Summary
It’s hard to think of asports managementgame without consideringFootball Manager. If people aren’t thinking of that series, they’re thinking of its predecessor,Championship Manager, where players also picked a soccer team and tried to get them to the top of the league table.
They’ve inspired a series of urban legends and tales that have entertained fans, be it about athletes who were better in the game than in real life or ones who weren’t real people. But soccer isn’t the only sport, andFootball Managerisn’t the only sports management sim game around. There’s a wealth ofmanagement sims based on other sports, and these are the best of the bunch.
Updated June 19, 2025, by David Heath:There’s nearly a sports management sim for every sport that’s been turned into a video game. They even turned up in other games, with examples like Yakuza 6 having a sole side game devoted to managing a baseball team or Final Fantasy 7 having the equivalent of a horse stable sim via its Chocobo breeding and racing mini-games. But side ventures won’t always cut it. Whether they’re familiar sports like football, soccer, and baseball or comparatively niche ones like eSports and pro wrestling, they have to be full management games. As such, on top of other little tweaks and format changes, this list has been updated to feature more of the best examples of sports management sims that aren’t Football Manager, whether they’re about soccer or not.
LikeFootball Manager,Eastside Hockey Managerbegan life as a side project. It came out a decade later than its soccer-based chum as freeware for the PC and Mac. The game was made by Risto Remes and his team in 2001, when it offered 3,000 players and staff from the NHL to create their teams, and a near-infinite number of seasons to take them to the top.
The game caught the eye of Sports Interactive, who helped create every subsequent game in the series. It was alsoofficially licensed by the NHLuntilNHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2007,which had 3,000 teams and 20 different leagues. But the series then went on hiatus and lost the NHL license. They’d bounce back with 2015’sEastside Hockey Manager, which had more in-depth mechanics, extra options, multiplayer, realistic physics, and AI.
33Hockey Legacy Manager 25
Giving Players More Choices To Rule The Rink
For years,Eastside Hockey Managerwas really the only name in ice hockey management sims, and for some it likely still is. But it now has a strong competitor inHockey Legacy Manager 25. LikeEHM, it wants players to master its mechanics so they can create the ultimate team. With enough tactical know-how, they could rule its league for decades, be it from today or as far back as the sport’s early days in 1917.
However, reaching the top isn’t easy. Players have to maneuver around contract clauses, know who to trade in the new Three-Team-Trade system, train their team members with the right regimen to tailor them one way or the other, and scout for the hottest sporting prospects. If it’s done well, they’ll complete the in-game storylines, and make their athletes successful enough to earn a Hall of Fame induction.
32Franchise Hockey Manager 10
Moving Out of the Park and Into the Rink
More famous for their baseball management sims, Out of the Park Developments also gave ice hockey a go withFranchise Hockey Manager 2014. It proved successful enough to become an annual series, though they curiously dropped the years from the title and made the next gameFranchise Hockey Manager 1. But they were all made to be authentic hockey GM sims, complete with player ratings and league rules for would-be managers to contend with as they make their winning teams.
The latest entry in the series,Franchise Hockey Manager 10, goes further by allowing players to apply promotion/demotion systems to custom leagues, import leagues for custom games, which could help with historical games, as the Historical Mode now goes back as far as 1909.Canadian college teams join their American equivalentsas selectable options. On top of that, the game also features a revamped trading system and a new media management system, where the manager must learn how to handle the spotlight when it shines on their team (for better or worse).
31Rugby League Team Manager 3
Leaving the Shoulder Pads at Home
Many great game developers have long since gone defunct. Core Design, the company behind the originalTomb Raidergames, is no more. Sensible Software, who made the almightySensible World of Soccer, is also gone. Yet Alternative Software Ltd, who started off making maligned budget games based on British kids' shows likeCount DuckulaandPostman Pat, are still around today.
They’ve made some much better-received games over the decades, with theRuby League Team Managerseriesgetting plaudits. The best entry,RLTM3, brought in a new in-game engine that brought in new seasons, leagues, tactical options, ways to negotiate player sales, and more. There are a lot of players too: 7,000 all across the world. If anyone wanted to dive into the deep end of the NFL’s European predecessor,RLTM3is as deep as it gets.
