We already published the list of best PSP games of all time, now it’s time to discover the best PSP sports games of all time.
With amazing titles like the MLB series, Hot Shots series, and Virtua Tennis series, the PSP surely have a great collection of sports games.
If you’re a fan of both PSP and sports games, there’s a chance you’ll like this list.
Most of you will recognize (or even still playing) some of the games mentioned on this list.
See also: Best PS2 Games & Best PS3 Games
#25. MLB 09: The Show
A complete MLB game with enhanced franchise options, in-game pitcher and batter analysis, and online league play.
The game’s heightened focus on pitcher/batter duel is still the same considering it was extremely well done on last year’s title.
Unlike the PS3 version, pulling off a check swings is easier here. Not sure why but it’s a welcome addition.
Various game modes exist in this game.
There’s the usual Exhibition match for quick game, Season mode for a longer game, Manager mode where you manage a team, Franchise mode where you compete with the official rooster, and Road to the Show mode in which you make your very own player.
Vasgersian, Hudler, and Campbell did great on the audio part.
You’ll get more sense of surprise and natural flow of gameplay thanks to the surprise and excitement that rises in each man’s voice as they provide commentary.
The graphics unfortunately started to show a little bit outdated.
The animations are still solid though. However, camera control and some visual issues still hold this game back a little.
It’s a great baseball game on PSP, but not that much different from previous titles of the series on PSP.
#24. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
An association football sim game and a long standing rival of the FIFA series.
Enjoy various game modes available in this game.
New to this game is the official license of UEFA Championship League.
PES 2009 adds few things to the game, which are Online Play and Become a Legend mode.
The game play remains largely unchanged from last year, but still as fun and challenging with intuitive controls.
Passes are easy while tricks require some awkward button tap.
There are several modes available beside the one previously mentioned, with Exhibition mode, Leagues, Regional Cups, World Tour, and Master League.
There’s Training mode but it’s a little disappointing for new players as it does not offer tutorials.
The new Become a Legend mode let you control just one player as you make your way to the top.
You can customize the appearance and meter to your liking.
Online Play pits you in one-on-one match against players from around the world.
A welcome addition but held back by the occasional lags.
Overall it’s a great football game on PSP, but it doesn’t offer a lot of new things compared to the previous title.
#23. World Soccer Winning Eleven 9
Also known as Pro Evolution Soccer 5 on anywhere outside Asia.
A football simulation game made by Konami.
New to this title is the full license of Premier League clubs.
Control is simple to pick and play, while also very intuitive.
Core game is very similar to the previous game, WE 8, with subtle changes in the moveset.
The overall presentation improved a little from the predecessor, there’s not much to improve anyway.
The menus are still a little clunky, but less clunky than WE 8 at least.
The lack of license really hurt this game though.
Visual and sound departments also have a subtle improvement.
Crowd visuals and sounds are great up close, but not so much when in the background.
Their chant and cheers adds a lot to the atmosphere.
Overall a great game but feels very similar to the predecessor, Winning Eleven 8.
#22. Tiger Woods PGA Tour
A golf simulation game featuring Tiger Woods on the cover.
This game is essentially a mix of mostly Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 with a little of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 sprinkled in.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour features an intuitive and refined analog swing mechanics.
Those familiar with other Tiger games will be able to pick it up instantly, while new players will only need a short time to familiarize with the control scheme.
The game streamlines the game modes that were available in the past into just a few modes.
There’s Quick Play mode for, you guess it, quick play.
Legend Tour mode out your own golfer in dozens of head to head and tournaments, divided into rookie, pro, and legend ranks.
Winning a tournament in Legend Tour will earn you money, which you can use to buy various performance enhancing gear in the shop.
The game starts off fairly easily but the AI will be better as you progress.
The visuals look pretty impressive, even though it looks less detailed than the console version.
This comes at the price of slower loading times.
The commentary of past titles have been done by Gary McCord and David Feherty. Same applies here.
The best golf sim title in PSP on its release date.
#21. NBA Live 06
A basketball sim game created by EA. Successor of NBA Live 05. Also available on other consoles.
If you’re familiar with the NBA Live games on the console, the PSP version will have you feeling right at home.
Gameplay is nearly similar to the console version with some minor differences due to the lack of right analog stick on PSP.
That said, the game also includes the freestyle superstar control scheme, in which you can do super moves when controlling a certain superstar like Shaq.
NBA Live 06 offers various game modes to play with.
There’s standard exhibition match, season and play off mode, and the special mode on PSP called superstar challenge.
There is also multiplayer head to head mode, both offline via ad-hoc wifi or online via the internet.
