After years of waiting, GOALS, the latest free-to-play online football game, has finally arrived on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, just in time for the World Cup. It caps off a long development journey to create an alternative, skill-focused experience to rival EA Sports FC and fellow FTP soccer game eFootball — and hopefully, it’s worth the wait.
I covered GOALS way back in April 2023, when it secured $20 million in funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s VC firm, Seven Seven Six. In the three years since, its ethos hasn’t changed a bit, and is probably the reason why it took so long to finally drop: GOALS was “built from the ground up as the next evolution of football gaming experiences,” and aims to offer a cross-platform experience that’s “responsive, fair and entirely skill-based gameplay.”
While GOALS aims to offer “complete control of every movement,” its bottom line is to reward the better player, with an emphasis on precision passing, shots, and tackling, with no rubber-banding for anyone — a clear pitch for a competitive esports soccer scene.
It’s hardly surprising, given that GOALS’ CEO is Andreas “bds” Thorstensson, a dominant Counter-Strike player in the 2000s. Thorstensson has molded the game around his proprietary SENTEC game engine to focus GOALS around “long-term community engagement and competitive integrity.”
He said: “GOALS is built to reflect the glory days of football games, bringing the purity and skill found in the beautiful game back to the digital screen. For years, the football gaming space has been stagnant, leaving players disillusioned by bloated licensing models and subpar gameplay.
“As passionate gaming and sports fans ourselves, we wanted to take on the challenge of competing with the biggest names in the football gaming world, and we are ready to bring players what they’ve been craving for too long.”
GOALS also introduces a player generation and development system, giving each club unique athletes that develop with progress. It also has “Originals”: real-life individuals that evolve separately, meaning no two are the same.
The first Original is none other than newly ex-Sideman KSI, whose first new side hustle as an independent creator is far from surprising, given he’s one of the most famous football fans on the planet.
From today, players can play a range of game modes, including competitive and casual options: ranked, quickplay, knockout, and friendly matches, alongside tournaments. Players can also get to grips with the new gameplay through solo bot matches and a practice arena, alongside daily and weekly “Dynamic Challenges” to improve performance and offer rewards.
Then there’s a wider managerial-style mode, where players can manage their club and upgrade players in line with their preferred playing style. Naturally, as with any free-to-play title, there are unlockable and tradable kits and celebrations.
If you’re interested in GOALS, its website provides a full game guide and tutorials, as well as links to the Companion App on iOS and Android.