The best mobile sports manager games
For many of us, sport seasons never end thanks to the best mobile sports manager games. No matter what sport you love, the variety of management and simulation-based games on mobile is pretty breathtaking. You’ve got sport management classics like the Football Manager series, but then you’ve also got new takes on the genre, like the strange yet wonderful, Football Drama – a choice-based narrative game centred around mysticism and the magic surrounding football.
There really is no better time to check out the best mobile sports manager games on offer. Better still, armchair sports fans can chill out and enjoy this cerebral selection of sporting simulations without even having to break a sweat, while fans of racing won’t have to take to the track to get their adrenaline fix.
Because why exert actual effort when you can still reap the glory? Whether you’re on iOS or Android, a soccer sympathiser, or a motorsport maniac, our guide to the best mobile sports manager games will give you the thrill of the game, minus the effort.
Here are the best mobile sports manager games
Football Manager 2021 Mobile
Football Manager 2021 Mobile allows you to create the perfect squad and tactical setup whenever and wherever you want. With more than 60 leagues from 24 nations, you can choose to venture overseas or try to find success with a homegrown team.
If you’ve played the 2020 version and want to know what’s new, Football Manager 2021 Mobile includes pre-season preparations, new ways to motivate your players, reimagined dynamics, and much more.
Motorsport Manager Mobile 3
This series scores an easy pole position in the motorsport management genre, and the latest instalment is the best looking and most feature-rich yet. For a sports game on mobile devices, it is achingly beautiful; especially the diorama-like, idyllic race tracks. But the game also has lots of substance as well as style, with plenty to keep you busy as the principal of a motorsport team: recruiting drivers, developing the best cars, and investing in your facilities.
Once the action switches to the track during races, you’ll still have plenty of decisions to make in terms of strategy, car set-up, and tyres.
Cricket Captain 2020
This series has been around on mobile devices for several years, but without much fanfare, despite being well-received by players. Perhaps cricket is more of a niche than other sports, particularly among European or American gamers. But this is a must-buy if you are fan of hearing leather against willow.
Cricket management is a very narrow genre, but this game is unrivalled with its deep, accurate, and comprehensive simulation. Very much the Football Manager of cricket with its attention to detail, this game is packed with features, stats, and tactical options that should keep virtual captains happy for many hours.
Football Chairman Pro
Not so much Championship Manager as Chair-manship Manager. This simple but satisfying simulation puts you at the head of the table in the boardroom, rather than in the manager’s office or the dugout.
Instead of going to the chairman asking for extra funds or more time to build your squad, you are the chairman who makes the decision on hiring and firing of your club’s manager. If you get that decision right, along with sponsorship deals, stadium development, transfers, contracts, and more, you’ll be able to turn your little non-league football team into a major force.
It’s a more basic, quick-playing game than, say, Football Manager but its fast pace allows you to whizz through seasons in minutes and hours rather than days and months, making it great for short sessions on the commute.
Baseball Highlights 2045
As its name suggests this clever card came condenses baseball down into short, bite-sized, ten-minute matches. If you are looking for realism then I suggest you move on, as this futuristic take on America’s favourite sport has a player roster that includes robotic and cybernetic players. A game generally consists of each side only playing a total six cards, but it still manages to pack in a lot of tough decisions and tension.
On your way to the World Series you get to draft new players into your hand, which gives the whole experience a pleasing bubble-gum card collecting nostalgia.
Punch club
This may not be a sports sim in the strictest sense of the term, but if you are interested in a boxing-themed game with lashings of 1980’s nostalgia, then Punch Club rings all the right bells. You embark on a Rocky-style quest of vengeance by setting up fights, whilst juggling your work and social life. It is a game that takes plenty of its graphical sensibilities from the 1980s, and is tougher than Apollo Creed. This means that you will be doing more grinding than a dirty dancing barista. However, it’s still a fine game that’s well worth checking out.
New Star Cricket
This game is a cricketing-themed follow-up to New Star Football that is perfect for those who prefer grassy pitches and wickets. You begin your career with a lowly club in your favourite cricketing nation, and each season you compete in both 20 over and 50 over competitions.
Perform well and famous clubs will be queuing for your signature; you may even get an international call-up.
The game does not stray too far from the winning formula of its forebear, as a series of mini-games that enable you to improve your skills and have an impact on matches at key points. The gameplay is as satisfying in bite-sized spells, as it is in marathon sessions, which makes this an ideal mobile game.
retro bowl
Though more active and down in the dirt than many of its management based peers, Retro Bowl is still an excellent little sports game. With wonderfully simple play, and a great 8-bit style, you’d be remiss not to play it. Be sure to check out our Retro Bowl review if you want more info!
soccer manager 2021
This football-management game is the most recent instalment in the Soccer Manager series, and sees you head up a club, controlling every aspect of its development. Whether it’s developing your squad and facilities, or planning training sessions to keep your players on their toes, you have a hand in everything.
