driver Career. It's also fun to watch your team grow in My Team and dethrone the top teams like McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes.
Overall, F1 25 is another fantastic game from Codemasters. To this day, they've consistently produced great racing games across multiple types of motorsports. We're excited to see how the future moves forward, given the big announcement they recently revealed.
Overall, that wraps our list of the top 5 best sports video games of 2025. We hope you enjoyed reading, and we look forward to seeing what games we'll play next year.
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