Ever wanted to see everything through the player’s eyes, like you’ve strapped on a GoPro in your favorite sports game? First-person shooters and racers dominate the space for raw immersion, but when it comes to sports sims, we rarely see any big titles featuring a full first-person mode.
MLB The Show 25 flirted with the idea by letting you field from an infielder’s first-person view, but that’s just a taste. You don’t get any full swings or mound stares, and the rest of the time, you’re watching a cutscene glimpse. It doesn’t impress anyone, but it’s a welcome addition.
There’s a gap to be filled, and that’s why huge sports titles like Madden, EA FC, NHL, and NBA 2K need to take the leap. Introducing first-person gameplay would finally let you stop being a spectator and actually live the action.
Operation Sports App
Your ultimate companion for sports gaming. Access in-depth coverage, thoughtful discussion, and a community built around the games—and sports—you love.
Your ultimate sports gaming companion.
Baseball: Expand MLB The Show’s Tease
MLB The Show 25’s first-person fielding lets you chase liners and tag runners up close, elevating the immersion in do-or-die plays where depth perception gets tested. However, there’s still much to be done.
Imagine battling off tough sliders, a crowd swirling around as you hunt pitches when you skip the batter’s box. That kind of first-person play would solidify MLB The Show as baseball’s go-to video-game immersion.
Football: Madden Helmet Cam Comeback
Madden’s new camera options (offense/defense toggles) are nice, but without a first-person view, you just don’t get that immersion and chaos up close. Imagine dropping back as Mahomes: watching defenders close in, pocket collapsing, feeling the pressure before you even throw. RBs dodging tacklers in tight holes would be a sight to see in first-person.
NFL 2K5 already proved that this kind of perspective works, at least as a novelty. Now, with Franchise and Superstar modes getting deeper, Madden can really make use of a first-person angle to blend strategy with that street-ball intensity.
Hockey: NHL Beyond The Teaser Shifts
NHL 26 teases first-person mode, but really, it’s just quick helmet shots that swap to low cam, leaving you blind on nets and boards. Imagine real first-person shifts, skating the cycle with your eyes up, catching hits from the edges, and sniping top-shelf through screens.
Matches are already pretty intense in NHL 26, and first-person would absolutely lift gameplay immersion overall.
Soccer: EA FC’s Missing Pro Eyes
EA FC 26’s first-person cutscenes really add depth to the celebrations, but there’s not really a solid first-person element in its gameplay. Pro Cam’s locked, no free-look freedom. Imagine the difference it would make in Player Career or Clubs if there were an actual first-person mode. Rematch did get close, but that’s third-person, and it’s more arcade soccer than actual soccer.
You could spot overlaps as a winger, thread a nutmeg in tight spaces, and boss set pieces from the wall. Volta Football teases us with it, but full 11v11 demands heads-up soccer, not just chase exploits. Fans have pitched the idea for years, and now is the time to deliver.
Basketball: NBA 2K Street-Ball Vision
NBA 2K sticks to iso cams, but a first-person mode would definitely uplift the gameplay. Imagine dribbling right into a double-team, seeing defenders closing in from your player’s perspective. Rec or Pro-Am squads could also turn much more tactical with a first-person mode, demanding you to read plays as real NBA athletes do.
2K’s already evolved impressively, and a first-person mode is sure to crank up the intensity and lead 2K to an immersion-first approach. The street-ball experience would get amazing depth, especially like you’re fighting for a spot at a pro tryout in reality.
Published: Jan 13, 2026 03:00 pm