When it comes to sports games on Xbox One, there are plenty of options to choose from. In fact, depending on the sport you might be looking at three or four different titles trying to figure out which one is the best. We've taken a look at many different games and found the best of the best. FIFA 19 rises to easily to the top of the pack to deliver an experience you definitely won't want to miss.
Best Overall: FIFA 19
When it comes to excellent sports games available on Xbox One, you really don't need to look any further than the fantastic FIFA 19. It delivers an authentic soccer experience with multiple playable modes, a great physics system, and game mechanics worth mastering.
Updates to the physics of the game include needing to keep a better eye on the space you are running through with the ball to get to successfully score a goal, passes will need to be focused on rather than the automatic passing of previous games, and the new addition of Champions League teams.
The graphics have gotten a boost too, and now they look better than ever, from pristine uniforms to the beads of sweat on players faces as they race across the pitch. Movement is also more fluid and realistic than it has ever been before.
There are several new modes of play available this year as well. Kick-Off has gotten a serious facelift, delivering nine new modes of play including Survival and No Rules. There is also a new stat tracking feature that gives you in-depth statistics for every match you play. FIFA Ultimate team has gotten a new mode as well, with Division Rivals. It's a new online mode with weekly competitions that pit you against players of similar skill levels to win FUT rewards.
FIFA 19 is the best sports game for Xbox One with a variety of excellent features, updates to mechanics, physics, computer AI and several new modes of play. All together it delivers a top-tier experience that any soccer fan will enjoy.
Best Football: Madden NFL 19
Madden has been one of the best sports games playable on a console for years now, and they don't drop the ball in delivering Madden NFL 19. They've added tons of great new content from animations, to play modes, to new characters and more.
With Real Player Motion every juke and 'Hail Mary' throw is more reactive and fluid than it has ever been before. This new animation package makes the game feel better than ever and draws you in until you feel like part of the game. This means you have more control in the heat of the moment, giving you the ability to adjust spins, and passes along the way. The game also just plain looks better than it ever has with graphics that go above and beyond.
Long-time players will also rejoice at the fact that Franchise Mode has been added, letting you create your own draft classes. Once you hit the 3rd week of your season, you can share them online and edit them if need be. This will be a welcome addition for longtime players, and it's a fun way to feel closer to your team as you play through the season. Campaign mode boasts a robust plot this year that feels like a teen drama and lets you connect to the rookies you've come to love. It shows the challenges, triumphs, and failures as young players attempt to break into the big leagues and become stars in their own right.
Campaign mode also boasts a robust plot this year, that feels like a teen drama and lets you connect to the rookies you've come to love. It shows the challenges, triumphs, and failures as young players attempt to break into the big leagues and become stars in their own right.
Best Hockey: NHL 19
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For the last few years, the NHL series has been trying to revitalize this once great franchise and lure players back onto the ice. NHL 19 does this and does very well delivering great gameplay, graphics, and features that any Hockey fan will love.
The gameplay mechanics have gotten a huge update with improvements on skating, puck pickup, and AI hockey IQ. There is also the new World of CHEL mode which lets you customize a character, and customize them with the equipment you earn through gameplay. There are over 900 items you can gain by playing, including clothing, hockey sticks, and more.
The improvements to puck pickup also make a very noticeable difference to gameplay, giving it a fluidity that was missing in previous installments. AI intelligence in the game has also leveled up, making for more intense games. NHL 19 also uses Real Player Motion to deliver the best experience when guiding your player across the ice. Graphics have similarly gotten a serious update and they make the game look better than it ever has before.
Another great feature is the ability to jump easily no matter what your skill level is. You'll get to choose from one of three different skill levels which make sure that gameplay is never too challenging. Even if you've never played a single NHL game before, it's easy to pick up and enjoy. Of course, veterans of the franchise will have access to every trick shot, and high-level strategy they can think of in order to win.
NHL 19
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NHL 19 pulls out all the stops and brings fans a game worth playing. With updates to AI, game mechanics, and several new game modes, it shines in a way that NHL 18 failed to do.
