Summary
The planet’s greatest sporting event,the Olympics,is at the forefront of popular consciousness, with athletes from around the globe competing to cement their name as the best at their sporting disciplines. Whether viewers are into swimming or the occasional badminton match, the Olympics has something for everyone, iconizing athletes as sporting celebrities.
Throughout the game’s history, notable sporting stars have gone beyond their Olympic achievements into entertainment by making guest appearances in video games. Several prominent sporting heroes have appeared in video games outside of Official Olympic Games titles, whether as themselves, new characters, or endorsements.
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Xbox 360
Legendary Olympic athlete Michael Phelps is known for being the most successful Olympian of all time, with a staggering 28 gold and numerous other medals to match. However, Phelps is less known for starring in his own video game titledMichael Phelps: Push the Limit.
A swimming simulation game at its heart,Push the Limitwas released on the Xbox 360 in 2011. While not particularly popular among critics orfans, the game featured connectivity with the Xbox Kinect, allowing players to control Michael Phelps’s swimming action through motion control. Though it was a novel feature at most, therealistic swimming gameplayofPush the Limitnever quite hit the stardom of its Olympic namesake.
Sport
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Mobile
While Phelps is the most successful Olympian, Usain Bolt is arguably the most iconic. Known for being the fastest man in history with a 100m sprint time of 9.58 seconds, Bolt is also fond of video games such asMario Kart.The world’s fastest man has also starred in a few gaming titles.
The popularindie sports gameBoltis one examplse, with player taking control of a miniature Usain Bolt, jumping over hurdles, and collecting items characteristic of endless runners. Similarly, the prolific runner also had a feature in the greatcoop sports gamePro Evolution Soccer 18,with football fanatics able to play ‘the most beautiful game’ as Bolt and compete against the world’s best footballers.
TopSpin 2K25
Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One
Roger Federer, the king of the court and now-retired tennis hero, is known for his stints at several Olympic Games throughout his career. Despite achievements in Olympic doubles (winning a gold medal), Federer never won a singles gold medal at the Olympics, losing to British player Andy Murray in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Despite this, Roger Federer has been highly decorated inside and outside of tennis, especially in video games, with the tennis maestro featured in thebest tennis games, such asTop Spin, Tennis World Tour,andGrand Slam series. Federer is the most prominent Olympic athlete in gaming.
PC
Famed Olympic and world champion pole vaulter Sergei Bubka has set numerous records as a prevalent force in pole jumping. The first athlete in history to achieve a vault of 6 meters in 1985, Sergei Bubka doesn’t seem to be a ikely candidate to have his own video game. However, Bubka got prime time withSergei Bubka’s Millennium Games, released in 2000.
A mishmash of different track-based events, such as the 800m and 100m sprint, the game lets players take control of athletes, coaches, and national teams in competition across numerous events. While seemingly a knock-off of the Olympic Games video game series,Millennium Gamesis a capable sports game supported by Sergei Bubka in a bizarre but endearing entry to the sports video game genre.
Game Boy Color
Considered one of the best track and field athletes of all time, Carl Lewis won nine gold medals across his decorated career in events such as the 100m and the long jump. A multidisciplinary athlete and an Olympic legend, Lewis was the namesake of video game titles such asThe Carl Lewis Challenge,released on PC in 1992 and laterCarl Lewis Athletics 2000on the Game Boy Color.
Players could challenge an animated Carl Lewis across various track and field competitions, all in glorious 2D pixelated graphics. A greatsingle-player sports gameat the time,Carl Lewis Athletics 2000, despite its age, is one of thebest sports gamesan Olympian has endorsed.
