Cricket is often a neglected sport because it isn’t very popular in Europe and the USA, instead, it’s the most popular sport in Asia. While there are often dozens of soccer games released every year, cricket games are released very rarely, but nevertheless, they are great games if you’re into cricket. There aren’t a lot of PC cricket games to bat and bowl on a cricket pitch. But in this article, we’re going to try and count some of them you can play, starting from the best looking games which are also the newest. These are the best cricket games for PC.
1. Don Bradman Cricket 17
Don Bradman is the most iconic and one of the best cricket players up to date. This newest installation of the Don Bradman Cricket series got its name because of this legendary player. Although cricket games aren’t exactly the most popular games, this one gained a solid amount of popularity with its release. Don Bradman Cricket 17 has a singleplayer and multiplayer mode available, making it more than a classic cricket game.
In this game, the player can start his own career and with updated player creation features, he can create his own player and start playing. Aside from that, we mentioned that there is a multiplayer which is functioning great and a cooperative mode in which you can play with your friend. This game is the best cricket game you can play at this moment.
2. Don Bradman Cricket 14
Don Bradman Cricket series is surely one of the best game series when we talk about cricket. This game is a predecessor to Don Bradman Cricket 17 and is also a great game. While the Don Bradman Cricket 16 isn’t released but was announced, Don Bradman Cricket 14 is a fully available game and offers features similar to its successor. There is a career mode included, which begins by creating a player and starting. Multiplayer is available, but there isn’t a cooperative mode like in Don Bradman Cricket 17. The game mechanics are almost the same, with great animations and graphics. As this is not an AAA title, its price isn’t that expensive and it offers a great cricket experience.
3. The Ashes Cricket 2017
The Ashes Cricket series offer a great multiplayer cricket game experience and is the most successful game series immediately after Don Bradman Cricket. Why? Well, it boasts some great gameplay mechanics, along with solid graphics that keep the game alive. This game isn’t an exception, it has one of the best graphics for this type of game and further gameplay elements were greatly improved. This is a great game for cricket enthusiasts.
4. International Cricket 2010
International Cricket 2010 is a cricket simulation game published by famous Codemasters. This game has some of the licensed teams from England and Australia, but the other teams aren’t licensed. As this is a simulation, this game doesn’t have any type of career, but rather tournaments that can be played in single-player mode or multiplayer mode with the other players. By winning the tournaments, the player unlocks new kits and items which are great and is keeping the player engaged. With its smart AI and great controls, this game is great for anyone interested in cricket.
5. International Cricket Captain 2013
International Cricket Captain 2013 is a top cricket game and is similar to the previous game we mentioned. It features various cup modes like the world cup, champions cup, and Twenty20. On top of that, there are various classic scenarios like England vs. Australia and the online mode where the players can play against each other. This is also the newest installment in the series and currently the best you can play.
6. Brian Lara International Cricket 2007
Brian Lara is a legendary cricket player and he is one of the best batsmen of all time. This is how this game got its name. Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 is developed and published by Codemasters, which is known for its great simulation games. In this game, various modes are available and there is ICC World Cup available for playing along with other cups like Twenty20, ICC Champions Trophy, etc. There is also a practice mode where you can practice your gameplay and then use it to win tournaments. Multiplayer is there, and this is the first game in the series boasting multiplayer.
7. The Ashes Cricket 2012
As we mentioned earlier, The Ashes Cricket series are one of the most successful cricket simulation series. This installment is also great, with some beautiful graphics and animations for that time. It features teams from England, India, Australia, Kenya, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and much more, plus many licensed and unlicensed grounds that players can play on. New career mode is there, and it combines great gameplay with smart AI, making a challenge for a player. As for multiplayer, it’s available with the addition of cooperative play that allows for a maximum of 4 players.
8. EA Sports Cricket 2007
EA Sports is a company famous for one of the best sports simulations ever, like FIFA, NBA, and Sports Cricket 2007. For that time, the game had seriously good graphics and overall gameplay, featuring many licensed stadiums with the possibility of choosing different weather conditions that impact overall gameplay. On top of that, there are limited matches, 4-day first-class matches, and full-length matches that the player can choose. Multiplayer is stellar, but EA lost the license after some time, so team and player names may be changed in some versions of the game.
9. Cricket Coach 2016
Cricket Coach 2016 is the newest installment in the series and in this game, you don’t have to actually play cricket, but to be in the role of a coach. Of course, there is more to do in this game than being a classic coach, from controlling the tactics, players, and other stuff that team managers usually do. Your goal is to assemble one of the best cricket teams and win as much as you can. The batting and bowling mechanics are good too.
