PGA Tour 2K21 (Switch)

PGA Tour 2K21 plays a solid golf game with enough flexibility in its control settings to appeal to both die-hard simulation buffs and casual golf fans just looking for a quick round. Its real-life pro players are so underused they may as well not be in here and the game may not yet have the typical 2K Sports trademarks – the polished story mode, the slick TV-style presentation – but it also isn't plagued with microtransactions, and the result is a game that, refreshingly, just gets on with it.

Ultimately, we'd go with the other golf titles on this list before PGA Tour 2K21, but if you prefer your golf games a little more serious than those alternatives, this isn't a bad option.

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PGA Tour 2K21 Standard - Switch [Digital Code]
PGA Tour 2K21 Standard - Switch [Digital Code]
PGA Tour 2K21
PGA Tour 2K21

Pure Pool (Switch eShop)

If you enjoy a game of pool every now and then, then you’re going to love Pure Pool. It’s just pool, nothing more and nothing less. Well okay, there’s snooker too, if you absolutely have to have more. There’s plenty to be getting on with here, with unlockable cues, table designs, and more to keep you coming back, and while it’s not exactly the kind of game you’ll want to marathon, it’s definitely one to keep stored in the library for a rainy day.

Mario Golf: Super Rush (Switch)

Mario Golf: Super Rush is a game that in many respects hits its marks. Golf Adventure has plenty of charm and offers a fun way to learn various mechanics and unlock courses. Away from that solo endeavour there are decent options and customisation for multiplayer games, local or online, button controls or motion-based swinging. It's not a premium effort, however, with a nagging feeling of corners cut and at times an absence of creativity. However, many players should get a good amount of fun out of this one, both solo and with friends. This ain't the Masters, but for Mario Golf fans it is a solid par.

Mario Golf: Super Rush
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Mario Golf: Super Rush [Download Code - UK/EU]
Mario Golf: Super Rush [Download Code - UK/EU]

Descenders (Switch)

Descenders is an addictive freeriding roguelite with plenty of content to keep players busy as they get to grips with its unique take on extreme biking action. It may be a little rough around the edges in places and this Switch port has certainly seen a graphical downgrade, but the core riding controls well, the framerate is solid and the procedurally-generated nature of courses keeps things feeling fresh. With a meaty campaign featuring eight diverse biomes, a decent multiplayer component and those all-important online leaderboards, this one's a surprisingly robust package that comes highly recommended.

Descenders
Descenders

Football Manager 2021 Touch (Switch eShop)

The search for an intuitive control system on the Switch continues, as Football Manager 2021 remains clunky and fiddly to play. Stick with its admittedly awkward controls, however, and you'll end up with the best handheld football management game ever, thanks to its enhanced matchday options and its improved stats. It's the Robert Pires of football games: it eventually becomes sensational, you just have to give it a season or so before it properly settles.

The follow-up Football Manager 2022 Touch is also available on Switch.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (Switch)

Variety is the spice of life and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The short story mode is all well and good, but it's the lighthearted multiplayer which makes this crossover appealing. With 34 different events and a fabulous retro mode which is sure to get older gamers' juices flowing, it's a great family game which should get everyone in the mood for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo (now scheduled for Summer 2021, of course).

Evidently, Mario & Sonic isn't the game for serious sports simulation, but then again you can't check out Wario and Dr Robotnik's nipples in NBA 2K21, can you? Well, not unless an update from 2K has taken its approach to microtransactions to whole new levels of nefarious. Regardless, the Mario & Sonic games have always offered reliably good times and this latest entry is no exception.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020

Knockout City (Switch eShop)

Knockout City is an absolute blast, a colourful arcade sports game that's easy to jump into for newbies with plenty of depth and strategy for crews looking to become the ultimate dodgeball champions. With four modes and five stages on offer from launch, tons of unlockable cosmetics, daily challenges and cross-play/cross-progression included from the get-go, this one hit the ground running. It's a great game from Velan Studios, the team behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and it’s free to play now so there's absolutely no reason not to jump in and see how you fare.

Retro Bowl (Switch eShop)

Retro Bowl is addictive, simple, immersive fun. A reminder that getting hooked on a game can be due to its design rather than complexity or realism. There are a few flaws — the game has an obsession with fumbles that give you possession on your opponent's 18-yard line, and opposition coaches never seem to use time outs to help their chances. But as a football game to play regularly in short bursts, or occasionally in longer sessions, Retro Bowl is a hoot. It's backyard football disguised as the NFL in 8-bit form... and that's brilliant.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Switch)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 on Nintendo Switch is a rock solid port of a pair of genuinely fantastic remakes. These really are two of the very best arcade sports titles of all time, revamped, reworked and re-imagined for modern audiences with all the graphical bells and whistles, collectibles and game modes we've come to expect in this day and age. With flawless performance in both docked and handheld modes and visuals that still look the part after a few necessary concessions here and there, this is one collection we highly recommend you kickflip right into.

Mario Strikers: Battle League (Switch)

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a masterclass in competitive game design. What it lacks in options is more than made up by just how much fun the game is, and it’s absolutely gorgeous to boot. As it stands it already feels like a complete product, but the promise of future updates down the line gives us even more to get excited about. If arcade sport action isn’t your bag, it’ll likely do nothing to sway your opinion, but if you have even a passing interest in this kind of caper, Mario Strikers: Battle League is the best sports game on Switch right now.

Mario Strikers Battle League Football [Download Code - UK/EU]
Mario Strikers Battle League Football [Download Code - UK/EU]
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football

Fancy yourself as a Federer? Reckon you're a Ronaldo? Can’t believe Nintendo Switch Sports isn’t on this list? MLB The Show 22? Neither of them quite make the cut for us, but you may want to check them out depending on what you’re looking for.

Let us know below what your favourite sports games on Switch are and maybe we'll add them to the roster before the end of the next transfer window.

This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.

Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!

If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.