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I’ve been super addicted to Inazuma Eleven Victory Road for the last month, and my head is full of football 24/7. Which in turn made me wonder about other football games available on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
There aren’t that many, but what I found is enough to satisfy different types of players, even those that aren’t fans of football games in general, such as myself.
With this said, here are the best Nintendo Switch football/soccer games I could find, ranked by how faithful they are to the actual Sports:
JRPG Football
Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
I’m utterly addicted to Inazuma Eleven Victory Road, but this is definitely not a game for everyone due to its RPG elements.
While you can control your players on the field like a traditional football game, there are several moments where the game stops or slows down so you can choose your next move. Such as aiming your shots, sending your defenders to the right play, or even activating a special attack.
You can expect a lengthy 20-30 hours of Story Mode, in which you’ll play 0 football games for the first 3 hours. It sounds bad, but it’s part of the story, and I actually enjoyed it since I’m an RPG fan.
There are other modes in which you can play football right away, like the Chronicle Mode, and it’s where I’ve spent about 70% of my time with this game. You can play through every important match of the entire franchise while recruiting players along the way and building your perfect team.
However, the way you get these players is mainly through RNG drops or an in-game gacha, in which you won’t need to spend a dime.
It’s a super grindy game, but very enjoyable.
Arcade Football
Mario Strikers
Next up we have the arcade football games, and of course I’ll start with Mario Strikers.
You have two options here. First, there’s the original Mario Striker, available on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Subscription only available on the Nintendo Switch 2.
While it’s an old game, I’ve played it, and it’s definitely better than the most recent title, Mario Striker Battle League on Switch, by a long shot in terms of content and gameplay, featuring way more items, characters, and modes.
Mario Strikers Battle League, on the other hand, is just bland. It had some cool ideas when it came to Battle Gears and mixing two sides of different stages, but, apart from that, it has nothing else going for it in terms of gameplay. You can actually play the entire single-player content in a couple of hours and never touch it again.
They bet everything on the online mode, and it cost them greatly. Today it’s a desert, and you can hardly find a match, leaving you with almost nothing to enjoy in single player.
It can still be a fun experience as a party game with a couple of friends around, and you can even try the demo yourself if I haven’t convinced you enough. Once you do, you’ll have experienced most of the game without spending a dime, trust me.
So, you might as well play the original on Switch Online.
Captain Tsubasa – Rise of New Champions
Captain Tsubasa was and will always be the king of football anime. Sure, Inazuma Eleven and Blue Lock are amazing in their own right, but we must not forget the one that paved the path.
However, this is until a super exaggerated anime game with over-the-top animations and special attacks that will make you feel as if you’re watching the anime.
In terms of complexity, it’s a step ahead of Mario Strikers but not overly complicated. You’ll have your typical 11-man match, and you can control each individually at any given time, and mastering the controls is straightforward.
There are also a few single-player modes to enjoy, and I’d like to highlight the Story Mode. It will take you around 15-20 hours to complete, and you’ll relive the most memorable arc in Captain Tsubasa, the National Middle School Soccer Tournament.
Growing up, I used to watch this anime, and since not all the episodes were available here right away, they would repeat sections over and over. Making this arc the most memorable yet for me.
Beyond this, there are other single-player modes, such as the New Hero Mode. Where you’ll create a new avatar and aim to become the world champions alongside recognizable players from the show, and it’s super fun to go through as well.
But, if this is not enough for you, there’s also the option to go online. Surprisingly, I managed to find a match or two recently, but I got stomped since I was clearly matched against veterans.
In sum, if you like football and have watched Captain Tsubasa once in your life, pick this up.
Simulation Football
EA Sports FC 26
Next up, we have the game for real football fans that enjoy tactical gameplay, EA Sports FC 26.
Unfortunately for me, I don’t enjoy these types of games at all, but for the first time ever, I actually saw someone play a match from start to finish and finally understood why people enjoy FIFA games.
As I mentioned, it’s very tactical, and while watching, sometimes I felt like I was watching a real football match. There are many options and freedom in the way you control the ball and the player, which enhances the simulation aspect of the game.
And, I’m not going to lie, I almost bought the game since it’s both on sale on Switch 1 and Switch 2. But there’s one thing that stopped me entirely. The microtransactions.
From what I’ve gathered, these games have become quite predatory, featuring loot boxes you must spend real money on to get better players required to advance in Ranked.
Inazuma Eleven also has loot boxes/gacha mechanics, but at least you don’t need to pay more than what you’ve paid already.
However, there’s also the option of playing the Seasons mode, where you play online with a team and try to go up in divisions, and it looks to be much better than the ranked mode in Ultimate Team. So, if you want to play online against good players without worrying much about microtransactions, just go for this mode!
The BEST Football Games on Switch 1 and 2?
These are not just the best football/soccer games on Switch, but also your only relevant options, frankly. There are a few more like Golazo, Soccer Story, and Pocket Soccer that you can try, but every other game in their category does a better job.
Although Golazo looks pretty cool, and based on the reviews I saw, I can definitely recommend that one as well.
For now, those were my picks. Thanks for reading, and if everything goes well, I’ll be seeing you next time with brand-new content!