10. EA Sports Cricket 2005
EA Sports Cricket 2005 is a predecessor to EA Sports Cricket 2007. However, they aren’t that different in terms of overall gameplay, but the 2007 version is slightly better-looking. It’s important to mention that this was the last game that features original player names for all the teams in the game, as EA lost its license in 2007. A wonderful game to have great innings and pile up some runs.
11. The Ashes Cricket 2009
As a predecessor to the aforementioned The Ashes Cricket 2013, this game is also a great cricket PC game. It’s developed by Transmission Games and published by Codemasters. The Ashes Cricket 2009 doesn’t feature fully licensed teams, but Australian and English teams are in fact, licensed, which is ok for this kind of game. There is the same number of teams and grounds in this game as in the 2013 version and some of them are licensed. Overall, it’s a great cricket experience and we recommend it along with The Ashes Cricket 2013.
12. International Test Cricket
International Test Cricket is a little older game, developed for the earlier versions of Windows, but can also be played on newer versions. It’s a cricket simulation that statistically models test matches and other statistics like records and averages are automatically calculated. Aside from that, there are game modes common to the classic cricket simulation games. The game features a single-player mode, where you can play against the computer, and a cooperative mode, where you can play with your friends. However, online multiplayer isn’t available as this is an older game.
13. Cricket 97
Cricket 97 is a pure, old-school cricket game developed by Beam Software and published by EA Games. Unlike its predecessor Cricket 96, which was rendered in 2D, this is the first game in the series that has 3D rendering, except for the players, which were rendered like sprites. This game, however, didn’t have real player names, except for the English and Australian side, but it was later fixed with the newer games in the series. There were several re-releases and patches, making this game playable and even great for today’s standards.
14. Stick Cricket
Stick Cricket is a cricket simulation game played from the third perspective and is a simplified version of the usual cricket gameplay. It’s focused more on the simple controls and gameplay that is easy to master, rather than licensed teams, players, and graphics. There actually aren’t licensed teams at all. What you can expect from this game is a great singleplayer part, where you can play various modes standard for the cricket games, and a stellar multiplayer for competing with the other players.
15. EA Sports Cricket 2004
The 2004 version of EA Sports Cricket is one of the weakest if we talk about graphics. However, it does have some decent gameplay and licensed teams, which is a great addition. It features a single-player and multiplayer mode, where the player can create his own player and choose which team he wants to play. This version of the game is great, but in our opinion, EA Sports Cricket is still a major upgrade in the series. Nevertheless, it’s a great game for introducing yourself to cricket and its rules.
16. EA Sports Cricket 2002
EA Sports Cricket is the last cricket simulation game from this series we mention on the list, but this doesn’t mean that it’s the least important. It’s a predecessor to EA Sports Cricket 2004 and introduced some elements that were used later in the series. However, this game didn’t gain that much popularity and is somewhat neglected in comparison to other games in the series. The overall gameplay is good, and it features multiplayer cricket and licensed teams and players, but graphics aren’t exactly the strongest point of this game.
17. Brian Lara International Cricket 2005
Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 is a downgraded version of Brian Lara International Cricket 2007, but nevertheless a great game. There are, however, some licensing issues so many criticized the look of the players, which is mainly because of licensing. This game represents a great example of a cricket simulation game, where you can play single-player and engage in interesting careers and challenges or try out a multiplayer where you can challenge yourself versus other players. If you like this game, be sure to try out its successor as they are both great games.
18. International Cricket Captain 2012
International Cricket Captain 2012 is very similar to its 2013 version. They both combine classic cricket gameplay with the management making it an analogy to a Football Manager game. This game introduced an “All-Time Greats” mode where the player can assemble his own team of players from various countries and different eras and try it on the field. As for the other game modes, it’s pretty much the same as International Cricket Captain 2013, but it doesn’t have a multiplayer mode.
19. Cricket Coach 2014
Cricket Coach is a cricket simulation game with a strong focus on management and coaching, rather than actually playing cricket. There actually, isn’t a possibility for playing cricket, and the whole gameplay is based on coaching and controlling various aspects of your team. Its features aren’t different from Cricket Coach 2016, but the 2016 version is a little more stable and graphically upgraded. Whether you choose Cricket Coach 2014 or Cricket Coach 2016, you can’t make a mistake, as these are the best cricket manager games you can find.
20. Brian Lara Cricket
Brian Lara Cricket is the first game in the series which was released back in 1994 and continued on later years with newer versions. There are some real players like Brian Lara himself along with Dion Nash, and the game is generally more simple than its younger brothers. There is support for 4 players with no online multiplayer, with modes like a one-day game and a Test Match available for playing. Also, all the cricketing nations are unlocked at the start of the game, so the player can jump straight in the game and choose any team he wants.