The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the thrill of the steal – baseball’s magic is one of sport’s true highlights. Nowadays you can tap into that excitement at your fingertips by trying out online baseball games.
This guide takes a look at six of the best baseball-themed games you can play at your desk, ranging from ultra-modern video games to fun demos that offer something different from your average playing experience.
Ready to step up to the plate? Let’s take a closer look!
1. ESPN Arcade Baseball
ESPN Arcade Baseball is one of the best free games you can try out on the web, taking you to the heart of the big-game atmosphere.
Hitting the ball is difficult, but not too tough that you lose interest. The pitcher throws and you have an aim box and a bullseye to help. You must line your bullseye up with the ball as it sails towards you, and you’ll hear a pleasing “thwack” once you make contact.
The game flows nicely, with pleasing animations and realistic matchday sounds. Perhaps one criticism is that it’s very easy to get run out if you choose to continue from first base, but then, so it’s the same in real life so who are we to argue?
2. Baseball Fever
Baseball Fever falls somewhere between video game and betting activity and it’s a lot of fun.
It isn’t a typical sports slot, like Pragmatic Play has done several times in the past with the likes of The Champions but you can still place a wager on whether your baseball star will hit a home run or not.
The game works a little like roulette. You place chips onto what you think the outcome of the next three throws will be. If you’re correct, you win more chips. If you don’t, you lose your staked amount. The good news is that you don’t need to play for real money by simply playing a demo version.
While it is fundamentally a passive game, you can still have a lot of fun taking in the sights and sounds of the game, not to mention building up your prize fund, whether real or imaginary.
3. Baseball Pro
With impressive graphics and simple gameplay, Baseball Pro is very easy to get into. There’s no set-up procedure either, just click “Play” and you dive straight into the game where you simply must hit the ball as far as you can.
This game doesn’t feature runs, however. You simply earn a number of points according to how well you hit the ball, which may not be as appealing to some players.
It is super satisfying when you make contact, though, and the game has a great flow to it that means you won’t notice time tick away as you immerse yourself in this realistic game atmosphere!
4. Baseball Bash
Don’t be fooled by this game’s cutesy animated graphics and tinkly music: it’s much harder than it looks.
The pitches come fast and furious and you must get your target in just the right spot to make a decent connection. This results in a lot of frustration as you swing and miss a fair bit, but it’s a lot of fun once you start hitting balls cleanly.
You may want to play this game without sound at first as the shouts of the commentator become a little repetitive, but there’s no denying that Baseball Bash is a great way to waste half an hour or so.
5. Backyard Sports: Sandlot Sluggers
This game may not take you to a roaring baseball arena, but you still get the pressure of outperforming your friends in a suburban back yard.
Sandslot Sluggers is surprisingly tactical, too. You can move your bat from left to right within the target area: the further you go inside, the more likely you are to hit the ball to the left, and vice versa. Careful, though – if you hit it in the direction of one of your opponents, then they’re likely to catch you out, just like in real life.
Fun, quick, and pretty good graphics-wise, this game takes us back to the sunny childhoods of our youth, when all we had to worry about was hitting a ball from one place to another. Ah, the good old days.
6. Batting Champ
Ready for a challenge? Batting Champ really does demand champion-like reflexes as you try and connect with rapid pitches.
This game works differently to the other titles on this page: you get to control the motion of the bat with your mouse or trackpad, which makes it both more realistic and more difficult.
It adds to a great sense of achievement, though, when you eventually do make a connection.
For life-like graphics and fiendishly hard gameplay, check out this online baseball game to give you potentially hours of fun.
