Football is the most popular sport in the world with 3.5 billion fans all around the globe. Not only do people participate in it, they watch it live, watch it on TV, place bets on it at football betting sites and also play video games based on the sport. With increasing popularity over the years, football games are also becoming more popular, with people taking to their TV screens to get involved in football, except this time, it’s e-football.
The football/ soccer video game industry is very populated, some could say over populated with many organisations producing games to the many millions that are willing to play it year on year. In this article, we want to take a look at some of the best football video game types that you can play!
First person football games
A first-person game provides players with a perspective from their own point of view. For example when playing the game, the player sees it from their own perspective and angles rather than anyone else’s. This gives players a more realistic experience, which is ultimately what you want from video games, putting yourself in the situation and environment.
Football manager games
Playing a football manager game gives players the experience of being a real-life football coach. The player can make big decisions based on the team which influences whether or not they win their games. It’s a lot more complex than your typical football game, there are a lot more tactics involved and key decisions to make that are heavily influential. For some, football manager games are hard to get a grasp of and can be a struggle, causing them to lose interest. Perhaps these types of games are better suited to an older target audience, than the typical 3+. On the other hand, being able to take charge of any team in the world is exciting.
Team mode football
These types of video games allow players to build their very own football teams and play against others. This is a good option if you would like to play with other video game players as you can challenge each other by playing matches and online tournaments. These games bring so much excitement to players, allowing them to build a whole team from scratch.
The Best Football Games Rated By Fans
Let’s take a look at some of the best football games to ever hit the market.
FIFA 23
Fifa 23 was released in September 2022 and with more than ten million copies sold in the first week, it’s safe to say this is a really popular game for football lovers. With more realistic physics, refreshed penalties, free kicks and corners and an updated HyperMotion engine, meaning the motion of players has improved. Players can enjoy a high-quality football game on consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Also, with a rating of E, meaning it is suitable for everyone, FIFA is appropriate for all ages above 3.
eFootball PES 23
eFootball PES was a potential replacement for the FIFA franchise, but after trailing it, it lost more ground after FIFA 19 snatched the UEFA Champions League and Europa League licences from Konami. It has new features such as being able to add highlight and epic players to the game and major clubs such as AC Milan and Inter Milan being added to the game.
There is nothing to suggest that PES won’t make some ground back on FIFA and potentially overtake this popular franchise. In fact, some of the team licences that FIFA once had have been taken by PES.
Now that we’ve had a look at more recent football games, here are some classics to look back on.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2017
For many years, Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) lived in FIFA’s shadow, but in 2017, it finally provided a genuine alternative to EA’s dominant yearly franchise. PES 2017 offered a slower, more deliberate style of gameplay with a greater focus on strategic build-up play rather than simply relying on speed to beat defenders. Despite its lack of official licences and flawed online mode, the satisfaction of unlocking a defence made the game truly special. However, convincing FIFA fans to switch allegiances was still difficult, and since then, PES seems to have regressed.
Football Manager 2011
After parting ways with Eidos, Sports Interactive forfeited the Championship Manager name, but they continued to produce the only management games that remained enjoyable to play. This particular edition is regarded as one of the best, featuring a comprehensive 3D engine that enables the user to view every pass, shot, tackle, and unfortunate goalkeeping mishap during a match, if one so desires.
Retro Goal
Retro Goal is a game created by the same developers as New Star Soccer and shares some similarities as a combination of management and action gameplay. However, instead of leaning towards management, the focus is primarily on playing games on the pitch. Rather than playing full matches, the player experiences only the highlights and uses gestural controls, sometimes aided by Matrix-style slow motion, to score goals.
