Movies like PLAY! (2024)
The best movies like PLAY! (2024) are Blue Chips (1994), Fast Girls (2012) and Amateur (2018). If PLAY! hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeast (2026)7.5/10 from 227 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
Blue Chips (1994)
Pete Bell, a college basketball coach is under a lot of pressure. His team isn't winning and he cannot attract new players. The stars of the future are secretly being paid by boosters. This practice is forbidden in the college game, but Pete is desperate and has pressures from all around.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAmateur (2018)
14-year-old basketball phenom Terron Forte has to navigate the under-the-table world of amateur athletics when he is recruited to an elite NCAA prep school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAbove the Rim (1994)
Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHands of Stone (2016)
The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHome Run (2013)
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisResurrecting the Champ (2007)
Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGoal II: Living the Dream (2007)
Tempted away from Newcastle United to join Real Madrid, rising star Santiago Munez finds this latest change of fortune the greatest challenge yet - personally as well as professionally. He is reunited with Gavin Harris, though they must compete to be on the team, and estranged from fiancee Roz, whose nursing career keeps her back home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Trials of Cate McCall (2013)
In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle of the Year (2013)
A down-on-his-luck coach is hired to prepare a team of the best American dancers for an international tournament that attracts all the best crews from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGracie (2007)
A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBelieve (2013)
A young, gifted soccer player who gets into trouble for a petty crime is brought to the attention of former Manchester United coach Matt Busby, who comes out of retirement to help the boy and his teammates.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBack of the Net (2019)
A new student at a soccer academy is determined to beat her rival's team in the national tournament.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHounddog (2008)
A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCome Sunday (2018)
Evangelist Carlton Pearson is ostracized by his church for preaching that there is no Hell.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisFamily of Winners (2017)
A retired cyber game player recruits a team of rookies to play in the national league.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Table for Six (2022)
To big brother Steve, nothing is more satisfying than dining with his two younger half-siblings. But when his old flame shows up as his brother's girlfriend, kitchen nightmare strikes and it's up to his part-time girlfriend to simmer down the situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisArgentina, Forgive Me (2015)
An intricate exploration of football, international rivalry, personal disappointments and the enduring power of friendship that transcends national boundaries.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Valorous Marksman (2021)
It is a story of an underdog that hopes to win an esports tournament and gain his son’s trust. Main character is a middle-aged game streamer and not a successful one: his audience is constantly making fun of him. He’s behind his rent, ex-wife is taking a full custody over his son. The only hope is an FPS tournament with a prize pool of 5,000,000 RMB that will change his life for the better.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Battle School (2016)
Tang Niu was admitted to the e-sports school in order to prove the value of the game to his brother. Unexpectedly, he defeated the provocateurs on the first day, swept the campus, and successfully attracted the spice team Yan Yi. Later, with the encouragement of the principal, he faced a world-class game competition. The mysterious KNS e-sports academy was founded by SKY. Dogma is ignored here. The only rules are micromanagement and skills. The transfer student Tang Niu came here for the first time and showed extraordinary talent. The purpose of coming here is to dominate the entire academy. Over time, the hidden masters of the e-sports academy emerged, and they all possessed unique skills; Tang Niu recruited troops, formed his own team, and repeatedly defeated his rivals in the cruel e-sports academy. A master, he ignores honor and rank, and possesses abnormal operations and thinking that ordinary people can't understand, and Tang Niu has fallen into an unprecedented crisis.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Friendly Fire (2024)
Hazel, an employee at an internet cafe and a fan of Project Xandata (a locally produced real first-person shooter made) gets the attention of a pro team founder when Hazel beats her team singlehandedly in one night. Hazel’s gameplay goes viral, making her an instant sensation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Player Two (2016)
Inspired by a YouTube comment from user 00WARTHERAPY00, this touching short film tells the story of a son playing his old Xbox console for the first time years after his father’s death— chasing his father’s ghost in the racing video game Rally Sport Challenge
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Godlike (2016)
When Alex loses his mother he finds solace in competitive gaming.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Soloz: Game of Life (2025)
The fierce competition between The Boss and the team from Singapore, Vengeance, which teaches Soloz and his teammates the value of friendship, sportsmanship and healthy competition that are the foundation of success.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like PLAY! and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like PLAY!?
The closest matches to PLAY! are Blue Chips (1994), Fast Girls (2012) and Amateur (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after PLAY!?
Start with Blue Chips (1994), the closest match to PLAY!.
What is the highest-rated movie like PLAY!?
Beast (2026), rated 7.5/10 by 227 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like PLAY!?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like PLAY!?
The closest matches are in other languages.
How are movies similar to PLAY! chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside PLAY!, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.