Best Hockey
Best Basketball: NBA 2K19
The NBA 2K series has long been the go-to for fans of Basketball to live out their dreams via videogame. The franchise continues in a similar fashion with the newest release, NBA 2K19. With fluid mechanics, and plenty of different ways to play there is plenty here to sink your teeth into.
This game offers tons of content whether you are new to the series, or have loved it for years. New players might be turned off by difficult gameplay, while veterans can take advantage of the trick shots and higher level strategy that makes real Basketball so compelling. That's because the more adept you are at dribbling, passing, and scoring, the more fun the game becomes. If you're new to the series or relearning after a few years away, playing against other novice players tend to be much more forgiving than going up against an updated AI.
There are all sorts of new skills and major updates to defensive play as well. While you'll have to learn how to take advantage of skill like specific dribbling techniques, once you've got it down the gameplay improves even further.
Gameplay mechanics themselves feel smooth and easy to grasp once you have mastered the basics. Specialty boosts like shooting skills and boosting teammates also make things more thrilling when you're in the midst of it. There are also plenty of customization options for gameplay like the positioning of cameras or having the game assist you through pro moves.
Defensive maneuvers give you a real sense of urgency when playing as well. You'll need to work out tight controls and keep an eye on the offense in order to truly do it justice. It means that rather than button mashing, keeping an eye on everything and feels far more strategic than it did in the past. Predicting what moves your opponent will make, and being there to stop them matters more than it ever has.
Best Golf: The Golf Club 2019
Golf games may not be as ubiquitous as they were back when a new Tiger Woods game showed up every year, but The Golf Club 2019 aims to fill that absence in your life with an excellent experience that any gamer can love.
A solid campaign mode delivers plenty of customization options for your character and six different real-life courses to challenge you. The gameplay is fluid and gives you a real feel for the sport. It does suffer a little bit from the fact that the PGA Tour license was acquired late in development.
Different gameplay modes offer different options that are tons of fun. You can take advantage of team-based matches both online and locally, which means this is a game that you don't have to play by yourself. There is even a driving range which lets you practice your swing, and play user-generated courses which can net you in-game currency.
That in-game currency is how you purchase customization items for your character. Golf Club has never really put a ton of effort into customization options and even now, they're just for aesthetics. You won't ever really upgrade your skills like putting. That doesn't mean you won't improve over time though. As you get more familiar with the mechanics of play, it's easy to see how your scores improve.
An excellent feature of gameplay that has also continued to grow is the ability to build your own course. For many fans of the franchise, this is a cornerstone of gameplay. It's easy and intuitive to use, and lets you set up sessions to play with friends locally or using multiplayer.
Best UFC: EA UFC 3
UFC 3 returns with all of the bone-breaking actions that fans of the franchise have come to know and love. You can now enter the Octagon as your own character without breaking any real-life bones when you do.
Campaign mode takes you from unknown to superstar and it's the most fun you can have offline. You'll spend time training to increase your attributes for the most damage, and promote your upcoming fight to build a following of fans. Of course, that can go wrong if you go down hard early in the fight. However, it can start to feel fairly formulaic after you get through the first dozen fights or so.
Online play is just as fun and brutal. You never have to worry about bad matches thanks to a great matchmaking system that pits players of equal skill against one another.
Bottom line
While every game that made our list is fantastic FIFA 19 wins out with an updated game that adds new features while also further fine tuning the things that made it popular, to begin with.
FIFA 19 starts by delivering excellent graphics and animations that make the game feel more realistic than it ever has before. The controls have been given updates so that you have to work for each goal, but it never feels too difficult for new players. The new addition of Champions league offers new players to take advantage of, and the new kick-off mode delivers tons of changes to local multiplayer. All together it works beautifully delivering an excellent experience for new players and folks who have loved FIFA 19 for years.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Jen Karner has been an avid gamer for twenty years starting with her first console: a Sega Genesis. She's also played way too many hours of Tiger Woods gold, and routinely gets whomped when trying to show off her skills in FIFA.
