8) Mario Tennis: Power Tour (2005, Game Boy Advance)
Presumably concerned Game Boy Color owners would throw their consoles out of the window if the company had the audacity to release a normal tennis game on the system, Nintendo crafted Mario Tennis to be closer to a quirky RPG that just happened to have tennis mechanics in place of a battle system.
For this Game Boy Advance sequel, the mash-up was particularly glorious, twinning amusing Zelda-like chats and exploration with high-octane ball-thwacking that was the best on the system. Add in furiously addictive madcap mini-games and you’ve a title that might not be tennis as you know it, but it does make everything else on this list seem a little dull by comparison.
9) Wii Sports (2006, Nintendo Wii)
As the Wii arrived, the games industry was roused by a million voices crying out in pain that Nintendo had – shock! – dumbed-down console gaming. Take the tennis bit of Wii Sports: players moved automatically, and you merely swung your controller a bit like a racket, only occasionally accidentally letting go and smashing your TV screen.
The thing is, it was fantastic (apart from the TV-smashing bit). Everyone could get in on the action, rather than having to first master the ‘gamepad claw’; yet there was enough nuance for dedicated players to pull off some fantastic moves – even if the little Mii characters looked ridiculous while doing so.
10) Top Spin 4 (2011, PS3/Wii/Xbox 360)
It’s probably sacrilege to say it, but some time in the 2000s, Sega lost its tennis-game crown; Virtua Tennis 3 was an impressive if predictable update, but its sequel was finally eclipsed by the lurking Top Spin series.
In Top Spin 4, the deep coaching system hugely added to the extensive career mode, and the character customisation went so far as to enable you to select different types of grunts and victory celebrations. It was perhaps all a little clinical (besides the bizarre uncanny valley player faces), but fluid player movement, balanced gameplay and detailed, responsive controls combined to make for a rewarding experience for those who persevered.
New balls, please
If you’re thinking, “Hang on. You’ve just recommended the game equivalents of Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer”, that’s because there are few newer titles capable of walloping an ace towards your console. Still, if you need something contemporary, there are a few solid options.
Tennis Elbow 4 (Windows, Mac, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One) – is the follow-up to Tennis Elbow 2013. Apparently created by tennis fans (albeit not sequential numbering fans) for tennis fans, this game is all about realism and tactics. So if you want the best-looking tennis game, or one with a roster of real-life ball-thwackers, probably look elsewhere. But if you’re deep into tennis nerdery, Tennis Elbow 4 may well be a perfect return.
Top Spin 2K25 (PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows) follows up on the last entry in the main list with an iterative effort that nets you a slew of licensed venues and players that look at least 34% less like zombies than they did in the Virtua Tennis days. Tweaked mechanics make for exciting risk vs reward moments during rallies. But you’ll grumble at the grind progression system and absurdist virtual currency, which leaves Wimbledon winners with barely enough extra virtual cash for a pair of virtual socks. Tsk.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo Switch owners get something a mite more bonkers and colourful in the shape of Mario Tennis Aces. This builds on previous Nintendo efforts by fusing arcade gameplay and adventuring, while occasionally acknowledging that, yes, there’s a tennis game in there somewhere. Boss battles with tennis rackets can be entertainingly daft, although the single-player mode runs out of steam faster than the average Brit at Wimbledon. The game’s chaotic nature is fun while it lasts though.
