The Best Sports Manager Games on Mobile

A new summer of sport may be on the horizon, but for many of us the season never ended thanks to your favourite handheld devices. There seems to be no better time in 2020 to check out the best sports manager games that mobile gaming has to offer.

Better still, armchair sports fans can chill out and enjoy this cerebral selection of sporting simulations without breaking into a sweat. Whether you’r on iOS or Android, a Soccer sycophantic or a Motorsport maniac, we’ve got you covered.

What are the best Sports Manager Games on Mobile?

• Pro Strategy Football 2019
• Football Manager 2020 Mobile & Touch
• Motorsport Manager Mobile 3
• Cricket Captain 2018
• Football Chairman Pro
• Baseball Highlights 2045
• Punch Club
• New Star Cricket
• 1st & Goal

Pro Strategy Football 2019

Developer: Pro Strategy Games
Platforms: iOS Universal
Price: £4.99

Considering its popularity, football of the American variety feels very under-represented in games. There are a few arcade-y options and of course EA is present with the usual free-to-play butchering of a great game in the absurdly titled Madden NFL Overdrive Football, but quality management games are few and far between.

The one serious choice is the Pro Strategy Football series, which once again delivered a very solid offering in its 2018 edition and has now evolved into the 2019 version. It’s a fun and playable coaching game but also accurate and realistic depending how deep you want to dive in. One of the best things about PSF is how flexible it is, so you can have a quick single match or a multi-season career and then on the field you play in beginner mode just choosing the type of play or expert mode in which you can micromanage every player’s role.

It’s a great game for novices who want to learn more about the complexities of gridiron and hardcore players who want to control every aspect of their team.

Football Manager 2020 Mobile (& Touch)

Developer: SEGA
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: $19.99

For the 2020 season we reviewed Football Manager 2020 Mobile as opposed to the tablet-only Touch version. This version is less innovative as the previous year’s outing, instead relying on more iterative changes and then a sweep of database updates, although there are some new European leagues included for the first time.

Still if you own and enjoy 2019, you don’t necessarily need to buy in to 2020 – maybe wait and see what 2021 is going to be like instead. That doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a solid app, however, and a marked improvement on the previous game. The phone friendly Mobile variant expertly manages to offer a similar experience to the full game, adapted for use on smaller devices.

Motorsport Manager Mobile 3

Developer: Playsport Games
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
Price: $3.99

This series scores an easy pole position in the motorsport management genre, and the latest instalment is the best looking and most feature-rich yet. For a sport game on mobile devices, this is achingly beautiful, especially the dioramic race tracks which are just so pretty. But the game has lots of substance as well as style with plenty to keep you busy as the principal of a motorsport team, including recruiting drivers, developing the best cars and investing in your facilities. Once the action switches to the track during qualifying and races you’ll still have plenty of decisions to make on race strategy, car set-up and tyres.

For the third game in the series Playsport Games has added six new championships across GT and endurance races, making it deeper than ever before. As our four-star review suggested, MM3 does a great job of getting players emotionally invested in their teams, with a fine line between winning and losing “A game made up of so many small decisions and menus allows for a surprising amount of excitement. Watching those small dots speed around the screen may not give the surge of pleasure a standard racing game would, but watching your team secure a win, leading to a championship is genuinely wonderful.”

Cricket Captain 2018

Developer: Childish Things Ltd
Platforms:  iOS Universal, Android
Price: £8.99

This series has been around on mobile devices for several years, but without much fanfare, despite being well received by players. Perhaps cricket is more of a niche interest than other sports, particularly among European or American gamers, but this is a must-buy if you are fan of hearing leather on willow.

Cricket management is a very narrow genre, but this game is unrivalled in it with its deep, accurate and comprehensive simulation. Very much the Football Manager of cricket games with its attention to detail, this is packed with features, stats and tactical options that should keep virtual cricket captains happy for many hours.

Football Chairman Pro

Developer: Underground Creative
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
Price: £2.99

Not so much Championship Manager as Chairmanship Manager. This simple but satisfying simulation puts you at the head of the table in the boardroom rather than being in the manager’s office or dugout. Instead of being the football manager going to the chairman asking for extra funds or more time to build you squad, you are the chairman who makes the decision on the hiring and firing of your club’s manager. If you get that decision right, along with sponsorship deals, stadium development, transfers, contracts and more, you’ll be able to turn your little non-league football team into a major force.

It’s a more basic, quick-playing game than, say, Football Manager but its fast pace allows you to whizz through seasons in minutes and hours rather than days and months, making it great for short sessions on the commute. Despite the simplicity and less detail, it’s still got plenty of choices for you to make as the big boss, and enough addictive power to keep you coming back.

Baseball Highlights 2045

Developer: Peter Kossits
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
Price: $3.99

As its name suggests this clever card came condenses baseball matches into short bite-sized 10-minute matches. If you are looking for realism then I suggest you move on as this futuristic take on America’s favourite sport has a player roster that includes robotic and cybernetic players. An entire game consists of each player only playing a total six cards, but it still manages to pack in a lot of tough decisions and tension. On your way to the World Series you get to draft new players into your hand, which gives the whole experience a pleasing bubble-gum card collecting nostalgia.

Punch Club

Developer: tinyBuild
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
Price: $4.99

This may not be a sports sim in the strictest sense of the word, but if you are interested in a boxing-themed game with lashings of 1980’s nostalgia then Punch Club rings all the right bells. You embark on a Rocky-style quest of vengeance by setting up fights, whilst juggling your work and social life.  It is a game that takes more than its graphical sensibilities from the 1980’s, being tougher than Apollo Creed. This means that you will be doing more grinding than a dirty dancing barista. However, it is still a fine game that is well worth checking out.

New Star Cricket

Developer: New Star Games
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
Price: Free, Offers In-App Purchases

A cricketing themed follow up to New Star Football that is perfect for those who prefer the thwack of willow on leather. You begin your career with a lowly club in your favourite cricketing nation.  Each season you will compete in both 20 and 50 over competitions. Perform well and famous clubs will be queuing up for your signature, you may even get an international call-up. The game does not stray too far from the winning formula of its forbearer. A series of mini-games enable you to improve your skills and have an impact on matches at key points. Gameplay is as equally satisfying in bite-sized spells as it is in marathon sessions, which makes for an ideal mobile game that will have you padding up and heading out to the middle time and time again. 

1st & Goal

Developer: R&R Games
Platforms: iOS Universal
Price: $4.99

Based on a popular board game, 1st & Goal uses a combination of dice and cards to simulate the rough and tumble of American football. Opponents play cards to determine their offensive and defensive strategies and then dice are rolled to determine the outcome. The dice used will depend on the strategies selected.  For instance, if the offensive team chooses a rushing play and their opponents choose a passing defence, then the offensive team will have a big advantage. You can play a one-off exhibition match, compete in the play-offs or embark on a full season. Whatever you decide you will get a game that sticks closely to its board game roots, with straightforward rules, together with tense bluff and double bluff gameplay.

Other top Sports Manager Game Recommendations

• Football Manager 2019
• Retro Bowl
• Football Drama
  
• R.B.I. Baseball 19
• Prizefighters
• 80’s Mania Wrestling
• Club Soccer Director 2020
• MLB Manager 2018
• New Star Soccer
• Motorsport Manager Mobile 2

What would your list of the best sports management games on mobile look like? Let us know in the comments!