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Best Sports games of 2001

The 9 best Sports games released in 2001, ranked from 670 critic and player ratings.

The best Sports game of 2001 is SSX Tricky, with a critic score of 93/100 — updated October 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 2001.
  • 9 games are listed on this page, carrying 670 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 9

01 SSX Tricky SSX Tricky 2001 · 72 ratings SSX Tricky is a snowboarding video game, the second game in the SSX series published by EA Sports Big & developed by EA Canada. The game was developed under the working title SSX 2. 93 /100
02 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 2001 · 278 ratings Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the Tony Hawk's series. Skate as the legendary Tony Hawk or choose from a dream team of 12 top pro skaters, including old favorites like Lasek, Thomas, Muska, and Steamer, as well as new talent like Gilfberg, Caballero, Koston, and Mullen. Travel from L.A. to Tokyo, Suburbia to Skater's Island performing challenges and meeting goals with new moves that include the Revert, which allows you to link vert tricks, and flatland tricks such as Caspers, the Primo, and Handstand Manual. 88 /100
03 NBA Street NBA Street 2001 · 77 ratings Are you ready for extreme basketball? You'd better be, 'cause it's coming to your PS2 fresh from the developers of SSX! Hit the streets for some 3-on-3 hoop action, where flashy moves are your key to victory. Do tricks and combos to build up your Gamebreaker meter. Hit a Gamebreaker shot and you'll not only advance your own point total, but take away from your opponents'. One well-timed Gamebreaker can turn a match around! Create your own cool characters, and earn great new stuff for them as you unlock new courts and teams while taking on streetball and NBA legends. Beat a team in the tournament mode, and you have the option of adding its players to your roster, which will help as you advance up the ladder. You can also take on a friend in the two-player mode. 88 /100
04 Championship Manager Season 01/02 Championship Manager Season 01/02 2001 · 32 ratings Season 2001/2002 in the Championship Manager series. Players can choose to play as three of 26 leagues and access detailed profiles and histories for over 100,000 players, managers, and coaches. The full international simulation features all the major tournaments, as well as an improved Data Editor, allowing you to change and modify the stats. You can keep your teams squads up to date or even add yourself into the game. Championship Manager Season 01/02 also features enhanced Media involvement, more messages, and feedback. 90 /100
05 Pro Evolution Soccer Pro Evolution Soccer 2001 · 36 ratings Pro Evolution Soccer, often abbreviated as PES and also known as World Soccer: Winning Eleven 5 in Japan and North America, is a football sports simulation video game released in 2001. It is the first instalment of Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series. World Soccer: Winning Eleven 5 Final Evolution was also released in Japan after Pro Evolution Soccer was released in Europe. 85 /100
06 FIFA 2002 FIFA 2002 2001 · 77 ratings FIFA Football 2002 (known as FIFA Soccer 2002: Major League Soccer in North America, and FIFA 2002: Road to FIFA World Cup in Japan), commonly known as FIFA 2002, is a football video game released in 2001, produced by Electronic Arts and released by EA Sports. FIFA 2002 is the ninth game in the FIFA series. Power bars for passes were introduced, and dribbling reduced in order to attain a higher challenge level. The power bar can also be customised to suit the gamer's preference. The game also includes club emblems for many more European clubs as well as for major Dutch clubs such as PSV, AFC Ajax and Feyenoord, although there was no Dutch league of any kind (they were under the "Rest of World" header). This game also features, for the first time, the Swiss Super League, at the cost of excluding the Greek League. A card reward system licensed from Panini was also introduced where, after winning a particular competition, a star player card is unlocked. There is also a bonus game with the nations that had automatically qualified for the 2002 World Cup (France, Japan and South Korea), in which the player tries to improve the FIFA ranking of their chosen team by participating in international friendlies. Many of the international teams in the game are not licensed (some of them down to the players' names like the Netherlands), as well as smaller countries such as Barbados, who were only given numbers as player names. Also, to date, this was the last FIFA edition (not counting the World Cup versions) to feature the Japanese national team, since Japan Football Association would go on to concede exclusive rights to Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer series. FIFA Football 2002 ran for 10 years as the last FIFA to have only one person as cover, before Lionel Messi appeared alone on FIFA 13. 72 /100
07 Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2001 · 31 ratings Ride like 10-time World Vert Chamption Mat Hoffman or 7 other BMX pros. Pull off over 200 tricks and combo moves, including pro-signature moves. Shred through Street, Vert and Dirt courses with 4 different game modes to choose from. 70 /100
08 WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It 2001 · 30 ratings Lay the smackdown on PlayStation 2 with The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and over 30 more of your grappling favourites in this amazing update of the fastest-selling game of all time! Features a brand new interactive story mode allowing you to lead your own created wrestler to championship glory. Play with up to three friends in over 78 different Exhibition match variations, including TLC and the deadly Hell in a Cell! Other new features include full commentary from Tazz and Michael Cole, full wrestler entrances and intelligent referees. Just get it. 70 /100
09 The Simpsons Wrestling The Simpsons Wrestling 2001 · 37 ratings The Simpsons Wrestling is a sports video game and the only Simpsons game released for the PlayStation. There are 20 characters in the game, all of whom are voiced by the same actors that provide their voices in the show, and each character executes their own exclusive moves and gestures and power moves in the wrestling ring. The matches take place in detailed 3D locations from Springfield. A round in the game ends when one wrestler pins their opponent for a three count. Two victorious rounds wins a match. Unlike in traditional wrestling rules, the opponent may be pinned belly-down. 38 /100
Browse all Sports games

Other years

Best Sports games of 2022Best Sports games of 2020Best Sports games of 2019Best Sports games of 2018Best Sports games of 2017Best Sports games of 2016Best Sports games of 2015Best Sports games of 2014Best Sports games of 2013Best Sports games of 2012Best Sports games of 2011Best Sports games of 2010

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 2001Best Mac games of 2001Best PlayStation 2 games of 2001Best PlayStation 1 games of 2001Best Xbox games of 2001Best Dreamcast games of 2001Best GameCube games of 2001Best Game Boy Advance games of 2001Best Game Boy games of 2001

Nearby rankings

Best Sports games of 2000Best Sports games of 2003Best Platformer games of 2001Best Puzzle games of 2001Best RPG games of 2001Best Shooter games of 2001Best Simulation games of 2001Best Strategy games of 2001

Catalog statistics

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Sports game of 2001?

SSX Tricky currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 72 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.