National Football League

Who are the 10 best sports video game characters of all time?

Published Jan. 24, 2025 9:00 a.m. ET

EA Sports' beloved college football video game series won't be hitting the transfer portal any time soon.

"College Football 26" will return for the 2025 season and will be available this summer, EA Sports announced on Jan. 16. EA Sports re-launched the popular video game series in the summer of 2024, marking the first time it had released the game since 2013.

After 2.8 million players bought the game at launch, "College Football 25" became the highest-selling video game of all time in the United States in November. Players like Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty became instant fan favorites, due to their electric abilities in the game and on the field.

With so much excitement around the game, it got us thinking — who are the greatest sports video game characters of all time? We looked back at games over the last couple of decades and picked out the most dominant athletes in that span.

Did your favorite player make the list? Let's take a look:

10 best sports video game characters of all time

10. Ronaldinho, "FIFA 07"

Plenty of FIFA legends through the years could represent EA Sports’ beloved soccer simulator on this list, but Ronaldinho’s superior offensive abilities propel him into this spot. The Brazil superstar had a rating of 90 or better in finishing, short passing, dribbling, ball control, acceleration, sprint speed and reaction.

9. Sunday Tiger Woods, "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2009"

Really, Sunday Tiger from any 2000s edition would suffice. If your character was lucky enough to make the cut and face Sunday Tiger, you had to play a virtually perfect round of golf to stand a chance of beating him.

EA Sports even leaned into Sunday Tiger’s God-like abilities by using a fan video of a glitch in "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008" in which the namesake character could walk on water and hit a chip shot from a lake, turning it into an incredible marketing campaign for the next edition of the game.

8. Michael Jordan, "NBA 2K11"

Some of the characters in these games became overpowered superstars by accident. This edition of Jordan was anything but. The Chicago Bulls legend graced the cover of the 2010 release of the iconic basketball game and had several different modes centered around him, including one in which players could compete in a "Jordan Challenge" that let them simulate key moments from his career.

There were eight retro versions of Jordan from different seasons of his career, and all eight of them had him rated at an unstoppable 99 overall. Jordan also starred in one of the most memorable sports video game opening sequences ever.

7. Peja Stojakovic, "NBA Ballers"

If sweet-shooting NBA players who became video game juggernauts had a patron saint, it would be Stojakovic in this 2004 streetball simulator. The digital version of the Sacramento Kings swingman paved the way for a long line of NBA players in future basketball video games who, once you figured out their shot timing and favorite places to let it fly from beyond the arc, could not be contained.

6. Travis Hunter, "EA College Football 25"

The first and only player to earn a 99 overall rating in one of the most anticipated games of the decade, Hunter is a cheat code in "EA College Football 25." The Heisman winner was given 99 acceleration, 99 awareness, 99 spectacular catch, 99 play recognition, 97 jumping, 97 change of direction, 97 catching, 95 speed, 95 juke move, 95 zone coverage and 90 man coverage. There probably has never been a football video game character to have several ratings in the 90s on both sides of the ball — which is apt for his unprecedented two-way play this past season. The Colorado receiver/cornerback finished the year with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, along with 36 total tackles, 11 pass deflections, a forced fumble and four interceptions.

5. "Jon Dowd" (Barry Bonds), "MVP Baseball 2005"

The folks at EA Sports had a problem. Barry Bonds, MLB’s consensus best player at the time, had pulled out of the MLB Players Association’s common licensing agreement. Thus, EA Sports could not use his name or likeness in "MVP Baseball 2005." It circumvented this by creating the fictional "Jon Dowd," a slugging, left-handed-hitting San Francisco Giants outfielder with a familiar build and swing. And Dowd, much like the real-life Bonds at the time, was a cheat code, routinely depositing virtual baseballs into a digital McCovey Cove beyond the right-field wall in San Francisco.

4. Mike Tyson, "Punch-Out"

Unlike the other names on this list, Tyson was not a playable character but instead was the final boss in this boxing game. The virtual Tyson is considered one of the most difficult video-game final bosses of all time thanks to his ability to, like the name suggests, knock players out with a single punch.

3. Bo Jackson, "Tecmo Bowl"

The original unstoppable video game character, this version of Jackson is still considered the G.O.A.T. for sports video game fans of a certain age. It’s easy to see why. The pixelated Jackson was too fast and too strong for just about anyone else in the game to stop him, no matter what they did. And unlike the real-life Jackson, whose incredible two-sport professional career was cut short due to injuries, this Jackson could not get hurt.

"Tecmo Bowl" Bo Jackson lives on in the cultural zeitgeist, including an appearance in the iconic animated sitcom "Family Guy" and a Kia commercial starring the actual Bo Jackson.

2. Pablo Sanchez, Backyard Sports

With respect to Jon Dowd, Sanchez is the only truly fictional character on this list, but he deserves to be here after a decade across a litany of Backyard Sports titles.

Sanchez is best known for his abilities in various Backyard Baseball editions. He was a true five-tool player, representing one of the best hitters and fastest runners in just about every edition of the game. When Millennials and even some older Gen Z gamers discuss their Backyard Sports memories, Sanchez is usually the first name they think of.

1. Michael Vick, "Madden 2004"

The first true dual-threat quarterback of the modern Madden era, the current NFL on FOX analyst was simply impossible to stop in the game that bore his image on the cover. He was too fast when he took off running and too accurate as a passer to be contained by even the best defensive game plan.

Nothing like Vick has been seen in Madden since then — which is by design. Madden developer Clint Oldenburg revealed in a 2016 interview that several features included in subsequent Madden editions, such as the popular "Hit Stick" and much less popular and since-discontinued "QB Vision," were added specifically to counteract Vick. It was as though they were Frankenstein trying to stop a monster of their own creation.

Additionally, the Madden player ratings system has been changed significantly so that no player is overwhelmingly dominant at so many different facets like Vick was.

Unfortunately for the real-life Vick, the Madden cover curse came to fruition that year, as he missed most of the 2003 NFL season due to a broken leg.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.