The online experience is often riddled with slight lag on button input.
All things considered, NBA Live 06 is one of the most accessible and fun sports titles released for PSP to date.
#20. MLB 10: The Show
A baseball simulation game, the direct successor to MLB 09: The Show.
The game presents a number of new features, including catcher mode, and Home Run Derby.
MLB 10: The Show is the successor of MLB 09: The Show.
It continues everything it’s predecessor left off.
The gameplay of MLB 10: The Show is as pure as it gets on the PSP.
The pitcher-hitter interface is the same as it has been for years, and the simple approach translates well to a handheld experience.
Very familiar for veterans and easy to pick up for new players.
Several game modes are available within this game.
They are Exhibition, Manager mode, Road to The Show mode, Season mode and Home Run Derby mode.
The game has excellent sound effects with it’s crisp and authentic bat sounds from the little speaker PSP have.
Just like the predecessor, Matt Vasgersian, Dave Campbell and Rex Hudle still provide various progressive and insightful commentary on the match.
Player model looks a bit small, but the attention to details is still there.
Overall, the game lives up to its award-winning baseball reputation.
Though veteran might find the game a little too similar to the previous title.
#19. SSX On Tour
A snowboarding and skiing game developed by EA Vancouver. 4th title of the series.
Enjoy the arena and perform numerous tricks and special moves to get the best score.
SSX On Tour is largely similar to its predecessor, SSX 3 in many ways.
The control and overall aim, snowboarding down while gaining points for various tricks performed, remains the same.
It doesn’t mean that there’s nothing new.
Players now can customize their character to minute details, while having the option to be either snowboarder or skier.
Open Mountain from SSX 3 has been replaced by The Tour now.
This mode presents the player with a mountain map with few icons representing open challenge.
Gameplay wise, Uber Tricks now has been abandoned in favor of Monster Tricks, a slightly different mechanic required to perform super tricks.
Everything else stays pretty much the same.
Visual is impressive, but not that much different from the previous installment.
The soundtrack is great with the main theme performed by Iron Maiden.
A great addition to the series, but the lack of online play features kinda held it back.
#18. Virtua Tennis 3
A well known tennis sport game created by SEGA.
Also known as Sega Professional Tennis: Power Smash 3 in Japan.
Be the number one tennis player in the World Tour.
This series has been called by many names depending on when and where it is sold.
Among those names are Virtua Tennis, Power Smash, and Sega Sports Tennis.
Just like any numbered sports game, this game doesn’t radically change the formula.
It tweaks and refines various parts of the game.
Main mode of this game is the World Tour mode, in which you compete to be the number 1 tennis player in the world with your custom character.
Other than that, there are exhibition mode, tournament mode, and various mini games available.
Virtua Tennis 3 looks great, but it’s not that much better than its predecessor and often struggles to deliver stable fps.
Some people will love its cheesy guitar theme, while others will hate it.
Overall, it’s a great game for new players.
Old fans might find this game a little bit too similar to its predecessor.
#17. FIFA 07 Soccer
FIFA 07 is a soccer simulation (sport) game developed by EA as part of the FIFA series.
Launched in 2006 and a successor to the FIFA 06.
Have fun on match with your friend or be the best in the championship league.
One thing that is surely not lacking in this game, when compared to rival games, is license.
This game has tons of them.
Unlike other sports games, this game plays quite differently from its predecessor.
A little difficult to spot on the first play but you’ll know them after a few tries.
In short, the game gets a little more realistic and moves are a little more difficult to perform.
The physics engine gets a little better now that the ball moves more realistically.
Though this leads to the goal being a little harder to score.
The fly by commentary appears to be a little better than last year, though it’s not too accurate.
Various game modes are available on this game.
From standard exhibition match to manager mode, in which you try to balance fans happiness, team chemistry, and your own job security.
There’s also an online mode to play with people from around the world.
It’s clear that this game has a lot of improvement from its predecessor.
Though it might make the gameplay a little bit harder.
#16. Pangya Fantasy Golf
Starting off as a Korean MMO, now Pangya is available on PSP. As the title said, it’s a golf sim game.
You can compete with your friend or be the best golfer in the Pangya universe.
Pangya Fantasy Golf is a straight forward arcade golf game.
The base mechanics is easy to understand, but there are advanced mechanics you can learn.
Right after you boot up the game you can participate in Story mode, Pangya Tour mode, and the Networks mode.
Most of these modes are interconnected and you’ll earn Pang, the game’s currency, there.
The game has an impressive amount of collectibles, so get ready to work for a lot of Pangs.