But what if rugby just doesn’t have the same appeal to some people as American Football? It lacks the helmets, pageantry, and nostalgia that the gridiron games have. After all, the NES hadTecmo Bowl, notTecmo Rugby. Luckily, Super Pixel Games has those fans covered withLegend Bowl. It’s akin to its rivalRetro Bowlin that both replicate their old-school predecessors with their 16-bit-like graphics.
However,Legend Bowlalso offers a Franchise Mode that allows players to pick their team, players, and coaches, and infinite seasons to take them to the titular Legend Bowl. They’ll have to keep on top of the in-game news, player traits, training, events, and more to get the most out of their team. Players can also customize their team’s appearance and play in realistic weather conditions. The game has since branched out from the PC to current-gen consoles, including the Switch. So it’s a good time to get into the game.
IfLegend BowlandFootball Moguldon’t offer enough touchdowns and shoulder pads,Retro Bowlhas their back. New Star Games’ own tribute toTecmo Bowlgives players a simple but extensive take on American Football. Players can only control the offensive team, but they can manage defensive players among other options. They can draft, trade, and cut players, sign any tempting-looking free agents, and boost morale to make their team the best around.
It was originally a mobile game on iOS and Android, so there are extra perks if players cough up an additional $1. For example, players can edit their uniforms, logos, etc., to resemble their favorite teams. That, or create completely new ones if those NFL teams feel old hat. The game isalso available on the Nintendo Switchif players would rather pick up a Joycon than their smartphone.
28Football Coach: College Dynasty
Turning the Hopefuls of Today into Tomorrow’s Superstars
Starting in the big leagues is fine and dandy, but some players might prefer to go to where it all begins: college football.Football Coach: College Dynastyputs the player in charge of either an established college or a fresh school seeking to make a name for itself. They can recruit players fresh from high school or junior college (with a scholarship or other perks to sweeten the deal) and develop them during the off-season to get a head start on the competition.
With plenty of customizable rules, leagues, and 100+ offensive/defensive plays, there are all sorts of ways for players to level up their teams. The more levels they gain, the more unique skills the coach gains. Then, the more they earn, the more they can spend on updating the school’s facilities, marketing, academic resources, etc. They can turn their struggling school into an athletic powerhouse through decades of in-game play, assuming they can make the right calls.
27Pro Strategy Football 2021
Not the Latest, But the Best
Wait,Pro Strategy Football 2021? Why this game over more modern entries likePSF 2024?Because that game got a much cooler critical response. It lacked features some of the older games had, and its newer ones were more fiddly.PSF 2025is picking up the pace, butPSF 2021still got a warmer reception, where it offered plenty of customizable options and ways to play the game.
Want toplay in the 1940s styleor by Canadian rules? The options will let players do that. If they want to set the rules themselves or alter the animations, they can do that, too. They can also load up their own seasons, be they historical or otherwise, and play with the professionals or the college teams. On top of that, they can coach teams against their friends in the multiplayer mode or, if they want to relax, just set it to simulate a season and watch how it all plays out.
26Football Mogul Series
Rewrite Football History and Take It into a New Future
Whilesome games focus more on sport than management, theFootball Mogulgamesare all about management. They’re probably the closest fans can get to an NFL Manager game, as the series has allowed players to be the owner, head coach, or general manager of an NFL team since the original 1999 game. Created by Sports Mogul, the game uses text boxes, diagrams, and pictures to simulate the management experience.
Players can handle everything from free-agent signings and draft picks to editing playbooks and making play calls. The latest entry,Football Mogul 24, updates things for the 2023/2024 season, including 270+ projected college roster picks. That’s alongside an expanded historical database covering 72 years of football history. Whether players want to rewrite the past or create a new future,Football Mogul24has it all.
WBSCeBaseball Power Prosisn’t strictly about management, as its release was essentially Konami testing the Western waters to see if they’d like theirPower Prosbaseball series, which has been entertaining Japanese and mainland Asian players since the NES days. This is why the graphics have an old-school look that resembles a cleaned-up N64 game.
It has an extensive customizable team editor option that lets players build the perfect team, along with adjustable controls. The game can be either as simple as an arcade game or as complex as theMLBgames with just a few options. There’s a decent tutorial for newbies, along with plenty of offline, online, and multiplayer modes. Best of all, it only costs $1! It’s a good deal for casual and hardcore baseball fans alike.