Soccer Manager 2020 is also worth checking out if you want another great football-manager.
Retro Basketball Coach 2021
Retro Basketball Coach 2021 is a simple management game that allows you to trade players and coach a team in order to claim the championship title. The retro visuals set this title apart from other sports management games, and the huge roster of teams and players allows you to create your dream all-star set up. Retro Basketball Coach 2021 is worth checking out if you’re looking for a unique basketball management game.
AEW Elite General Manager
AEW Elite General Manager is the official online management simulator for All Elite Wrestling. Prove that you have what it takes to be the best manager around as you sign a roster of wrestlers, pick your lineup, and simulate results. Watch your choices impact your income, fans, and the wrestlers’ morale and stamina. With a unique art style, plenty of fun moves and challenges, and a tonne of customisable options, this is a great title for any wrestling fan!
Astonishing Baseball 21
Astonishing Baseball 21 offers up your daily dose of baseball management on the go, completely for free, with no ads.
Become the manager of a star-studded sports team and lead your team to the ultimate reward of the baseball cup. Describing itself as a narrative, roguelike sports game, Astonishing Baseball focuses on more than your usual tables full of players and stats – it’s your own success story.
LEATHER®: Tactical Boxing Management
Leather: Tactical Boxing Management is a fun romp through the boxing world, as you take the role of a rookie boxing manager with something to prove. Recruit promising amateurs, professionals, or veterans as you challenge opponents and train your fighters up. Challenge yourself to show off the best strategy and tactics, as you work your way up to winning the world championship belt.
And that’s all the games we have! If you want other games to play, then be sure to see our lists of the best Android games, and best iOS games.
The best sports management games on PC (2021)
Management games and simulators have been a staple in gaming since the early days of SimCity.
Sports management games, however, have had a bit of a meteoric rise over the past decade. Some titles in the genre have evolved to become top-selling games worldwide. Thanks to the abundance of sports analytics and the ease of catching a glimpse into the minds of professional athletes through social media, sports management games are unquestionably one of the most fun and creative avenues to explore the exciting world of professional sports.
There’s nothing quite like being in charge of all the decisions and managing the details of a pro sports organization and the world’s top talent, no matter what the sport. However, the truth of the matter is that there are good and bad sports management games out there, and when it comes down to PC specifically, your options are even more limited. To help you get started, we’ve come up with a list of what we think are the best sports manager games on PC.
Here are the best sports management games on PC in 2021:
- Football Manager 2021
- Out of the Park Baseball 21
- Tennis Elbow Manager 2
- Pro Cycling Manager 2021
Football Manager 2021
Football Manager is without a doubt the best sports management game ever made and certainly the best one for PC in 2021.
The game allows players to take charge of teams from over 116 different leagues across 51 nations and build up their own club to football glory. Football Manager is extremely detailed, in-depth, and addictive, and is FIFA’s number one competitor.
The community is also quite active, with tons of content being uploaded constantly, including more leagues, players, staff, and football clubs to mess around with. Plus, the newest version features revamped tactics, scouting, training sessions, and more realistic gameplay.
Out of the Park Baseball 21
Out of the Park Baseball is not only one of the most popular sports-strategy games out there, but it’s also one of the most award-winning sports management games in history. The game allows you to take full control of either a team from the current season, or pick between over 150 years of baseball history and take over one of the historic baseball clubs.
The newest version comes loaded with incredible features like a revitalized 3D match engine and more international leagues with real-life teams and players.
It’s essentially the ‘Football Manager’ of baseball and a must-own for any baseball lover or baseball card collector.
Tennis Elbow Manager 2
Tennis Elbow Manager 2 is another remarkable sports manager game for PC in 2021 and easily the best tennis management simulation game ever made. With Tennis Elbow Manager, you will take on the dual role of a tennis coach, and a tennis player, with the goal being to build them up to become number one in the world. It might sound simplistic, but it’s far from easy.
The game is very unique and detailed, featuring more than 3,500 players (starting in 1973 for men/1983 for women), with careers progressing up until 2042. The game also features more than 400 global tennis tournaments from the ATP and WTA tours and some of the junior tours. As a tennis coach, your job will primarily revolve around organizing training sessions and reeling in major sponsors. Although, you can compete in the games yourself if you’d rather take things into your own hands.
