Top 5 free online football games you must play atleast once

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Football is the world’s most favourite sport. This is true not only for the physical game, played in nearly every corner of the globe, or watched by tens of millions every week. It also holds true for the online gaming community, be it a casual player or a committed gamer. There are many online football games available, many of them free. Excluding the popular ones such as FIFA or PES, in their various forms, what are some of the best online football games you might want to download?

Here are five to consider.

Dream League Soccer

Overview

Dream League Soccer is a video game developed by British company First Touch Games for iOS and Android. The basic premise of the game is that users create their own dream football team – called appropriately enough – Dream FC – and are tasked with managing the team through six leagues, starting at Academy level and culminating at the Elite Division. Beyond that players can take part in additional tournaments, such as the International Cup and the Allstars Cup.

Players can customize their team names, boots, kits and logos, and, since the 2017 version of the game use real professional players in their team, choose and name their own stadium, and play with other players online.
The game is free to play but there are optional in-game extras which need to be bought if you want them.

Dream League Soccer Game Download link for Android

Dream League Soccer Game Download link for iOS

Pros and Cons

Dream League Soccer has crisp graphics and solid animation, whilst the load time between matches is very quick. It is easy to join a game and the controls are easy to use. There are limitations – the players get tired quickly and get injured a lot, and the AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be a little simplistic.

However, as far as mobile experience goes, the game works, with short matches that can be full of action and detail.

Dream League Soccer Game Snapshot 1

Where some reviewers have a problem with the game, however, is with the monetisation of its more advanced features. Playing in campaign mode, you are given a small number of gold coins to start with, and you earn more by competing and winning matches. However, at some stage – for example, if your team is promoted to another league and needs to upgrade its stadium – you are probably going to have to spend real money to compete properly. Furthermore, in multiplayer mode, the game is stacked heavily in favour of the team with the best players. This encourages players to spend money to acquire stars in order to progress in the various competitions.

No doubt the makers of the game would argue that this mirrors real life. However, it can mar the user experience of what purports to be a free to download game.

Dream League Soccer Game Snapshot 2

Dream League Soccer Video Link

Those interested in playing this game may want to learn more by watching the following video.

Dream League Soccer Facts and Trivia

• Dream League Soccer has over 50 million downloads on Google Play Store, which named it amongst the winners for best football game of 2016.
• The 2017 cover of the game features Aaron Ramsey and Diego Costa wearing a Chelsea shirt, even though Costa signed for Atletico Madrid in September 2017.
• The makers of Dream League Soccer, First Touch Games, are also the company behind Score! Hero.

Soccer Star 2017 Top Leagues

Overview

Soccer Star is one of the most popular games on the Android platform, produced by Genera Games Studio, with controls provided for a single finger. The game is available in English and Spanish.

The objective of the game is to control one player and make them as successful as possible, starting at minor league level and guiding them all the way to the World Cup.

Soccer Stars 2017 Top Leagues Game Snapshots 1

As with some other games, you will not be playing whole matches. Instead there is a continuous narration, and players have to intervene at key moments, such as when a free kick needs to be taken, or a cross made. Between games, users can take control of their player’s activities, by going to training to improve skills, and managing relationships with teammates, the manager and fans. They also need to buy books, energy drinks and other items.

Soccer Stars 2017 Top Leagues Download link for Android

Soccer Stars 2017 Top Leagues Download link for iOS

Pros and Cons

For some this is one of the best free online games available, with a number of reviewers noting how addictive it can be. Fans of the game praise the level of play and enjoy the fact that it concentrates on all aspects of a player’s life, not just what happens on the field.

However, the graphics could do with some improvement, and the progression between levels can be slow. Gamers have also reported that it can be difficult to earn the money needed to buy the extras which players need.

Soccer Stars 2017 Top Leagues Game Snapshots 2

As this game is progressive – it is focused on one player advancing through the various levels – it is better suited to those who want a long-term involvement than a quick two or five minute fix when they have a bit of time to spare.

Soccer Stars 2017 Video Link

The following video gives an overview of this game. Please click to learn more.

Soccer Stars 2017 Top Leagues Facts and Trivia

• The game has already been downloaded more than a million times from the Google Play Store.
• The makers of Soccer Stars have also produced another successful football game, Soccer Star World Legend.
• With the Soccer Stars game, your player, if successful, can earn enough to buy a luxury home, a top of the range car, and a recreational boat.

Football Strike – Multiplayer Soccer

Overview

This is a football game which can be downloaded for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac where players compete against each other online in matches which only last 2 minutes, because all the action is concentrated on penalty shootouts.

Football Strike – Multiplayer Soccer Download link for Android

Football Strike – Multiplayer Soccer Download link for iOS

The controls are very simple – you swipe across the screen to kick the ball in the direction you want, whilst practicing the same moves when it is your turn to be in goal and want to move the goalkeeper.

