8 Best Sports JRPGs

2 hours ago 2

Published Jul 12, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT

Murillo Zerbinatto is an Editor at DualShockers specializing in JRPGs, RPGs, reviews, guides, and lists. He has been writing professionally since 2018 and covering games since 2020, with previous work published at Xfire, RPGInformer, IndieGameCulture, and GameRant.

A longtime JRPG enthusiast, Murillo has played more than 250 JRPGs and earned over 100 platinum trophies, giving him deep hands-on experience with the genre’s progression systems, side content, collectibles, and completionist challenges. His coverage often focuses on franchises such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Trails, Tales of, and Star Ocean.

I am Brazilian, and if there is one thing that unites my continent more than the World Cup, I don't know what it is. You probably recognize the feeling where everyone, regardless of social class, political stance, or any other difference, is finally united under the same flag, cheering for the team and country - at least, that is how it should be.

Another phenomenon the World Cup triggers is the public's spotlight on sports in general. Even those who don't understand or care about sports start getting interested during the tournament. With that in mind, why not combine what we love, games, with what is currently trending, sports? That is why today I bring you the best sports JRPGs you can play right now.

There is a bit of everything, ranging from fishing games to unreleased titles you should keep an eye on, all the way to established series that appeal to both fans of JRPGs and sports fans. So start warming up, get ready to lift the trophy, and let us enjoy some neat sports JRPGs available out there.

8 Sea Fantasy

Baiting the End of the World

One of the most famous minigames in JRPGs is fishing, but what if fishing was the entire game? That is the premise of Sea Fantasy, where you save the world by fishing. The game has no combat, or rather, it does, but it is done through an ingenious fishing system with real-time inputs. By hitting the gauge at the right moment, the fish's HP drops, and you reel it in. If you miss, you take damage instead.

There are also dungeons, minigames, and even some platforming sections, but in the end, everything is resolved through fishing. Catching fish also earns you levels, and we can choose which attributes to upgrade. The fish can be sold for money to buy new rods and other equipment or stripped into materials. And, believe it or not, there is a good story behind everything that justifies the fishing. And yeah, before I forget, fishing is a sport.

7 A Fighter's Nova: Mindara

Fighting Game JRPG

Developer

Publisher

Release Date

BadRez Games

TBD

I know it is a bit strange to include an unreleased game here and call it the best, but it is for a good reason, because if there is one thing A Fighter's Nova: Mindara deserves, it is more recognition. This is a game that mixes the exploration and narrative of a JRPG but with the battle style of fighting games. It is not simply fighting-inspired; it is exactly like a fighting game.

Since it is a tag-team fighting game, you can switch party members during battle and, depending on the relationship between those involved, utilize duo techniques and special abilities. On paper, everything looks very interesting and unique, now we just need to see how it plays out at the official launch.

There is a demo available for A Fighter's Nova: Mindara on Steam that might seem a bit clunky at first, but since it is an older version and did what was necessary, allowing its Kickstarter campaign to surpass its funding goal, we now expect the developers to tweak the game before its official launch.

6 Mario Tennis

What If an RPG Developer Makes a Sports Game

Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)

Do you know what happens when you put a developer specialized in RPGs in charge of creating a sports game? A sports game with RPG elements emerges, simple as that. Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color is the second title in the series and introduced a story mode, Mario Tour, where we control either Alex or Nina as we try to challenge the ultimate player, Mario.

The Mario Tennis matches on the GBC play out exactly as one expects on a portable console, but the difference lies in the RPG elements. The story mode is what you expect from a JRPG adventure, featuring a ton of dialogue, a narrative, experience points, and leveling up. Once you level the protagonist, you can decide which attribute to increase, from your Power to Speed, which changes the serve potency or your reaction time. The story mode gives the entire game a second life.