Pro Cycling Manager 2021
Pro Cycling Manager is another underrated game in the PC community, but it’s an incredibly fun and rewarding challenge for those who love cycling. The game now holds more than 230 different races and 650 stages, including the epic Tour de France course as well as the La Vuelta and some more classic events on the World Tour.
In this game, you will be tasked with managing finances, recruitment, training, and strategies in order to win races and take your team to the top. You will also need to constantly check up on player ‘morale’ and ensure that they’re meeting their personal goals. The intense maintenance and dedication required to be a professional cyclist feels more real than ever before with Pro Cycling Manager 2021.
Looking for more content? Check out our best sports games on PC.
7 best sports managers for PC worth playing
Sports managers represent big business today. Some of the popular games in the genre are among the most successful gaming franchises of all time.
There is only one problem: to separate the wheat from the chaff, because among them there are both good and bad ones. Here are the best sports managers worth playing.
Football Manager
Football Manager is one of the world’s most famous manager style sports games. Originally called Championship Manager, the first release of the franchise appeared on the shelves in 1992 year. The annual release of this game secures it the first place among the best-selling PC games of the year, especially in Europe.
In the 2019 version, users can manage teams from 116 leagues and 51 countries. There is also a huge amount of content being created by the gaming community that adds more leagues, players, staff and clubs.
New options for 2019 include updated training tools, a new tactics module, the introduction of VAR (video assistant referee) and, for the first time in a decade, a fully licensed German Bundesliga.
Tennis Elbow Manager 2
In Tennis Elbow Manager 2, you can choose two roles — as a tennis coach and as a tennis player.
As a tennis coach, you can coach up to nine players. The goal is to bring one of the players to the first place in the world, and then keep him on this pedestal.
The depth of the game is impressive. It has over 3,500 players (men have been playing since 1973, women since 1983) and their careers progress until 2042. The game also offers over 400 global tennis tournaments from the ATP and WTA, as well as junior tours.
As a coach, you need to plan workouts, get sponsors, organize your team members’ schedules, and more. If you like, you can even play games on your own. The game has a full 3D engine.
Out of the Park Baseball 20
Out of the Park is to baseball fans what Football Manager is to football fans. The stats-driven game lets you take control of your favorite baseball franchise and lead your team to the glory it deserves.
The game is licensed by MLB, MiLB and MLBPA, so you will see the latest rosters, real players, logos, staff and team names.
By playing this game, you can either take control of a team from the current season, or delve into 150 years of baseball history and take control of one of the many classic teams.
New features in the latest version include an updated 3D match engine, the ability to start a new game based on the current real positions in the middle of the league season, and four new international leagues (Germany, France, Spain and the Czech Republic) with real teams and players.
ESport Manager
There is something very exotic about a computer game where you control people playing computer games. This game, of course, also applies to sports simulators, with only one difference.
In ESport Manager, you create a team of players and then take responsibility for their education and training, social media presence, sponsorship contracts and overall development. You also have a training facility that you can upgrade with new facilities, buildings, and player training methods.
All esports competitions you will be participating in are first person combat shooter (FPS) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. Before each competition, you need to prepare your tactics, choose weapons and players.
We know this game may not be ideal for all players who have an interest in esports, but it’s a fun way to spend a few hours of fun.
Rugby League Team Manager 2018
Rugby League Team Manager 2018 is built in the same format as Football Manager and Out of the Park Baseball. It is primarily a stats based game where you can manage your favorite rugby league teams from all over the world.
The game is licensed by the most significant leagues in both hemispheres, which means you can control 226 clubs, have access to 7,000 senior players and 2,000 alliance players, and can participate in official domestic and international competitions. You also have full control over your staff and can upgrade the stadium and training facilities.
The latest version of the game for 2018 includes a new 3D match engine, a new player upgrade system, improved training and education options, and more detailed information about the club’s finances.
Motorsport Manager
Motorsport Manager was released back in 2016 but is still the best F1 simulation game on the market. This is arguably the best game in the industry since MicroProse released the immortal Grand Prix Manager 2 in 1996.
The only downside is that the game is not officially licensed, but racing fans will definitely like this game if they decide to try it.
You will have to take responsibility for the entire racing team, including all personnel, for the research and development process, and for the development of racing strategies.
Some additional downloadable content is worth paying for. There is an Endurance Series add-on and GT Racing.
Total Extreme Wrestling
We could recommend a few new games, but if you’re a WWE fan then Total Extreme Wrestling is for you.
