Long-Awaited Soccer Game ‘GOALS’ Now Free To Play On PC, Consoles

InnovationGamingLong-Awaited Soccer Game ‘GOALS’ Now Free To Play On PC, ConsolesByMatt Gardner,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. A British writer who specializes in indie gaming and LEGO.Follow AuthorJun 04, 2026, 01:24pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.After years of development, 'GOALS' is finally available to play for free on PC and consoles.GOALSAfter 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.”MORE FOR YOUHe 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 dig...