The Olympic Games have always been about skill, pressure, and moments that stick in one's memory forever. At the ongoing Milano Cortina 2026, winter sports are taking center stage once again, but long before these Olympics, video games have already been capturing what it feels like to take part in this iconic event.
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Some Olympic video games aim for realism, recreating official events, real locations, and strict rules. And then there are those that focus more on fun and personality, using bold designs or well-known characters to bring sport to life. Both approaches can work when the gameplay feels right. What matters most is how well a game turns athletic challenges into something exciting to play. These five titles are the strongest examples of how exciting and competitive Olympic video games can be.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Steep
Features Some of the Most Exciting Winter Sports, Including Skiing, Snowboarding, and Paragliding
- An open-world extreme sports game focused on snowy mountain adventures like skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, and wingsuit flying.
- Expanded with content that recreates Winter Olympic alpine and freestyle challenges.
Steep is very different from the other titles here because it isn’t built around a set list of defined courses. Instead, it places players into large mountain ranges where they explore on their own terms. Ski slopes, steep cliffs, and open skies become playgrounds for risky runs and slow-controlled flights alike. It includes downhill skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, and even wingsuit flying. Every activity asks for balance, timing, and judgment as players guide their chosen avatar through snowy terrain or through the open air.
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A major update called Steep: Road to the Olympics adds traditional Winter Games elements. Players can compete in alpine events like slalom and giant slalom, and take part in freestyle events such as halfpipe or big-air tricks. These features tie the free-roaming world to events that mirror real Olympic competition. The world in Steep feels big. Instead of tight tracks or simple mini-games, players choose lines down the mountains and decide how much risk to take. This freedom makes it feel more like a winter adventure than a fixed competition.
Vancouver 2010
Recreation of the 2010 Winter Olympics
- Officially licensed video game of the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver.
- Includes multiple real Olympic winter sports and national team representation.
Vancouver 2010 is a recreation of a traditional Olympic Winter Games event. It lets players take part in several of the same disciplines real athletes competed in during the actual 2010 Winter Olympics. Alpine skiing, bobsleigh, luge, and speed skating are all present, complete with variations like super-G and slalom for skiing and both short-track and long-track for skating. In that respect, Vancouver 2010 tries to capture the breadth of the Olympic program rather than focusing on quirky extras. It has 30 challenges tied to its events, such as specific performance targets in ski jumps or time trials in sled runs, offering players goals to chase beyond simply finishing each race.
This Olympic-licensed video game offers both single-event play and multi-event competitions, allowing players to simulate a full Olympic experience. Challenge modes introduce specific objectives such as finishing under a target time or maintaining accuracy through difficult sections of a course. These challenges help players understand how different winter sports demand different skills. Multiplayer support allows friends to compete locally, reinforcing the head-to-head nature of Olympic events. There are no fictional abilities or fantasy elements. Everything is presented as a straightforward sports competition like the actual Olympics, with the focus placed on rules, timing, and execution.
Torino 2006
Up to Four Players Can Play Winter Sports Including Ski Jumping, Speed Skating, and Bobsleigh
- Features sports like alpine skiing, biathlon (skiing plus shooting), ski jumping, speed skating, and bobsleigh.
- Players choose a nation and compete in standalone events or custom Olympic competitions.
Just like other Olympic video games, Torino 2006 brings together multiple winter sports under one Olympic event. Players select a country and enter events modeled after those held during the real 2006 Winter Games. The lineup includes alpine skiing, biathlon, ski jumping, speed skating, and bobsleigh. Each event is built around its real competition structure. For instance, biathlon combines cross-country skiing with shooting segments that require accuracy. Ski jumping focuses on takeoff timing, distance, and landing stability. And speed skating requires consistency and maintaining speed through long laps, while bobsleigh requires clean steering through fixed ice tracks.
Torino 2006 allows players to compete in individual events or assemble custom Olympic competitions. Multiplayer modes let multiple players compete locally using the same rules and venues. This setup reflects how Olympic medals are decided through direct comparison rather than progression systems.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Collection of Olympic Mini-Games with Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog Characters
- Mario and Sonic characters compete in winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, curling, figure skating, and ice hockey.
- Uses simplified controls and motion input, alongside fantasy “Dream Events” that add character abilities and themed arenas.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is probably the best Mario & Sonic Olympic Game ever made. Fans get to see Nintendo and Sega characters in a winter sports setting inspired by the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Players can ski down gates, weave through snowboarding tricks, skate in figure skating competitions, throw curling stones with timing-based controls, or compete in hockey mini-matches. Each sport keeps the rules simple so anyone can jump in and play. To shake things up, the game introduces Dream Events. These take place in fictional environments inspired by Mario and Sonic worlds. Characters use unique abilities that do not exist in real sports, turning competitions into playful challenges rather than strict simulations.
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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games supports multiplayer. Up to four players can compete at the same time in races, trick challenges, or mini-games. Medals are earned immediately, giving constant feedback and keeping the competition tense and exciting.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
First Mario & Sonic Olympic Game with Online Multiplayer
- Includes official Olympic sports like downhill skiing, speed skating, biathlon, and curling.
- Adds Dream Events with franchise-themed stages, plus touchscreen and motion input to vary how each sport is played.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is pretty special because it pushes the series into HD and adds online play, so friends from different places could chase medals together before the Nintendo Network service ended. This game gives each event its own feel. Skiing and snowboarding require careful steering through gates, while speed skating focuses on rhythm and cornering. Biathlon blends skiing with precision aiming, and curling asks for timing and control. Wii U motion controls and touchscreen input make these events more interactive, giving players a sense of performing the movements themselves.
The game includes both standard Olympic events and Dream Events. Standard events follow simplified versions of real Olympic rules. Dream Events take place in fantasy locations inspired by Mario and Sonic franchises, and allow characters to use special abilities. Local multiplayer remains a core feature in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games, and online play was supported during the system’s active service period. Characters have unique animations and personalities, especially during Dream Events, reinforcing the crossover appeal. With all these in mind, it’s quite sad that the Mario and Sonic crossover series is dead.
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