Best Sports Games to Play With Friends (Online or Couch Co-op)

EA Sports FC (FIFA successor)

EA Sports FC supports 2-4 players locally and full online play across modes like Kick-Off, Clubs and Ultimate Team. You can play on the same team in co-op seasons, run 2v2 friendlies, or build a full 11-player Clubs squad with friends controlling individual positions.

Pro Clubs is the standout mode for friend groups. You each create a player and join a club, then play full 11v11 matches with everyone controlling their position. It's chaotic, hilarious, and genuinely competitive. Co-op seasons let you grind divisions together, and local 2v2 on one screen is still excellent for couch sessions.

NBA 2K (Park, Pro-Am & Local)

NBA 2K offers classic couch matches plus online co-op in The Park/City and 5v5 Pro-Am. Friends can share one console in local games or build MyPlayers and team up online for streetball or full-court sim basketball.

The Park is where friend groups shine. You're running 3v3 streetball together, grinding rep, and showing off custom MyPlayers. Pro-Am lets you form an actual team with jerseys and a home court for organized 5v5 play. Local couch play still works great for casual sessions.

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Rocket League

Rocket League's 3v3 car-soccer is fully playable in split-screen and online with cross-play across platforms. You can queue as a party for ranked, casual, or limited-time modes, and its five-minute match length makes it ideal for quick sessions with rotating friends.

Split-screen works shockingly well. You can have four players on one screen, all playing online together. The skill ceiling is high enough that better players can coach newer ones, and the matches are short enough that you can rotate who plays without anyone waiting long.

Super Mega Baseball

Super Mega Baseball supports local co-op for entire franchise seasons plus online head-to-head. You and a friend can share batting and fielding duties on the same team or run season-long co-op campaigns, which is rare among sports titles.

The co-op franchise mode is the hidden gem. You're both managing the team and playing games together over multiple seasons. The Ego difficulty system means you can find the right challenge level for your combined skill. Perfect for long-term co-op sports gaming. 

Read more: NHL Futures: Hockey Betting Explained

Mario Kart (Switch)

Mario Kart on Switch remains a couch-co-op staple with up to four players locally and online lobbies for racing or battle modes. It isn't a pure sim, but as a sports-adjacent racer it's one of the easiest games to pick up and play with mixed-skill groups.

Everyone can play Mario Kart. The assists help newer players stay competitive, and the chaos of items keeps things fun even if skill gaps exist. Battle modes add variety, and the track selection is massive after years of DLC.

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Golf With Your Friends

Golf With Your Friends is a mini-golf game built around online and local multiplayer, with up to 12 players in a round on PC and consoles. Crazy course designs, collision and custom rules make it a laid-back but competitive option for larger groups and Discord nights.

The collision mechanic changes everything. You can knock other players' balls off course, creating hilarious chaos. Custom rules let you add power-ups or change physics. It's perfect for large friend groups who want something light but competitive.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 mixes arcade racing with a proper handling model, offering split-screen and online multiplayer. Track creation and sharing add a creative layer, so friends can build wild circuits and then race them together.

The track editor is surprisingly deep. You're building loops, jumps, and shortcuts, then sharing them with friends. The racing is fast and arcade-fun, and split-screen performance is solid. Perfect if your group enjoys both racing and creating.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

The Tony Hawk 1+2 remaster includes split-screen and online multiplayer, with competitive trick-attack, graffiti and horse modes. Sessions are short and high-energy, making it a great "pass-the-pad" or party game that still rewards real skill.

The multiplayer modes are classic. HORSE (called SKATE in the game) has players trying to match each other's tricks. Graffiti mode has you tagging areas of the map with tricks. Competitive but not stressful, perfect for party settings.

Dodgeball Academia / Sports-Party Hybrids

Games like Dodgeball Academia combine light RPG elements with arcade dodgeball, supporting local multiplayer battles alongside a story mode. They're ideal if your group wants sports-flavoured combat and co-op rather than strict simulation.

The dodgeball mechanics are deeper than you'd expect. You're timing catches, dodging, and using special moves. The RPG progression keeps the single-player engaging, and the local multiplayer modes are chaotic fun.

Party Sports Compilations

Multi-sport party packs (e.g., Crazy Athletics, 12 Party Games Collection) bundle track-and-field, football, racing and more into one co-op/versus package. Most support 2-4 local players and simple controls, so everyone can jump in quickly without learning deep systems.

These are great for mixed groups. The variety means everyone finds something they like, and the simple controls mean non-gamers can compete. Perfect for family gatherings or friend groups with varied gaming experience.

For groups that want a mix of realism and party chaos, a rotation built around EA Sports FC, NBA 2K, Rocket League and Super Mega Baseball, plus lighter picks like Mario Kart and Golf With Your Friends, covers almost every mood—serious competitive nights, laid-back couch co-op and everything in between.

Play Gridzy Hockey Free Every Day

Gridzy Hockey is Shurzy's daily NHL grid game where you pretend you're "just messing around" and then suddenly you're 15 minutes deep arguing with yourself about whether some 2009 fourth-liner qualifies as a 40-goal guy.

You get nine guesses to fill a 3×3 grid, you can't reuse players, and every pick is either a genius flex or instant regret. So yeah, it's basically hockey trivia with stakes.

New grid drops every day at 6:00am ET, which is perfect because nothing says "healthy morning routine" like panicking over who won the Lady Byng in 1998. If you think you know puck, prove it.

Go play Gridzy right now!

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