Visual wise, this game has a great personality with all that anime style artwork and characters you can use.
You can play with up to 7 friends via ad-hoc wifi, though the frame suffers quite a bit with just 2 players on ad-hoc.
Beside that, the game has a major issue which is lengthy loading time.
Kinda expected with how great the graphics are for a PSP game.
Overall, despite the shortcomings, Pangya Fantasy Golf is still pretty fun with high replay value.
#15. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Also known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 2008, is a football sports game created by Konami and a successor to Pro Evolution Soccer 06.
Enjoy a friendly game with friends, be a team manager, or be the best player in the world.
First of all, the number changed from 06 to 2008 so that people won’t think the game is one year late.
Original numbering was just a sequel indicator, not year, but people often mistook it for year.
Unlike the radical number change, the gameplay doesn’t change much.
Still, a lot of subtle improvement here and there.
Best thing about this game is that it doesn’t give up any of the cores found in the console version.
There’s Master League, Cup, World Tour, League, Match, and Training mode.
The visual looks pretty realistic for the PSP standard and all the animations feel authentic.
The menu also looks as amazing as the console version, albeit at lower resolution.
The audio leaves a bit to be desired as the commentators have been removed.
The soundtrack otherwise feels the same.
Overall it’s a great soccer game and mimics the console version pretty well.
#14. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Yet another entry of PGA Tour series on PSP.
Get ready, yet another time to be the best golfer in this game.
Or you can just relax and have fun with your friend.
Just like most sports games, this game has a lot of improvements over its predecessor.
New to this game is the PGA Tour mode where you take your golfer from nobody to the best golfer out there.
Gameplay wise, this game looks pretty identical to the previous PGA Tour 06, which is great most of the time.
Since veterans will feel familiar at the start.
If you get tired playing solo, you can play via ad-hoc with someone or just go online to play with people around the world.
Visually, this game also looks identical to its predecessor.
The golf course looks nice but, of course, not as detailed as the console version.
The golfer looks quite realistic with their animations.
Sounds wise, it’s as good as expected for a portable console.
The crowds are not very dynamic but still pretty lively in their reaction.
Overall, if you have never played the series on PSP, this is a great game to start.
#13. Madden NFL 07
An american football game made by EA, successor to last year’s NFL 06.
American football games on handheld consoles have never looked this good.
Madden 07 fixed a lot of issues that were on its predecessor, Madden 06, but it tosses a few new issues.
Madden 07 on PSP includes just about every gameplay feature that is on the console version like the highlight stick, new kick meter, and lead blocking control.
The lead blocking control will inspire players to form new tactics.
The new kick meter feels like the most accurate representation of the actual thing, though it’s a little bit simplified here.
Unfortunately, there are few new problems. Pop up happens quite often in key areas of gameplay.
Some passes simply don’t have the right button on receiver. And some AI is just broken.
Graphically, this game is a little smoother that Madden 06, but everything else stays the same.
Audio is untouched from the last game. Still pretty good but the commentary can be a bit inconsistent.
Overall a better game than last year’s Madden, though unfortunately still riddled with some issues.
#12. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
A golf sim game by EA, sequel to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 05.
Enjoy a semi realistic take on golf video games in this excellent game.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 introduced a lot of radical changes to the console version.
Some of them trickled down to the PSP version. Putting is a little bit more challenging now.
The single player game structure is also changed with legend tour and legend challenge rolled up into new rivals mode.
Several new fantasy and real golf courses have been added as well.
The biggest improvement this game has is it’s loading time.
It’s significantly shorter than its predecessor.
The rest of the game is more or less unchanged. There’s not much room for improvement anyway.
All in all, this game is a huge improvement over the PGA Tour 05.
#11. Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
Also known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 10 in Japan and Pro Evolution Soccer 06 in the rest of the world but US, is the 6th installment of the series.
This game brings a lot of improvement over the previous title.
The game is now a lot closer to the console version.
The gameplay is as stunning as always. High level of realism with high replayability.
The game feels a little easier to play now.
This is to balance the lack of right analog, which is essential to perform tricks in the console version.
In the newly introduced (to PSP) master league mode you have more options to manage your team.
Not as robust as Football Manager but it’s good enough.
As usual, multiplayer is a better way to enjoy this game because you compete with actual humans.
It is done via ad-hoc connection.
Visually, this game looks stunning for a PSP game.
That said, the menus leave a little more to be desired.
Overall a great improvement over the predecessor with content a lot closer to the console version.
#10. Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip
A tennis sim mixed with role playing video games, also known as Everybody’s Tennis and Everybody’s Tennis Portable in some other region.
