A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with video games, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize playing the sport, whilst others emphasize strategy and sport management. Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out!!, satirize the sport for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes. The sports genre is one of the oldest genres in gaming history.
Tecmo Bowl is an American football video game developed and released by Tecmo. Originally released as an arcade game in 1987, the game features a large dual screen cabinet with up to four players between two fictitious teams. A port for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1989 and was the first console game to include real National Football League players, via a license from the NFL Players Association. A Game Boy version developed by Sculptured Software followed in 1991. The NES version was extremely popular, spawning various sequels, starting with 1991's Tecmo Super Bowl. The NES original has been cited as one of the best sports video games ever made. The NES and arcade versions have been re-released for various platforms, including mobile phones, the Virtual Console, the NES Classic Edition, and Nintendo Switch.
Ninja Gaiden is a media franchise based on action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as Ninja Ryukenden in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side story" in Japanese. The original arcade version, first two Nintendo Entertainment System games and Game Boy game were released as Shadow Warriors in PAL regions. As of 2008, the series has shipped over 7.7 million copies.
The following article is a broad timeline of arcade video games.
Super Sidekicks is a series of soccer video games made by SNK for its console, the Neo-Geo. Released in the 90's with an arcade-style approach to soccer, the games of the franchise allow players to choose any of the available game modes to compete with AI-controlled rivals or other human players with their preferred team. Though first launched for the MVS hardware, the series were ported for Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, in addition of being re-released through compilations and download services for various consoles.
FIFA International Soccer is a 1993 association football video game developed by EA Canada's Extended Play Productions team and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console in December 1993 and ported to numerous other systems in 1994. It is the first game in the FIFA series.
Star Force, also released in arcades outside of Japan as Mega Force, is a vertical-scrolling shooter computer game released in 1984 by Tehkan.
Rygar is a side-scrolling platform game created by Tecmo in 1986 and originally released for arcades in Japan as Argos no Senshi. The player assumes the role of a "Legendary Warrior", battling through a hostile landscape. The main feature of gameplay is the use of a weapon called the "Diskarmor", a shield with a long chain attached to it.
Tecmo Cup Football Game is a cancelled 1993 association football sports video game. While the game was about to be published by Sega with license from Tecmo for the Sega Mega Drive, it was cancelled due to the release department of Sega Europe's policy regarding third party games. The game would have enjoyed a Europe-exclusive release because the game was heavily promoted on many magazines and promo videos at the time. 'SuperJuegos' magazine from Spain even had a VHS promotion video including footage of the game and promoting its further release. There is a ROM of this game available on the Internet despite not having been released in cartridge form.
Side Pocket is a pocket billiards simulation released as an arcade video game by Data East in 1986. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy, while an enhanced remake was later released on the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Gear. The game spawned two sequels, as well as arcade spin-off series titled Pocket Gal.
Ninja Gaiden, released in Japan as Ninja Ryūkenden and as Shadow Warriors in Europe, is an action-platform video game developed and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Its development and release coincided with the beat 'em up arcade version of the same name. It was released in December 1988 in Japan, in March 1989 in North America, and in August 1991 in Europe. It has been ported to several other platforms, including the PC Engine, the Super NES, and mobile phones.
Tecmo Cup Soccer Game, known as Captain Tsubasa in Japan and Tecmo Cup Football Game in Europe, is an association football sports video game released in 1992 by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The objective of the game is for the player to fight his way from junior league all the way to the finals of the World Cup.
Konami Hyper Soccer is a 1992 soccer video game developed and published by Konami in Europe and Mattel in Australia for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Part of the Hyper Sports series, which included Hyper Olympic, its sequel Hyper Sports and Hyper Athlete, it is the second soccer game by Konami following Konami's Soccer on the MSX, and their first soccer game on a Nintendo platform.
MicroProse Soccer is an association football video game published by MicroProse in 1988. The original Commodore 64 version was developed by Sensible Software and ported to other systems. In the United States, the game was released as Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer, named after Keith Van Eron.
Tecmo World Cup '90 is an association football video game released by Tecmo as an arcade video game in 1989. It was a successor to Tecmo's Tehkan World Cup (1985) and is based on the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Senjyo is an arcade shooter game developed and released in 1983 by Tehkan. The title, the Japanese word for "battlefield", is written in the kunrei-shiki romanization style. In the Hepburn style, it would be written as "Senjō".
Football is a 1978 American football video game developed and released by Atari, Inc. for arcades. Players are represented by Xs and Os. While predated by Sega's World Cup, Football is credited with popularizing the trackball controller and is also the first non-racing vertically scrolling video game. It distributed in Japan by Namco in 1979.
Tehkan World Cup, originally released as World Cup in Japan, is an association football video game released to arcades in 1985 by Tehkan, the former name of Tecmo. It features multiplayer gameplay and trackball controllers. It was released in both upright and table arcade cabinets, but was most commonly released in a cocktail cabinet form factor. Its arrival coincided with the buildup to the 1986 FIFA World Cup. It featured the then colors of several of the world's top teams such as West Germany, Argentina and Brazil, although it did not mention any team by name.
Gridiron Fight, also known as All American Football, is an American football video game developed and released by Tehkan for arcades in 1985. It is a one or two player game based on gridiron football, and was released in a cocktail cabinet form factor. The game uses trackball controls, used to determine the speed and direction at which the player runs.
eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer, known as eFootball World Soccer Winning Eleven in Japan, is a series of association football simulation video games developed by Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. and published by Konami.
Brazil 
West Germany 
Italy 
Netherlands 
Belgium 
Argentina 
Soviet Union 
Uruguay 
Poland 
Switzerland 
Albania 
England 
Venezuela 
Spain 
Portugal 
Colombia 
Scotland 
Paraguay 
Romania 
Bolivia 
Iceland 
Peru 
France 
Georgia 
Ecuador 
Republic of Ireland 
Sweden 
Chile 
Canada 
United States 
Mexico 
Jamaica 
Panama 
Haiti 
Guatemala 
Honduras 
Costa Rica 
Trinidad and Tobago 
South Korea 
Iran 
Japan 
United Arab Emirates 
Afghanistan 
Thailand 
Kuwait 
Bahrain 
North Korea 
Iraq 
Jordan 
Qatar 
Syria 
China 
Uzbekistan 
Saudi Arabia 
Cameroon 
Morocco 
Nigeria 
Liberia 
Ghana 
Kenya 
Ivory Coast 
Algeria 
South Africa 
Tunisia 
Mali 
Angola 
Togo 
Egypt 
Malawi 
Guinea 
