New football game hits 1 million players in its first day of full release as fans react to gameplay

A new multiplayer-focused football game has been well-received on Steam as it attempts to compete against the likes of EA FC and eFootball.

Rematch is an online 5v5 multiplayer football game that has been described by developers Sloclap as being "a new, immersive take on the most popular sport in the world with a third-person perspective."

Much like Rocket League, the game is a fast-paced arcade-style title, where two teams play against each other in closed virtual reality arenas.

The online experience also offers a selection of competitive modes and every season will feature new game modes and add more cosmetic content.

There are no fouls, penalties, free kicks, offsides, throw-ins or goal kicks, so if you're a stickler for the rules, then Rematch might not be the game for you.

As mentioned above, the game is fully online, meaning you'll be able to play alongside friends on the same team, or be automatically teamed up with random players.

"Designed from the ground up as an online multiplayer experience, Rematch offers split-second gameplay responsiveness that always feels fair," say Sloclap.

The five-a-side game launched on June 19 and soon, Rematch hit a peak of 92,841 concurrent Steam players, which was 30,000 more than closest competitors EA Sports FC 25, according to PcGamesn.

On Friday afternoon, Rematch announced that, across all formats and storefronts, the game has racked up over one million unique players.

"One million unique players in 24 hours. Seeing so many of you jump into Rematch on day one is incredible," they wrote on X. "The whole team is super grateful! And already hard at work on fixing and improving the game. We are just getting started."

Image credit: Rematch

Based on its early reviews, Rematch is currently rated at 7/10 on Steam, while the multiplayer game is currently sat on a very respectable Metacritic score of 74%.

Here's some fan reaction to the new game.

One said: "Possibly the best arcade football game I have ever played. High initial learning curve, but the payoff is extremely rewarding. Even playing goalkeeper is extremely fun."

A second wrote: "Amazing game play, great graphics, not a lot of game modes and also a little overpriced, but overall this game is worth buying."

A third said: "Finally a game that makes the action of controlling and pushing a football a fun and challenging gameplay. And finally free from EA, 10/10."

A fourth added: "Very fun game. Can get frustrating depending on your teammates, but that's every online game ever. Even if you don't know/like football I can still very much recommend this game, it's just fun. I just hope they add in more content. More stuff to unlock and eventually fun events."