It’s a part of Everybody’s Golf series.
You play as a character in a quest to bring happiness to the world starting from the tennis table.
Since it’s a part RPG game, story mode is the main mode you’ll play.
You go from place to place and recruit the boss of each place by defeating them in a tennis match.
At the start, you’ll only have a few different shot types.
This means that you have to focus on positioning and timing.
You’ll get confirmation on screen when you hit the ball too early (rabbit), too late (turtle), or just at the right time (music note).
The control is pretty simple, but it gets deeper as you unlock more shot types.
This game has cartoony visuals, which is a great match to your main mission, spreading happiness.
Other than that, there are tons of unlockables in this game.
Once you are bored with single player mode, you can invite friends to play with you via ad-hoc.
There are several modes available, 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, and 2 player vs 2 AI.
Few problems keep this from being the next great tennis game, but there’s enough to love in Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip to keep you busy for a long time.
Check it out on Amazon »#9. WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
A pro-wrestling video game released by THQ, it’s a part of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series.
Be the greatest wrestler of all time in this excellent game.
One impressive bathing about this game is how close this is to the PS2 version without suffering any drawback in control whatsoever.
The graphics are quite impressive for the PSP standard and it sounds just like the PS2 version.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 introduces a new system that tracks your wrestler’s stamina and momentum.
This will force you to pay more attention to the march.
A somewhat new grappling system is also introduced.
The mechanics change a bit, but still should feel familiar.
This game has a pretty impressive visual. The character model looks great for a PSP game.
The audio is also quite impressive, despite the general lack of commentary.
While not everything that this game tried works, the sheer amount of make it a very worthwhile addition, unless you already have the PS2 version.
Check it out on Amazon »#8. MLB
A baseball simulation game by EA, the first game of the series that hit PSP.
Actually it’s the handheld version of MLB 2006.
The developer certainly trimmed away a lot of the fat to cram the PS2 version onto the PSP but left the meat intact.
MLB still has most of the gorgeous graphics, great gameplay and commentary PS2 have.
Three modes are available in this game, Quick play, Season, and Online. Unfortunately the franchise mode is lacking.
The Online mode is supported via ad-hoc (local) and Internet.
Though this feature is very bare bone and doesn’t track anything.
The graphics are pretty impressive, with the player’s faces and bodies rendered realistically.
Throughout the game, the player’s uniform accumulates dirt and grass based on what they did.
All in all, this game is a solid entry of MLB into PSP despite the lack of certain features.
Check it out on Amazon »#7. Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee
Also known as Everybody’s Golf in the PAL region, is an arcade style golf video game and the fifth game on Everybody’s Golf series.
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee plays nothing like it’s competitor, Tiger Woods PGA series.
Main difference is the anime style looks instead of realistic looks.
Despite the charming appearance, the gameplay can be quite challenging as there’s no assistance to help you.
Even though you can’t create a custom golfer from scratch, there’s a huge amount of character to choose from.
You can also decorate them with accessories available, which is a lot.
The game loads pretty fast here unlike the competitor.
The courses look great, and the visuals have a lot of charm.
One novel touches in Open Tee is the way certain sound effects are represented visually with tiny speech bubbles.
This game definitely wins over Tiger Woods in terms of loading time, the rest is up to player’s preference.
Check it out on Amazon »#6. MLB 08: The Show
MLB 08: The Show is a baseball simulation video game developed by SCE San Diego Studio.
You control one or all of the players on a Major League Baseball team or some select Minor League Baseball teams.
Depending on the gameplay mode, you may control a team for a single game, season, or franchise, and can also create a player and control his career.
The gameplay is very similar to the previous entry, with few extra features added in various modes.
One of them is the “Batter/Pitcher Analysis” feature.
This allows you to check the “matchup” between the current batter and pitcher.
Another main update is the “Progressive Batting Performance”.
This tracks the batting stats of all players in season and franchise modes, and for your created player in Road to the Show mode.
MLB 08: The Show have plenty of *standard” game modes, like quick game (or exhibition), season, and franchise modes.
Also there’s the “Road to the Show” mode, Manager mode, and Rivalry mode.
Visually, the players are rendered pretty nicely, though the disjointed crowd sometimes get in the way.
The announcers did a fantastic job describing each and every play, and each call seemed to be spot on with the action occurring on screen.
The only issue is that the announcing itself can get old after so long.
Despite all those drawbacks, the new features make this game one of the stronger MLB titles in PSP.
Check it out on Amazon »#5. Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk’s series.
