5 Best Baseball Games of All Time, Ranked

Sports games have always been popular for their ability to replicate what life would be like for you if you were a sports superstar. But no genre of sports games has made you feel like you're playing in the big leagues quite like Major League Baseball (MLB). The genre has been authentically pursuing that feeling for decades, and it's now come to a point where there are too many games to choose from.

Whether it's RPG focused or a fun point and click arcade version, Baseball games can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. However, there are so many titles in both genres that it's difficult to choose what titles were the best of all. That's why we decided to narrow it down for you by ranking the top five Baseball games of all time.

5. MLB Slugfest: Loaded

One of the best to do an arcade-style MLB game is MLB Slugfest: Loaded, which came out all the way back in 2004. Midway knew exactly what they wanted to do when creating MLB Slugfest and pretty much nailed it on the dot with its execution. Take the likes of NFL Blitz and NBA Jam then take all the chaotic qualities from those games and throw it into MLB Slugfest: Loaded.

Its dramatic presentation of Baseball not only fit the arcade-style but also worked great for game-play. It was also great to play with friends due to the plethora of ways you could annoy your opponent, which was the greatest part. Whether it was using crazy pitches, power-ups or hard tags to stiff-arm or slide into your opponent and throw them off, the game was constantly throwing something new into the field of play.

With the added addition of a home-run derby and online play, Slugfest: Loaded never felt more complete. Midway really offered a goofy but fun baseball game that doesn't play as ordinarily as the 2K titles.

4. MVP Baseball 2005

MVP Baseball arrived at an inconvenient moment, as huge AAA companies were pouring their massive budgets into their new MLB The Show games. Despite this, the game had a revolutionary feature that made it more fun to play than its counterparts and inventively changed the way MLB games were made and created. That was the induction of the pitching meter which let players specialize their pitches between speed and location.

This gave an actual skill to throwing pitches and made you really feel like you had to be clutch in dire moments. It wasn't long until this was a standard for all MLB games as it really gave a more realistic and immersive experience. Overall, the game was well-made, and the franchise and dynasty modes equally met that calibre as well.

For revolutionizing the industry, and offering a competing title at a time that didn't appear hopeful, MVP Baseball 2005 earned its spot on this list.

3. MLB The Show 19

Within the last decade, MLB The Show 19 offered one of the most well-rounded titles in The Show franchise. The Road to the Show game mode was really refined and felt more like an RPG than ever. You begin by choosing archetypes that will give your player a base model and stat to start from. Then you go on to decide the personality of your character, which has actual effects on the RPG aspect in determining what you say in interviews or press conferences.

You can really credit this game with offering one of the most advanced and immersive Road to the Show modes across previous and newer titles. At the end of the day, that's where you cling to sports games, for the immersive RPG experience that lets you really feel like you're in the big leagues. If you really want the best RPG experience out of all The Show games, 2019 is your best most recent option and why it takes the third spot.

2. Backyard Baseball

Backyard Baseball despite being the oldest title on this list will forever remain the best arcade-style Baseball game. Slugfest: Loaded offered more crazy outcomes and animations in-game, even the mechanics were far more advanced, but that's not where Backyard Baseball had its focus. It succeeds by bringing the game to its core fundamentals of playing the game in your backyard as a kid; how most people remember it.

The simple point and click game went in a different direction by creating a pallet of fictional characters to choose from in order to create your team. The game-play was clunky at times but that added to its fun and welcoming persona.

And by creating a title that five-year-olds and adults can equally enjoy, you are putting yourself up in the same category as games like Mario. Well maybe Backyard Baseball isn't that refined among all games, but it surely is the Mario of Baseball games.

1. MLB 09: The Show

If you want the most modern and realistic adaptation of Baseball in video games, The Show series has conquered the genre for years on end. They have also created some impressive titles with their time as a franchise, but no other game holds up to MLB 09: The Show.

The game wasn't just a re-skinned model of the previous year and brought some new features to play. Such as 18 possible new pitching options that further let you refine your pitcher's playstyle. On top of that, the game's newly refined Career and Franchise mode were the most immersive and addicting they've ever been. This rendition in the series was an improvement that really perfected the RPG style of these games all while retaining the positive qualities of previous titles.

Out of all The Show titles to come, recent and old, MLB O9: The Show broke barriers and offered the best experience out of all games in the series. There really hasn't been an MLB game to reach its same level of acclaim or praise and for that reason, it's number one.

So what is your favourite Baseball game of all time? Did we forget to include it on this list? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!

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