What are the best soccer games on PC in 2024? It can seem tough to scratch that soccer itch, especially when there are only a few mainstream games that usually spring to mind. Sure, Football Manager is the undisputed king of the soccer management genre, and if you’re interested in a more player-controlled affair, it’s difficult to argue with EA’s excellent game-day presentation.
Whether it’s an under-the-radar studio, an indie title, or a mash-up of different sports, there’s a soccer game for every fan. To shine a light on these underappreciated classics, we’ve compiled the best PC games for soccer fans.
Here are the best soccer games in 2024:
EA FC 25
EA’s long-running partnership with FIFA may have ended after almost 20 years, but that hasn’t stopped any of the momentum the series has been building. As our EA FC 25 review can attest, while the soccer series’ annual releases continue to “hand in the same homework,” this year’s addition of new mode Rush is a welcomed one.
Throughout the years, EA was locked in a fierce rivalry with Konami, with the crown moving from Pro Evolution Soccer back to FIFA every few years. Nowadays, that rivalry has simmered as EA has positioned itself as the go-to football series.
Alongside EA’s work on crafting the beautiful game, it has been hard at work designing the ultimate card game. The feeling of opening a pack of football stickers on the playground has been replaced by Ultimate Team, the game mode designed around letting players build their, well, ultimate team. Though there certainly is a controversial pay-to-win element, players can work their way up to earning a competitive team if they’re willing to put the work in.
Football Drama
Soccer meets real-time strategy and deck-based card battle games gameplay in this delightfully humorous Demigiant title. As existentially troubled manager Rocco Galliano, you’re tasked with turning around the fortunes of the ailing Calchester Assembled Football Club.
Doing so won’t be easy, though. Like Telltale games of old, player choice is a big part of Football Drama. You’ll regularly be in conversation with journalists, the club’s owner, criminal organizations, and even your house cat, and the decisions you make during these chats have positive or negative impacts on all aspects of your management journey. Get into a spat with the man who hired you, and you could be sacked within days of taking over. Do a deal with the mafia to throw a game and find the story leaked to the press, and you could have a baying mob of angry supporters at your door.
Football Drama’s turn-based match mechanics, coupled with the use of “shout cards” you earn based on your interactions, can swing results in or out of your favor and add an intriguing layer to its FM-inspired match engine. Your team’s stamina and card usage are pivotal to winning matches, so strategically applying them in unison will be the difference between victory and defeat.
Games and the commentary can feel a bit repetitive after a while, and despite Football Drama’s huge branching narrative, you can only unlock seven endings. However, with its unique blend of gameplay, droll humor, and literary-inspired plot, Demigiant’s title is one you should check out.
Rocket League
This isn’t your typical soccer game, but Rocket League is technically a soccer-based title thanks to its arcade-style soccer mixed with rocket-fuelled cars and vehicles.
There’s so much to like about Psyonix’s popular game. Its fluid, physics-driven mechanics are a joy and give rise to different, awesome, and sometimes hilariously bad goals and moments. Its 3-on-3 matches are always intense, and results can swing one way or the other based on whether you’re having a good session or not, who you’re teamed up with, and often sheer luck about where the ball lands.
Its customization options allow you to build a vehicle that is distinctly you, and there are various game modes for you to try out until you find your perfect fit. Online casual and competitive matches, an offline Season Mode, basketball and hockey-esque extra modes, and Mutator options are just a few game types available to you, which helps if you want to mix things up and try something new.
Add all of that together with the Rocket League Season Pass – where you can earn rewards, climb up the world rankings, and get XP boosts – and this is a driving-based soccer title that could rival FM for your time. Check out our Rocket League review if you want to know more.
Kopanito All-Stars Soccer
Have you ever wanted to see a game with no referee and players imbued with superpowers? Kopanito All-Stars Soccer will be right up your street if so.
Merixgames’ soccer title has been out for a while, but its vivid, cartoonish charm and skill-based gameplay mean that there’s plenty here to keep your interest. Regional tournaments and leagues, multiplayer support for up to five players, and four difficulty levels give you your money’s worth. There’s even the option to turn your slick or amazing goals and celebrations into animated GIFs to send to your mates if you’re in bragging mode.
It’s the game’s superpower abilities that really make it shine, though. You can teleport away from opponents, fire a super-shot goalwards that knocks all players out of the way – goalkeeper included – and even use a magnet that pulls the ball alongside you. It’s wacky but rewarding, particularly if you become a master at the game’s control system, and you’ll feel satisfied when you finally beat the game’s hardest difficulty setting after weeks of honing your craft.
Football, Tactics & Glory
On the surface, this looks like an FM22 knock-off, but there’s more to Football, Tactics & Glory than that. Combining XCOM’s chess-like strategy with RPG elements, Creoteam’s original spin on the management sim genre provides a fun yet realistic take on player improvement and tactical game plans.
