Paintball video games are a popular way to while away the time when you can't actually be out on the paintball field. While you may not get the same sense of thrill out of a video game that you would get from an actual game of paintball, you may just find hours of enjoyment out of a game that closely resembles your passion. Some of the more popular paintball video games include NPPL Championship Paintball 2009, Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball, SPLAT Magazine Renegade Paintball, and Tournament Paintball Max'd.

NPPL championship Paintball 2009 was released by Activision for almost every gaming console imaginable. It is a hardcore paintball first person shooter type of game that brings the reality of the paintball field home to the game screen. The game package includes preset professional paintball players that you can choose from. In career mode, you will begin way down in Division 2 with run of the mill paintball equipment, but after winning a few rounds you can upgrade rather quickly. NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 has bee criticized for having a poorly written AI and for being able to pump your character to the max too quickly.

Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball is available for the XBOX created by Activision. This paintball video game features three different types of games to play - elimination, center flag, and capture the flag. Like the previous game, this one comes preloaded with career paintball professionals - there are 14 different pro paintballers you can choose to play. Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball also includes several actual paintball fields to play on. This is an older game written for the original XBOX but can still be played online. The physics of the game are remarkably realistic and players often enjoy the ability to be able to cheat by attempting to wipe the paint off after being tagged!

SPLAT Magazine's Renegade Paintball is again a slightly older video game available for several different gaming platforms. What truly stands out about this paintball video game, however, is the ability to set up 7 versus 7 games over a LAN or online. While the graphics system is older, this can still make for some exciting matches when you and your paintball buddies are stuck indoors. In single player mode, this game includes 28 different challenges and 13 unique playing environments featuring eight different types of games such as center flag, elimination, etc. It also includes the ability to create unlimited custom maps for seemingly endless play.

Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball Max'd was designed for many more consoles other than just the XBOX for the original game. The game features a variety of modes including career, exhibition, and multi-player modes. The game play speed has been vastly improved over the original Tournament Paintball game. The AI in this version has also been vastly improved over the original and you have the ability to give orders to your team to an extent. In addition, this updated version of Tournament Paintball also includes the ability to cheat with the possible negative consequences as well.

If you are looking for a paintball video game to play when you can't get a game going on for real, these are probably your best options. All of the current games available work as a first person shooter type of game and many include other options such as the ability to cheat. Just be prepared to accept the consequences if you are caught by the ref!