It’s almost summer and a lot of players are looking forward to getting out and playing more beach ball, but for rainy days or after the tournament when you still want the thrill of the spike, we’ve put together a short list of classic volleyball video games to pass the time. Since there are so few volleyball games on the market, you may have to hit the used game section to find these, but if you haven’t played some of these classics you might be pleasantly surprised.

Super Spike V’Ball (Nintendo NES) 1990

In terms of volleyball video games this is an all-time favorite. While the graphics are still stuck in the 1980’s, the overall gameplay is just fantastic, even by today’s standards. You can block, hit, dig, dive, let go a kaboom spike that knocks your opponent down, and you can even hit a quick set (a SSVB skill everyone should learn). You can play against or with an opponent and you can even play 2 on 2 with the NES 4 way controller adapter. Check out the World Tour and try your luck against some tough international CPU opponents.

For those of you under 25 who haven’t had the pleasure of playing this classic, it might be time to dig out your parents’ NES, or hit eBay and pick up a copy.

Beach Spikers (Nintendo GameCube) 2002

While the Nintendo Gamecube is now history and the little mini discs are only available used, Beach Spikers is a fun volleyball video game with great gameplay. You can customize your players and you can even build up the skills of your CPU partner. There are multiple modes including a World Tour, and while it doesn’t offer a whole lot of variation in terms of what happens in the game, it’s still a solid title. Hard to believe this one is already 12 years old!

Kinect Sports Volleyball (Microsoft Xbox 360) 2010

The original Kinect Sports was a well developed title and it contained a volleyball game that has become a favorite of gamers. The game lets you bump, set, and spike just like real life, and you’ll soon work up a sweat jumping around in front of the TV. The game doesn’t have a ton of options but you can play with a friend or against opponents online.

Just beware of your ceiling fan, we’ve seen a number of mishap videos on YouTube related to this game.

Dig and Spike Volleyball (Nintendo Super NES) 1993

This game has a huge learning curve, but with so few indoor volleyball games around anything is better than nothing. The graphics on the game aren’t too bad for something from the days of Vanilla Ice, and the gameplay is pretty cool with different serving options and good action on the court. As mentioned though, it can take quite a while to figure out how to play and actually win a point against the CPU (I’ve still yet to win a game). If you can find an old Super NES it might be one to check out.

Super Volleyball (Sega Genesis) 1991

Super Volleyball might not be that super, but it’s another of the rare indoor volleyball games so it’s worth mentioning. The game is viewed from the side the entire time so the view can get old quickly. You can serve, jump serve, spike, hit, dig, and block. The game is difficult to master and you might find yourself losing multiple points before you ever win a rally.

It’s not a must-have game but it might bring back memories of your 90’s Reebok pump indoor volleyball glory.

Kings of the Beach (NES) 1990

This game was released right when the AVP was hitting its peak. Big money, big name events, and big time stars. In this game you can play as Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos, that alone makes it worth buying. You can play, practice, and enter tournaments. Gameplay is a bit dated but there are some special moves such as the “kong block” and you can argue calls with the ref.

London 2012: The Official Video Game (Xbox 360) 2012

It’s not a volleyball game per se, but it does have beach volleyball as one of the events. The overall presentation is pretty good however the gameplay is a little dodgy and sometimes it seems like the ball isn’t quite touching the players when they pass it. On the plus side if you get fed up with playing volleyball you can still choose from 30 other events.

We did leave off some mature rated volleyball video games such as Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball and Outlaw Volleyball so for those looking for a longer lists of volleyball video games visit this wikipedia page.