Its fully customizable player faces let you give your stars some personality – in comparison to FM22’s plasticine-esque regen faces – while its mod support allows you to add in real-life leagues and tournaments to keep things fresh. Add in a helping of Twitch integration, whereby viewers can interact with streamers, and your fans can play as big a role in your management journey as you.
If you’re seeking a cheaper alternative to FM22’s in-depth mechanics – or a realistic soccer alternative to Blood Bowl – Football, Tactics, & Glory is a solid PC soccer game.
Behold the Kickmen
Imagine a soccer game that was developed by someone who had no idea what soccer was about. If you thought of something like Behold the Kickmen, you’d be right.
A frenetic soccer sim, Behold the Kickmen reinvents soccer by, well, inventing something else entirely. With gameplay mechanics that include ‘more kicking’ and ‘doing goals’, this tongue-in-cheek affair takes an amusing swipe at football fanaticism.
There’s a silly story mode to keep you engaged, while you can enable a mode in the options that turns the game into a dystopian blood sport if things are getting a bit too serious for your liking. Its lack of multiplayer is a shame, as it would be funny to batter your mates into oblivion, especially in Bloodsport mode. For non-soccer fans who want to take the mickey by playing a soccer game, though, Behold the Kickmen is a cheap, fun indie title.
Totoball
Foosball, sometimes known as Table Football, is fun, so if you like it, you’ll like this surprisingly effective PC port, Totoball.
Developed by Artur Rezende, Totoball is a carbon copy of the physical game we’ve all played and loved, whether that’s in common rooms and bars across the world. Like its real-life counterpart, Totoball’s mechanics are very simple – so much so that there are only two keys you need to use to play it.
Sure, you could venture out into the real world and play foosball properly. For those days when you don’t feel like leaving the house, however, Totoball is an easy game to pass the time with.
Super Arcade Football
Remember when soccer games were top-down 2D affairs? Super Arcade Football replicates that aesthetic. Harking back to the days of Sensible Soccer and Italia ‘90, OutoftheBit’s retro-inspired title will make you want to dust off your old consoles and take a trip down memory lane.
It’s faster-paced than its predecessors and is graphically superior, but all the gameplay mechanic hallmarks are here. Different types of pitch – from dry to muddy to icy – are available to play on, simple controls such as pass, shoot, and move are all you need, and there is up to four-player support if you want a friend or three to join you.
Chuck in some funny match modifiers, including bigger goals and bouncy walls, and an online mode, and Super Arcade Football is a treat for those of you who grew up during the SNES and Mega Drive era.
Pixel Cup Soccer – Ultimate Edition
Pixel Cup is a love letter to isometric soccer games, like Sensible Soccer, with a little injection of modern technology. Local multiplayer is supported, and there are various competitions to dig into at your leisure. There’s even support for women’s soccer here, with the Women’s World Cup and Pixel Cup available to play – something that very few football games, FM included, have supported.
If Super Arcade Football doesn’t bring on the nostalgia rush you were hoping for, this might just push you over the edge. With a career mode, and even a playable Qatar World Cup, Pixel Cup Soccer may look simplistic, but it packs a lot under the hood.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2021
You can’t mention FIFA without talking about its fiercest rival, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer series. PES 2021 doesn’t feature any upgrades from the previous year, instead, the devs focused on building eFootball 2022. Unfortunately, eFootball 2022 wasn’t the game fans were expecting, as it quickly became the worst-reviewed title on Steam.
Don’t worry; the modding community has saved the day once again. Using PES 2021 as a base, players have stuck to last year’s game as fans add in custom kits and teams. For solo players, Master League is one of the best single-player modes in any soccer game. In the Master League mode, players control a soccer club throughout several seasons. Not only will you have to deal with transfers, but creating unique training programs for the development of your players is crucial, especially for clubs without a large budget.
Football Manager 2024
While you won’t directly be contributing to the ball going into the goal, the Football Manager series puts you in the suit of one of the most important parts of any soccer team. Our FM24 review praises the newest entry in the series, which boasts a reworked agent system, advanced positional control, and, most importantly, the ability to import old saves into the new game. Perfect if you’ve been on that League 2 run for a few years now.
Take a look at our most difficult FM24 challenge saves to take on your most grueling season of soccer yet. If you want things to look as realistic as possible, we’ve got a guide on how to import FM24 kits and logo packs, so your team looks how they’re supposed to.
Let’s face it, soccer isn’t for everyone, and you don’t know where to start with the offside rule, we have the best sports games here. Rather take control of the action from a bird’s-eye view? We have the best management games right here.