Football Strike Multiplayer Game Snapshots 1

There are two main games – Shooting Race and Free Kicks. In the first one, your objective is to score more goals than your opponent in the allotted time. In the second one, you not only need to score goals but also to try and block attempts on goal using your goalkeeper. In addition, there is an entertainment mode where you can practice taking shots offline.

Pros and Cons

Football Strike is a game for football fans who love quick action with simple swipes as opposed to taking part in long, complicated matches. Whilst the controls are very simple to learn, mastering them can take time. This is especially true when it comes to more complicated actions, like curling a shot or positioning the goal-keeper. The graphics and sound are clean and detailed, without making the game too slow or heavy in download speed.

Football Strike Multiplayer Game Snapshots 2

However, on the downside, the game can become monotonous with repeated play. There are also problems playing in career mode, because players are only given 3 energy bars to progress, and there can be hours of tedium waiting for them to rejuvenate, which many users may find unappealing. Some users have also reported connectivity issues which have resulted in loss of the coins earned during the game.

This is a game designed for players who want a few minutes of diversion each day. If you are after a game that is more immersive and detailed, this is probably not for you.

Football Strike Multiplayer Soccer Video Link

Those interested in playing can learn more by clicking on the video below.

Football Strike – Multiplayer Soccer Facts and Trivia

• To master the game and progress quickly through the levels, it is best to practice skills offline so as to avoid in-play penalties.
• Although this is a free game, pop up ads appear frequently, which can be distracting when the action is hotting-up.
• As with all the games on this list, there are online hacks available for players seeking additional coins and access to optional and advanced features.

Score! Hero

Overview

Unlike a number of other football games, with Score! Hero you are not controlling an entire team but just one player. Furthermore, you are not taking part in an entire match, just certain key moments within each match.

Score! Hero Download link for Android

Score! Hero Download link for iOS

This may mean, for example, scoring a last minute winner, or helping your team come from several goals down. Whatever the situation, you are participating in the most important elements of each match, whether scoring or assisting.

Score! Hero Game snapshots 1

The mode of play is simple – slide your finger across the screen to trace the path of the ball. This also allows you to swerve the ball, perform headers and other manoeuvres.

Pros and Cons

One of the main advantages of the Score! Hero is that it is simple to play, and yet it makes you feel fully invested in the action. As the outcome of every game has been determined in advance, there is little you can do to influence the result, which means that there are simply matches a player cannot win. Some may find this discouraging, whilst others may argue that it accurately reflects the life of the average football club.

Score! Hero Game snapshots 2

A disadvantage of the game is that, whilst it is free-to-play at a basic level, if you want to unlock some of the advanced features, you either have to part with some cash, or you have to earn them through your play.

Score! Hero Video Link

To get a feel for this game, please click on this video below.

Score! Hero – Facts and Trivia

• Score! Hero has over 500 levels of play available as you try and guide your chosen player from nothing to legendary status.
• Hero Bux are the premium currency in this game and need to be spent wisely. They can be earned, periodically by watching short video advertisements, so players should watch out for the camera icon that appears sometimes on the map.
• Score! Hero is available in twelve languages which, apart from English, include Spanish, French, German, Korean and even Chinese.

Shoot Goal – Penalty and Freekick Soccer Game

Overview

Developed by Spanish company Bambo Studios, Shoot Goal Penalty and Freekick is available on both iOS and Android devices.

Shoot Goal – Penalty and Freekick Soccer Game Download link for Android

Shoot Goal – Penalty and Freekick Soccer Game Download link for iOS

Unlike some other football games, Shoot Goal does not focus on an entire match but instead is concentrated on key moments when a player is awarded a free kick or penalty which they need to score to win the game.

Shoot Goal Penalty and Freekick Game snapshots 1

Using a simple slide of the finger, players need to bend the ball around and over the wall and past the goalkeeper, with the degree of difficulty getting harder depending on where on the field the free kick is awarded. It is also possible to play as a goalkeeper as well.

Players win matches and advance through tournaments, acquiring more skills and techniques as they advance through the various game levels.

Pros and Cons

Basic controls are easy, requiring just a slide of the finger to change the trajectory of a shot, whilst there are increasing levels of difficulty on offer depending on where the free kick occurs  and the angle to the goal.

Shoot Goal Penalty and Freekick Game snapshots 2

However, one of the major drawbacks of the game for many users are the adverts which appear with irritating frequency. Although there is a facility which allows a user to disable the adverts for a nominal sum, this either does not work, or is designed not to work, as adverts continued to appear.

The graphics are mediocre, and some players have complained that the ball does not move in a true fashion in the air.

Shoot Goal – Penalty and Freekick Video Link

Shoot Goal Penalty and Freekick – Facts and Trivia

• The game is available on iPad, iPad Touch or iPhone, but users will need to be on iOS 9.0 or higher and have at least 107 MB of free memory to install the game. For Android users, they will need version 15.0 or above.
• Other football games developed by the same company include Soccer Fight 2017, Football Soccer Fight and Dream Soccer Stars.
• They also produce a number of other free sports games to download, including Tennis Player Fight, Extreme Downhill Racing Car and Basketball Player Fight.