Abandonware sports games sorted by release date

Welcome to the squared circle of wireframe pain. Released in 1991 for DOS, this game puts you in the gloves of a boxer rendered entirely out of jagged geometry. The animation was revolutionary at the time, even if it now resembles two mannequins fighting in zero gravity. Customizable fighters and a career mode add a surprising level of depth, but l...

Ah, Advantage Tennis—where the graphics are flat, the physics are questionable, and the grunts are blessedly absent. This DOS-era sports sim serves up matches that somehow feel like both a relaxing afternoon and a fierce Wimbledon final. Timing your shots is half the game; the other half is praying your opponent glitches into the net. A charm...

Panza Kick Boxing is a video game released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, DOS, and ZX Spectrum platforms. It was developed and published by Loriciel. The game is named after André Panza, a well-known French kickboxer, and seeks to capture the essence of kickboxing in a digital format. In Panza Kick Boxing, player...

The Manager is a soccer simulation game that puts you in charge of a football team and allows you to manage every aspect. You can train your players, choose tactics for every match, expand your stadium and sign contracts with new players.

If Doom and Laser Tag had a baby raised by dial-up modems, it would be 3D Cyber Blaster. Released in 1992, this shooter has you blasting neon enemies in a world that looks like a Tron-themed laser maze. The sound effects are gloriously crunchy, the enemies are dumb as bricks, and the gameplay feels like you're running through a server error. But th...

It’s cyber. It’s puck. It’s… basically cyberpunk air hockey with attitude. 3D Cyberpuck is a futuristic sport simulation from 1992 that nobody asked for, yet somehow needed. Imagine a gritty dystopia where everyone solves their differences with high-speed puck battles. The rules are vague, the AI is suspiciously good, and t...

Released in 1992, 3D World Boxing tried its best to bring the sweet science into the third dimension. The result is less Rocky and more “two mannequins in pajamas slap each other in a cube.” But bless its heart, it really tries. You can jab, hook, and block like a pro, assuming you’re okay with animations that look like interpreti...

Remember the spandex-clad madness of 90s TV? American Gladiators brings it to your DOS screen with all the grace of a flying pugil stick. You’ll compete in various bizarre events like The Joust and The Wall, all while being chased by pixelated beefcakes named Nitro and Turbo. Controls are... not great, graphics are pure early 90s jank, and th...

Carl Lewis Challenge is a sports simulation video game that was released in 1992 by Psygnosis for various platforms, including the Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS. Named after the famous American track and field athlete Carl Lewis, the game aims to simulate several athletic events in which Lewis excelled. The game features multiple track and field ev...

Championship Manager is the first chapter in one of the most successful football manager games series. The first Championship Manager was a text-based British football/soccer simulation and included teams from four English divisions, European cups and domestic cups as well. Championship Manager was designed by Paul and Oliver Collyer and ...