There are a lot of tennis video games out there. Some are licensed, trying to recreate the experience of the real life pro tennis circuit, while others are just big gaming franchises' attempts at making another sports game with their property. Either way, the genre's popularity is dwindling a bit.
While tennis enthusiasts hope for more high-quality games down the line, there have been older games many have relied on to scratch that itch. Licensed or not, realistic or not, these games have showcased the tennis game genre at its very best. With many of the tennis game genre's more recent entries lacking in quality, the ones listed below have stood out for being challenging, intuitive, or just plain fun to play.
7 Grand Slam Tennis 2
Surprise, surprise; EA Sports has a tennis title, too. While it's no UFC 4 or Madden, the Grand Slam Tennis series had an OK go-round, with the sequel getting more positive recognition.
It stands out from its tennis game competitors with its unique Grand Slam Classics mode where you relive iconic moments in pro tennis, as well as commentary from tennis legends Pat Cash and John McEnroe. The online gameplay was highly praised, and the controls are quite intricate, though player movement can seem a bit clunky at first and might take some getting used to.
6 Wii Sports
Loved by both casual gamers and niche Nintendo heads alike, Wii Sports was the perfect introduction to Nintendo's seventh-gen console and is arguably still the standard for motion-sensing controls.
It's not exclusively a tennis game, but Wii Sports is loved for tennis. To this day, Wii Sports tennis is an excellent multiplayer party game with how easy it is to get the hang of, especially compared to the other sports. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, though, the AI can be quite challenging when you reach a certain skill level. Here's hoping Nintendo Switch Sports can come close to Wii Sports' quality, particularly with the tennis.
5 Mario Tennis
The Mario series has taken a stab at basically every sport at this point, and with the help of longtime developer Camelot, they've done so with tennis several times over. Even with Mario Tennis Aces on the Switch being a relative success, Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64 remains as tops in the series.
More than a cash-grabbing attempt to rival Sega's Virtua Tennis series, the gameplay is pretty smooth for a video game franchise's attempt at a tennis game. Of course, Camelot takes advantage of this being a Mario game by allowing players to charge their shots.
4 Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip
The Hot Shots series has been remarkably consistent, and their tennis games are no exception. Anyone looking for a great tennis game or even casual game should immediately take a flyer on Hot Shots Tennis: Get A Grip for the PSP.
It carries a lot in a small package, with its diverse roster of characters, wide selection of player upgrades, and a pretty interesting story mode as far as casual games go. It has surprisingly excellent gameplay, being high-paced but not overwhelming, and having a solid difficulty spike for those who want a challenge.
3 Super Tennis
Before the Top Spins and Virtua Tennis-es of the world, there was the aptly titled Super Tennis, exclusive to the SNES. This was one of the first truly successful "licensed" sports games, racking up positive reviews at the time of its release.
It's obviously a product of its time, but a tennis fan would still enjoy playing Super Tennis today. The gameplay holds up surprisingly well, and the multiple game modes and wide roster loosely based on the best real-life tennis players of its time give variance rare from a SNES title.
2 Tennis 2K2
Otherwise known as Virtua Tennis 2 outside of North America, arguably the most popular tennis game series ever peaked during its sequel, exclusive to the Dreamcast.
This version of Sega's licensed tennis series was the first to include the World Tour, a game mode that many tennis games since have tried to recreate. Virtua has been the most arcade-y series in the licensed tennis game market, but 2K2's gameplay remains very clean. It lacks a bit in terms of the player roster, but it makes up for it with one of the tennis game genre's first character creators.
1 Top Spin 4
Fans of the genre usually point to 2K Sports' Top Spin 4 as the GOAT of tennis video games, and for good reason. Simply put, it's the whole package.
It manages to walk the thin line between realism and arcade-level fun. The gameplay is as clean as you'd want a tennis game to be, while also having enough difficulty to be rewarding when you've mastered the game. All that is topped with a great career mode and character-creator system, as well as an accurately-recreated roster of 25 tennis legends to play with.