Ranking The 16 Best Tennis Games Of All Time - The first knowledge sharing application in Vietnam

There aren’t a whole lot of tennis video games, but there are some good ones out there. Here are the best of all time, ranked.

Tennis is a sport involving a racket and a fluorescent yellow rubber ball that can be played in singles or duos. One might wonder why there are so few tennis video games. Licensing tennis games that contain venues around the world can be complicated; although it’s possible to get most of the grand slams, many of the smaller events are left out.

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Still, games like Mario Tennis prove it’s not all about realism but enjoyability that makes a smash hit. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to visit the top tennis video games ever made. This is a ranking of the best tennis video games of all time.

Updated on January 6th, 2023, by Jack Pursey: It’s hard to deny that tennis games have fallen through the cracks a bit in recent years, as hugely successful sports franchises like FIFA, Madden, and NBA 2K have left the racket sport in the dust somewhat in terms of popularity and commercial success. There have still been some enjoyable tennis video games released in recent years; though, unfortunately, they have been few and far between.

Thankfully, there is enough of a catalog of great tennis games from the past to keep fans of the sport occupied. We’ve updated this list to include a few more entries and some more information to help players choose what to play next.

Mario Tennis Aces

Release Date:
June 22, 2018
Available Platforms:
Nintendo Switch
Best Feature:
The excellent visuals and animations, which immediately draw the player’s attention

Mario Tennis Aces is the latest entry in the long-running Mario Tennis series – one of the many sporting franchises starring the platforming plumber. The game looks fittingly beautiful on the Nintendo Switch, with gorgeous visuals that are bursting with color and stellar animations that make the game a joy to play.

Like many modern Mario sports games, Mario Tennis Aces is lacking in content and replayability, though it’s still worth picking up on sale for fans of arcade-style tennis games.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip

Release Date:
February 25, 2010
Available Platforms:
PlayStation Portable
Best Feature:
The enjoyable, arcade-style gameplay that emphasizes fun

As the name suggests, Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip (also known as Everybody’s Tennis Portable) is a spin-off of the popular Hot Shots Golf series (also known as Everybody’s Golf).

The game continues the Hot Shots tradition of ignoring realism, opting to provide over-the-top entertainment instead. Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip scored an impressive 80 on Metacritic, ten points higher than the lackluster Hot Shots Tennis that was initially released on the PlayStation 2 in 2006.

Mario Tennis: Power Tour

Release Date:
December 5, 2005
Available Platforms:
Game Boy Advance
Best Feature:
Surprising amount of depth and variation to the gameplay

The Game Boy Advance probably isn’t the first system that springs to mind when people think of the best places to play sporting titles, but Mario Tennis: Power Tour offered a great time to anyone willing to give the handheld game a try.

Released in 2005, the gameplay was similar to that of Mario Power Tennis on the GameCube (more on that later), with the gameplay being centered around earning power shots. Moreover, there are both offensive and defensive power shots available, which offers a good level of variety and strategy to the gameplay.

Virtua Tennis (GBA Version)

Release Date:
October 8, 2002
Available Platforms:
Game Boy Advance
Best Feature:
Offers solid tennis gameplay, despite the GBA’s limitations

Surprisingly, Mario Tennis isn’t the only Game Boy Advance tennis title worth checking out, as Virtua Tennis provides simple yet addictive gameplay on the handheld system. The game’s visuals are, unsurprisingly, very lackluster, though the gameplay is wonderfully well-balanced and thoroughly enjoyable.

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There is not much incentive to track down Virtua Tennis in this day and age, but GBA collectors who happen to love sports games should add this to their collection.

Virtua Tennis: World Tour

Release Date:
September 1, 2005
Available Platforms:
PlayStation Portable
Best Feature:
The impressive visuals for a handheld release

The second, but certainly not the last game from the critically acclaimed Virtua Tennis series to appear on this list, Virtua Tennis: World Tour, released on the PSP in 2005. As would be expected with a PSP title, the game didn’t offer too many differences from the main series, but it’s still a fantastic tennis game to play on the go.

Like most games in the Virtua Tennis series, one of World Tour’s main strengths is its wide range of game modes. Along with the main World Tour mode, players can compete online, play in tournaments, and take on some of the series’ quintessential minigames.

Mario Tennis (N64)

Release Date:
July 21, 2000
Available Platforms:
Nintendo 64
Best Feature:
Great physics-based tennis gameplay that doesn’t rely on gimmicks or power-ups

Released in the year 2000, Mario Tennis is one of Mario’s few sporting titles that doesn’t implement any sort of power-ups in its core gameplay and instead offers a surprisingly realistic physics-based tennis experience.

With an impressive Metascore of 91, Mario Tennis is the highest-rated Mario sports game ever when excluding kart racers, with just Mario Kart Super Circut (93) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (92) being ahead of it.

Super Tennis

Release Date:
August 30, 1991
Available Platforms:
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Best Feature:
Classic, simple yet addictive gameplay

Retro gaming is appealing for a variety of reasons. One of which is because winning can be more rewarding. Retro games like Super Tennis came with an instruction manual. It’s yet another thing we miss about games like this.

Super Tennis is one of our favorite tennis games because of the amount of polish for its time. It was released in 1991 and contained characters with different play styles. Fine details like ball runners who grab balls caught in the net enrich the experience.