And the first game of the series to hit PSP system.
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix offers up two main modes of play, Story Mode and Classic Mode.
Story Mode puts you as a member of either Tony Hawk’s assembled crew or Bam Margera’s assorted troublemakers.
You don’t pick sides, but rather be either of them depending on the story progression.
Classic Mode brings back the old-school two-minute run style of the first three Tony Hawk games.
They often have similar goals from stages to stages, such as collecting S-K-A-T-E and finding the secret tape, as well as collecting C-O-M-B-O and high score goals.
The control is similar to the console version with few adjustments since PSP lack right analog stick.
Overall it works well with few inconveniences.
Graphics wise, it looks pretty similar to the console version with a very smooth frame rate.
Render distance is good with few minor pop ups.
Overall, THUG 2 Remix is a nearly perfect port of its console version, which is great.
Check it out on Amazon »#4. Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2, also known as Everybody’s Golf in PAL region, is an arcade style golf simulation game.
It’s a port of the original that was released in 2000.
Even though it’s a port of an old game, it still holds up pretty well.
The control is standard threw x tap, as expected of the old game. A bit dated but still works well.
The graphics are what you expected of those old games, not that realistic, but still good enough.
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2 has a number of modes, including Tournament mode and VS mode.
Tournament will unlock clubs and balls, while VS mode will unlock players.
What’s disappointing is that this game has no multiplayer VS mode.
But at least there’s still got seat play where you take turns with up to 4 players.
Overall this game has stood the test of the time really well.
The physic engine and graphics might not be the best, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Check it out on Amazon »#3. MLB 07: The Show
MLB 07: The Show is baseball simulation games produced by SCE San Diego Studio and a part of MLB The Show game series.
Be the best player in the new “Road to Show” mode.
MLB 07‘s pitching mechanic has gotten some improvement, but the basics are mostly unchanged and still great.
Meanwhile, hitting is as outstanding as it was.
The pitches are fast enough, but they’re not so fast that you don’t have time to react.
MLB 07‘s graphics haven’t changed much and it still looks good.
Most player’s bodies are reserved pretty well but not outstanding.
The audio lives up to the same high quality as the rest of the game with San Diego Padre’s announcer Matt Vasgersian as commentator.
In the end, even though it doesn’t have a flashy presentation and is still missing the PS2’s excellent franchise mode, MLB 07: The Show is one of the better sports games on the PSP.
Check it out on Amazon »#2. MLB 06: The Show
MLB 06: The Show is a baseball simulation game developed by SCE San Diego Studio.
Be a baseball superstar in The Show mode.
MLB ’06: The Show isn’t quite a pixel by pixel copy of its console version, but you’d be surprised by how similar they are.
MLB ’06: The Show puts forth a remarkably authentic portrayal of what actually happens on live baseball games.
The frequencies of pop flies, ground balls, errors, putouts, and double plays seem to be in line with reality.
Most of last year’s AI bug seems to have been fixed, but few still remain around.
Several modes are available to play within this game.
They are The Show mode, Season mode, Franchise mode, Home Run Derby, and King of the Diamond mode.
Each offers a unique gameplay.
The crisp graphics and sublime audio does a great job of conveying the sights and sounds of the ballpark while also somewhat duplicating the look and feel of a television broadcast.
All in all, this game is a solid baseball game despite the lack of few features the PS2 version has.
Check it out on Amazon »#1. Virtua Tennis: World Tour
A tennis simulation game created by So Digital.
Play as one of 14 pro players available or create your own player and be the best tennis player in the world.
Or just have fun in various game modes available.
World Tour offers the same kind of fast, fun, engrossing gameplay of the arcade and Dreamcast classics on a portable device.
Fans of the series will find a little to complain about it here.
The control is pretty easy that anyone can pick it up and have fun. It’s simple and intuitive.
Virtua Tennis series is best known for combining simple game mechanics with wildly addictive gameplay, same case goss for this World Tour version.
Plenty of game modes are available in Virtua Tennis: World Tour.
There’s the main World Tour Mode in which you attempt to be the best tennis player, Quick Match, Ball Games which consist of several mini games, Tournament, Exhibition, and Multiplayer.
The visuals look somewhat better than the PS2 version, though perhaps that is because of the smaller PSP screen.
The tennis players feature a good amount of detail and some animation that is fluid and realistic.
Overall, this game is pretty similar to other titles of the same series.
The portability of PSP made it perfect to play this game on the go.
Check it out on Amazon »Are your favorite games on the list?
Determining which PSP sports game is the best is no doubt a never ending topic, but it’s absolutely fun!