Don’t let the low-quality graphics fool you — this is a fully featured game that you can play for months.
The goal is to create a wrestling company from scratch. There are hundreds of wrestlers to choose from and their stats evolve over time. You are in charge of booking events, can influence storylines, increase belt prestige, work with judges and announcers, and enjoy dozens of different types of matches.
Backstage characters are also supported in the game, and there is also a character editor in advanced settings.
The best sports managers on PC
Especially for sports fans, a collection of the best sports managers currently available on PC.
Football Manager 2020
The best manager of the most popular sport in the world. The new installment of the popular series definitely deserves the title of the perfect embodiment of the game of football in the virtual world, as it introduces an unexpectedly large number of new features and functionality, and the mechanics themselves are polished so that even the most picky fan will not be able to detect the slightest flaw.
More strategies and approaches to take your favorite club to the title.
Boxing School
Successful boxing simulator inspired by the atmosphere of the independent training halls of the 80s. The player starts as the owner of a small such hall, who will have to recruit and properly train fighters in order to organize fights and bring them to the leaders of world boxing.
Eastside Hockey Manager
A very pleasant hockey manager with a realistic and thoughtful approach to club management. Although here you can manage not only the club, but also the national team of almost any country in the world, taking on the decision of all organizational, financial and training issues.
Basket Pulse
An online browser game that is a free basketball manager that unites fans of this amazing sport from all over the world. If desired, inside the game, you can purchase special credits for real money, in order to then spend them on the development of your team.
However, you can achieve success without it, relying solely on your own strength and perseverance. The game has a huge community, each member of which is a friendly basketball fan, disposed to friendly communication and discussion of the news.
International Basketball Manager
Another great basketball manager available on Steam. IBM is a very serious sports game created under license from the European Basketball League, which includes more than fifty professional teams from Europe.
Motorsport Manager
Serious sports manager dedicated to racing competitions of various kinds. The game supports 3D graphics and allows you not only to become the manager of your own team of racing drivers, but also to feel like a real car mechanic collecting and tuning racing cars. Full immersion in the fascinating world of auto racing.
OOTP Baseball 21
The new part of the popular baseball manager, created on the basis of a license from several prestigious baseball leagues, including MiLB, MLB, MLBPA and others.
OOTP Baseball is widely regarded as the best baseball sports strategy game ever released on PC, as evidenced by its very high Metacritic rating and many prestigious gaming awards.
Pro Cycling Manager 2020
A cycling-themed game that continues the famous PCM series. Coming to Steam in 2020. The player is invited to engage in the selection and training of athletes, the development of a cycling strategy, as well as the solution of all pressing financial issues.
Franchise Hockey Manager 6
The sixth numbered part of the famous hockey manager, which opens up even more options for the user to manage their favorite hockey club from several hundred available, divided into the most prestigious hockey associations in the world, a total of 32 pieces.
Soccer Manager 2020
A free soccer manager that offers you to manage one of the 800 soccer clubs represented in the game from over thirty countries. The playful process is the management of all aspects of the life of the club, from the training schedule and the formation of a tactical scheme, and ending with the distribution of numbers on players’ jerseys.
Tennis Elbow Manager 2
Tennis sports game developed by Mana Games. It is noteworthy that the user acts not only as a coach, but also as the tennis player himself. All thanks to the presence in the game of a full-fledged 3D engine. With it, you can hold rating matches and carry out free training on the court. The game has more than three and a half thousand real players, whose career can be developed over seventy years.
Pro Basketball Manager 2019
A basketball manager from Umix Studios that allows players to take control of their favorite basketball club and lead it to the title of champion. You can take absolutely any club — from the legendary multiple champion title holders, to an unknown team from the lower league. You can also create your own club from scratch.
Blackout Rugby Manager
Rugby also received its own manager, and with the expectation of a multiplayer game against the clubs of other users.
And it’s all available for free on Steam.
Open Wheel Manager
Tactical manager dedicated to open wheel racing. The game offers a classic gameplay for sports managers, when the player does not directly participate in racing races, but the result of the competition is strongly influenced by the pleasant ones as the manager of the racing ball. The player can select and customize cars, recruit the best drivers to the team and develop a strategy for preparing for the race and taking part in it.
Baseball Mogul 2018
The game that revolutionized the world of virtual baseball. At least, its developers from the Sports Mogul studio insist on this. For the players, this is a great opportunity to improve their favorite club a little. An interesting feature is that you can start a club’s career from 1900 to the present day, taking care of one of the hundreds of clubs that really exist and existed during this period of time. So you can create your own fictional club.