Grand Slam Tennis 2

Release Date:
February 9, 2012
Available Platforms:
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Best Feature:
The Total Racquet Control mechanic, which lets players control their shots with the analog stick, offers a unique gameplay experience

Yes, EA Sports was in the business of making tennis games. They’ve dipped their hands into nearly every sport by now. Tennis is less prevalent in video games, but it boasts numerous fans worldwide for the sport as a whole, so of course, EA Sports was going to make a game or two.

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We are waiting for Grand Slam Tennis 3 since there has been a shortage of decent tennis games in recent years. Featuring top players like Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, the game was praised for its online gameplay. It doesn’t quite measure up to other franchises like Virtua Tennis and Top Spin, but that won’t stop many from picking up this tennis classic.

Virtua Tennis

Release Date:
November 1, 1999
Available Platforms:
Arcade, Dreamcast, PC, N-Gage, Game Boy Advance
Best Feature:
The World Circuit mode was revolutionary at the time, proving that sports games can provide quality single-player campaigns

The game that kicked off one of tennis’s biggest video gaming franchises deserves recognition for that and more. Virtua Tennis was released for platforms like Sega Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, and N-Gage.

Players shouldn’t feel alone if they haven’t heard about two out of three of these consoles. The Sega Dreamcast and the N-Gage had limited sales despite Virtua Tennis being a critical success. The console versions integrated a campaign mode, adding to their appeal.

Virtua Tennis 3

Release Date:
December 31, 2006
Available Platforms:
Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PC
Best Feature:
The impressive jump in visual quality from the previous
Virtua Tennis
game

We’re glad Sega decided to release Virtua Tennis 3 as a multi-platform game despite being out of the video game console market. The Sega Dreamcast may have kicked off the Virtua Tennis franchise, but Virtua Tennis 3 was a significant improvement over the first.

Had this game built more on Virtua Tennis 2, it would have ranked higher on this list. Virtua Tennis 2 and Virtua Tennis 3 are strikingly similar and, unfortunately, contain most of the same faults.

Top Spin

Release Date:
October 28, 2003
Available Platforms:
Xbox, PC, PS2
Best Feature:
In-depth Career Mode offers hours
of single-player gameplay

Now we’re getting into some of the most influential tennis games in history. The original Top Spin is a feature-rich game with one of the most aspirational career modes in sports games.

The career mode allows players to sign with sponsors, which in turn unlocks clothing and fame. Virtua Tennis is a masterclass, but where so many failed, Top Spin surpassed Virtua Tennis by having an awe-inspiring career mode.

Tennis For Two

Release Date:
October 18, 1958
Available Platforms:
Analog Computer
Best Feature:
Invaluable historical importance

Tennis for Two deserves special recognition for being possibly the first video game ever made. Players might think that Pong was the first game, but Tennis for Two released years before that.

Tennis as part of video games might not exist if it weren’t for games like Pong and Tennis for Two. While Pong is based on table tennis, Tennis for Two is played from the side view of a tennis court. The screen was a mere five inches, but the appeal of playing the first video game ever was limitless.

Wii Sports

Release Date:
November 19, 2006
Available Platforms:
Nintendo Wii
Best Feature:
It was the perfect showcase for the Wii’s motion controls

When the Nintendo Wii was announced along with the launch title Wii Sports, many eyebrows were raised, particularly after the disappointment of Sony’s EyeToy. However, Wii Sports proved to be the perfect launch title for the Wii, as it immediately showed how fun and well-designed the console’s motion controls were.

Wii Sports included five sports: baseball, bowling, boxing, golf, and of course, tennis. The tennis portion of Wii Sports was a fan favorite, providing simple yet addictive gameplay that was an absolute joy to play with friends.

Tennis only being a fraction of Wii Sports’ package may make the game an unorthodox choice for this list, but the fact of the matter is that Wii Sports’ tennis has provided many hours of entertainment for families all over the world.

Mario Power Tennis (GameCube Version)

Release Date:
October 28, 2004
Available Platforms:
GameCube
Best Feature:
Power-ups are well implemented and offer genuine depth to the gameplay, rather than just being gimmicks

Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo Wii was an utter disaster since the motion controls didn’t work well with the game. Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube, however, is a critically acclaimed masterpiece and one of the best tennis games of all time.

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This game stands out for its whacky antics and unique style of play because it’s not a tennis simulation game like many others on this list. The gameplay mechanics work well, which is why this is a notable entry in the Mario Tennis series.

Virtua Tennis 2 (Tennis 2K2)

Release Date:
December 1, 2001
Available Platforms:
Arcade, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
Best Feature:
The game was an impressive technical achievement for its time

While Virtua Tennis 3 did little to differentiate itself from its predecessor, Virtua Tennis 2 was a groundbreaking achievement. It added the slice tennis stroke, which is a fundamental part of the game.

Virtua Tennis 2 was released for platforms such as the PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast. The Sega Dreamcast is considered a console that was ahead of its time because of games like Virtua Tennis 2.

Top Spin 4

Release Date:
March 15, 2011
Available Platforms:
PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
Best Feature:
Over ten years on,
Top Spin 4
still offers the best tennis gameplay available

After the release of the first Top Spin, improvements to the series were unimaginable. Top Spin 2 and Top Spin 3 were mediocre improvements, but Top Spin 4 is a masterpiece.

We have to recognize Top Spin 4 for its intuitive gameplay. Tennis has never looked so realistic in a simulation game. Players can see the emotion in their character as they strive for a Grand Slam victory.

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