When people think of football (aka soccer) games, the EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) series is the one that first comes to mind. After all, it’s easily the biggest and most successful series of football games ever. In fact, it’s so big that it often feels like your only choice if you want to play some virtual footy. Yet, that is not really the case.
There are plenty of other football games out there for you to enjoy. They may not have the licensing or presentation of the EA Sports FC games, but they still provide enjoyable football experiences. Here are several of the best ones.
While he may not appear to be the most athletic person,Mario has starred in a slew of wonderful sports games. This includes Mario Strikers Charged, which is a football game featuring Mario characters. It’s definitely more of an arcade-style game than a simulation one.
This is because there are power-ups to pick up and special power shots that have their own cutscenes. These aren’t things you typically see in a game of football. They make the game incredibly chaotic and fun. It isn’t the deepest sports game you will ever play, but it keeps your attention.
7Pro Evolution Soccer 6
For many years, Pro Evolution Soccer was FIFA’s closest competitor. Every year, both series' new instalments were compared. That battle arguably went PES’s way in 2006 with the release of Pro Evolution Soccer 6. It’s an excellent football simulation game.
Everything from passing to shooting to tackling feels slick in this game. Plus, the AI is solid, and the overall presentation of the game is neat. Naturally, it doesn’t meet today’s standards visually, but it looked great at the time.
6Bang Average Football
You may be concerned about a game called Bang Average Football since the game is calling itself average. However, it’s better than an average football game. In fact, it’s one of the best.
Part of the reason is its simplicity. It’s a very easy-to-pick-up and play game, as the controls and mechanics are fairly straightforward. Despite its simplicity, the core gameplay is very entertaining. Additionally, there is a nice single-player story mode where you attempt to lead a small team to glory as their player-manager. The story mode even features an open-world element that allows you to do things outside of just playing matches.
Football and RPG aren’t two terms that you often see together. However, that is what Inazuma Eleven provides. It’s a role-playing game revolving around a high school football team that isn’t in great shape. The game’s main character plays for the team and intends to lead it to glory. It’s a fairly basic story premise, but it actually gets very interesting as you get deeper into it.
As for the gameplay, it’s mostly simple passing and shooting as you’d expect. However, there are also special duels that you get into with opponents where the winner is dictated by several factors, such as attributes, the number of players involved, and the players' elements (air, earth, fire, etc.). That’s the main form of gameplay, but you also walk around and talk to people in the overworld.
4Football Life Simulator
There aren’t many jobs thatdevelopers haven’t made simulation games about, so it’s only fair that there’s one for footballers, too. Unlike most football games, Football Life Simulator is as much about what happens off the field as on it.
you’re able to do some partying, work out, gamble, take performance-enhancing drugs, romance some people, and more as you juggle your personal life with your budding football career. Naturally, you also take part in games where you try to make the most of the moments you get to shine before the full-time whistle blows. Overall, it’s a unique game that, although a bit rough around the edges, is intriguing nonetheless.
Rematch is an online multiplayer football game where each of you controls an individual player. The games can be three-vs-three, four-vs-four, or five-vs-five. From the number of players alone, you should be able to tell that this isn’t a simulation of the sport. There is more of an arcade feel.
That said, from a control point of view, it feels like a simulation because everything is done manually. You have to direct your passes, time your tackles, and position yourself properly if you’re in goal. This can be a little tricky to get used to, but it means they every time you do pull off something impressive, it feels all the more enjoyable.
If you love the sport of football but hate the fact that it includes human players, then Rocket League may be for you. The game features players controlling rocket-powered cars that drive around a futuristic-looking dome, attempting to knock the ball into the goal. So, it’s football with vehicles.
As this is a multiplayer game, you only control a single car, with other players taking up the driver’s seat in the other vehicles. This means teamwork and cooperation are important. Even if you don’t have that, though, the game remains fun. Driving around feels very smooth and satisfying. Plus, the whole concept is unique.
While it hasn’t achieved the same level of success as EA Sports FC, the Football Manager series has done very well in its own right and has proven to have longevity. Football Manager 2024 is arguably the best game in the series. As the title suggests, in this game, you play the role of the manager.
So, you don’t actively control the players. Instead, you create tactics, manage your squad,buy players, and do whatever else is necessary to guide your players to success. The depth of the game is incredible. As such, it’s easy to get hooked by FM24, as many fans of the series will tell you.