5 Mario Golf: Advance Tour

More Mario, More Sports, More RPG

" Don't change a winning team" is a famous sports quote, and it applies here, because after producing Mario Tennis, Camelot went on to make Mario Golf: Advance Tour. The JRPG has a similar structure to Mario Tennis on the GBC, where we choose between two protagonists, Neil or Ella, and set off on a journey with typical JRPG narratives while earning levels and raising our attributes to defeat the best player, yes, Mario once again.

The game also features casual modes focused purely on gameplay where we can use iconic characters from the franchise, like Yoshi, Peach, and Donkey Kong, alongside a bunch of custom-made ones just for the game. However, what captivates me most in Mario Golf: Advance Tour is its gorgeous graphics, which only Camelot can deliver, highly reminiscent of Golden Sun.

4 Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions

I Love Power Shots

It is quite difficult to talk about sports without mentioning the world's biggest sport, football. And yeah, I am Brazilian, so I'm not saying soccer. Among the series involving a ball at your feet, Captain Tsubasa has many games with JRPG elements, some of which are even more RPG than sports. But for the sake of practicality, let us go with Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions, a football title with plenty of statistics and superpowers.

To be fair, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is more sports with anime, because while every match plays exactly like football, there are a bunch of over-the-top animations. There are special shots, you can literally tackle an opponent and never get a card, and you can score goals from the middle of the field. It is fun though, so no judgment here. When playing, there are two modes: Episode Tsubasa, which mirrors the anime, and Episode New Hero, where we create a custom character, deciding their appearance, skills, and moves.

3 Umamusume: Pretty Derby

It Won the TGA

It is not every day that I include a mobile game on my lists, but Umamusume: Pretty Derby deserves it. The game even won best mobile at the TGAs over Persona 5: The Phantom X and Sonic Rumble. That is something! Truth be told, I didn't play that much Umamusume, maybe a couple of hours, but wow, how I enjoyed watching my racer race.

The gacha was a bit confusing because when I started, there were too many resources. I stood there drawing banners for minutes before playing, which gave me many characters with their personal stories. I didn't know which one was the best, how to retire, and all the tiny details that a veteran of Umamusume already masters. Yet, I had a lot of fun. I think I understand the appeal of betting on horse races, and I also understood that I should stay far away from those bets in real life.

2 Dodgeball Academia

An Underground Sport

Using a special move in Dodgeball Academia

I don't know how it works in other countries, but growing up studying in Brazilian schools gave me very intimate contact with Dodgeball. We played almost every week in PE class, so nothing is fairer than a Brazilian developer, Pocket Trap, producing a JRPG-inspired sports game based on Dodgeball.

The RPG elements in Dodgeball Academia were, not coincidentally, inspired by the story modes of Mario Tennis and Mario Golf from Camelot, but they are more prominent here because we have an entire party system and equipment, really fleshing out those elements.

The gameplay is just like Dodgeball, obviously. If you are unfamiliar with the sport, two teams are divided on a court, and the objective is to throw the ball and hit the other players. However, hands are safe, and if a player manages to catch the ball, they can throw it back. In the case of Dodgeball Academia, this maneuver functions as a counter, and the throw comes back even stronger. It is a pretty neat sport and one I was, to put it humbly, good at.

1 Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road

More JRPG, Less Sports

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road

Many sports JRPGs come out with little fanfare and end up slipping under the radar, even for enthusiasts of the genre. Still, if there was a game that gained a bit more spotlight than usual, at least from my perspective, it was Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road. The game came out in November 2025 and quickly captured the public's attention, and to this day it holds pretty good user reviews on Steam.

At its core, Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is more of a JRPG than a football game. So much so that if you play the Story Mode, you will spend a lot of time scouting players, participating in rock-paper-scissors-like turn-based battles, and various minigames before even entering a match. When the football match eventually starts, don't expect that flow and flair of a traditional sports game. Here you will face many pauses, 1v1 confrontations, skill use, and tinkering to decide where your kick goes or whether your defense will hold up.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road is a JRPG first and a sports game second, so keep that in mind if you are interested in testing it out. Plus, there are a bunch of anime cutscenes, so if it is not your cup of tea, it is better to leave it at that.

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