Top 10 best sports games for Android (2013)

What constitutes a good sports game? Good question, but one that's almost impossible to answer.

For starters, the term 'sports game' can be attributed to a dizzying range of games. Driving's a sport. Skateboarding's a sport. Heck, even shooting's a sport.

So, when we consider the top 10 best sports games for Android, we need to lay down some ground rules. Sport is all about the rules, after all.

Rules is rules

Rule 1: Only one game per sport. There are loads of good footy games out there, but let's give the little guys a sporting chance. Get it? SPORTING chance? Oh, forget it.

Rule 2: No driving or extreme sports games. They've got their own specialised genres, y'see.

Rule 3: No completely fantastical takes on the sport. If a non-gaming fan of the sport can't glance at a screenshot and recognise it as a game about her hobby, it's a no-go.

Got it? Good. Time for kick-off.

New Star Soccer
By New Star Games - buy on Android

As we mentioned in the intro, there are loads of fine football games on 'droid. Which might make you think that picking just one for this list was a tough task.

In fact, picking New Star Soccer was the easiest decision I made all day.

It's a stupendous game, with drag-to-pass (and shoot) controls for the key moments in each match. Add a dash of career management, and you have one of the most addictive games of any genre.

Virtua Tennis Challenge
By Sega - buy on Android

There is no way that Sega's arcade tennis masterpiece could work on a touchscreen given the inherent vagaries of virtual controls.

Right?

Virtua Tennis Challenge's presence on this list suggests that there is way. It's a perfect distillation of everything that makes the series so good: fast-paced tennis action; a fine balance between accessibility and skill; and, yes, super-tight virtual controls.

Big Cup Cricket
By Denki / Beautiful Game Studios - buy on Android

Many would argue that the sign of a truly great sports game is that it can be enjoyed by those who don't like the sport. That's true of many of the games on this list, including Big Cup Cricket.

I don't like cricket. Nor do I love it. In truth, I couldn't give a fig about England's exploits in The Ashes. But I love Big Cup Cricket, with the brilliantly arcade-y take on batting, bowling, and fielding.

Remember that old adage about being easy to learn and tough to master? It applies here. Oh, and Big Cup Cricket doesn't take all day to play.

Ice Rage
By Mountain Sheep - buy on Android

With Ice Rage, Mountain Sheep stretches the boundaries of rule #3 above, featuring as it does a cast of block-headed cartoon characters.

At its heart, though, this is a simple game of 1 vs 1 hockey. You dribble (or whatever the ice hockey term is) past your opponent, open an angle, and shoot past the goalie. Simple.

This immediate appeal, plus the inclusion of same-handset multiplayer for tablet owners, makes Ice Rage an easy choice for fans and non-fans of ice hockey alike.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2012
By EA - buy on Android

It's an oldie, but a goodie. Like the man himself, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2012 might have lost some of its lustre over recent times.

But given this game features eight real courses, just as many real-life pros, and one of the best swing control systems in the business, you have a golf game here that's built to last.

Backbreaker 2: Vengeance
By Ideaworks Games Studio - buy on Android

We're venturing dangerously close to the border of rule #3 again, but Backbreaker 2: Vengeance is unmistakably an American football game. Just check out that gorgeous 3D animation and those eye-wateringly convincing tackle physics.

Run from one end of the pitch to the other, dodging incoming tackles and heading for point-scoring hotspots. It's arcade sports action at its purest - and most brutal.

Rugby Nations '13
By Distinctive Wireless - buy on Android

Rugby is such a complex stop-start sport that anyone who can make a cohesive and convincing game out of it deserves to be commended.

Distinctive: we commend you.

In Rugby Nations '13, the UK-based studio nails the core components of the egg-chasing sport, with a nice ebb and flow and decent swipe controls.

NBA Jam
By Bight Games - buy on Android

NBA Jam is another outlandish take on an established sport, but it's also deeply embedded in the culture and character of the source pursuit.

Here, Bight Games emphasises the end-to-end nature and insane aerial manoeuvres of basketball while playing down the tactical side. All of that makes for a truly excellent mobile sports game.

QWOP
By Noodlecake Studios - buy on Android

And the prize for most bizarre sports game on Android goes to... QWOP.

In Noodlecake's track and field game, you take direct control of your athlete's limbs as you run and jump to victory - or a hilariously painful-looking fall.

Pool Break Pro
By Kinetic Bytes - buy on Android

There are quite a few cue sports games on Android, but Pool Break Pro is arguably the most comprehensively, well, sporty.

It boasts a full line-up of cue sports - from established games like pool and snooker to the more niche variants like carrom and crinkhole - and some truly impressive ball physics.

Arguably the most comprehensive sports simulator on this list.