The original PlayStation was host to dozens of association football titles. Some remain players to this very day, while the rest eventually fell into the dustbin of time.
The two major players, FIFA and ISS/Pro Evolution Soccer didn’t begin life on fifth generation systems, but it was on PS1 (and N64) where they set themselves apart. There were, however, still a few PS1 football games still worth playing beyond the big two. Enough for a five-a-side, in fact.
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There is just one rule. We are covering games where you control the play in real-time only. Once we’ve hung up our boots, we’ll hit the dugout for Mr. Manager games.
FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (1997)
EA knew they needed to go big with FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 after FIFA ’96 and FIFA ’97‘s critical failures. The game engine is far snappier and more responsive than FIFA ’97. The animations are now linked up in a somewhat fluid fashion.
Within its fine balance of simulation complexity and arcade immediacy, you could play the beautiful game beautifully.
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EA also began to flex their financial muscle in terms of licencing and off-field finery. They bought the official World Cup licence. EA licenced every single one of the 172 teams that entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and this allows a perfect rendition of the qualifiers.
There are 11 fully licenced leagues with over 180 club teams. Some of the world’s most famous cathedrals of the sport are here, and shown off wonderfully in a CGI cutscene before every game.
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FIFA: RtWC 98 is pure late-90’s cool and, at the time, it possessed a popular appeal that owed a lot to its application of licensed music. The game was inviting to mature or non-gamer soccer fans in a way that its competitors could not match. The game is also a harbinger of the party playlists that sports titles universally carry to this day.
The balance of speed and complexity still holds up, though the AI won’t keep up with you for long. FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 is probably best enjoyed with a friend, but it’s a PS1 football game still worth playing nonetheless.
Actua Soccer 3 (1998)
The only game on this list which presents an OK PS1 football experience on the pitch, but is still worth revisiting for matters outside the actual matches. Actua Soccer 3 is the third and last full game in the Gremlin-developed series.
The series had been left behind by FIFA and ISS Pro in terms of raw gameplay by the time of Actua Soccer 3‘s 1998 release, but the game is still a decent kickabout.
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The appeal nowadays mostly lies in the licencing and the season mode. Actua Soccer 3 is the first game since Sensible World of Soccer to let you play in divisions outside the top flight.
Every team in the Premier League and the three divisions of the Football League are here, along with lower divisions in a smattering of other top European Leagues.
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Similarly, the 10,000 players or so are all licenced, as well as over two dozen stadiums. In total, there are over 30 stadiums to play in. There are earnest attempts at the more famous players’ faces. Actua Soccer 3 also features a comprehensive editing suite which is more comical that useful these days.
Actua Soccer 3 features a fully implemented season mode. Again, this is the first since Sensible World of Soccer to feature such a mode. It’s genuinely cool to be able to relive that season in its entirety, complete with relegations, promotions and European qualification.
Libero Grande International (2000)
Libero Grande was an innovative arcade game by Namco that put players in the shoes of one of a limited number of star players. While the roster of unlicenced star players to choose from was rather small, the game’s novel focus on a single player made it stand out from its contemporaries.
Libero Grande would later be ported to PS1 and it remains one of the system’s soccer games worth playing today. However, its sequel, Libero Grande International, would be build from the ground up for consoles and represents the better package to revisit today.
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While the original game only allowed for the player to choose one-to-three stars for each team, Libero Grande International allows you to choose from any player on the 48 teams in the game.
And this includes the goalkeeper. Long before FIFA‘s Be a Pro mode, Libero Grande International did it all.
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The controls hold up remarkably well, and Libero Grande International‘s teammate AI can hold their own. You can still force them to shoot, pass or tackle, but you don’t need to. You can also make your own pro to slot into any national side, to put yourself at the centre of the game.
The sheer novelty makes Libero Grande International still worth a spin, but it holds up remarkably well otherwise.
This is Football 2 (2000)
Sony put big money and talented developers behind 1999’s This is Football. The game was a slower and more deliberate attempt at simulation, and sold well enough to garner a sequel just one year later.
This is Football 2 is better in every respect than its predecessor. More teams, more players, tighter and more responsive controls. Like Actua Soccer 3, you can play as teams in lower divisions. Like Actua Soccer 3, it features a season mode.
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Unlike Actua Soccer 3, This is Football 2 is on this list on strength of its gameplay alone. It’s still a terrific PS1 football game that well worth digging out 25 years later.
This is Football 2 features tonnes of content to unlock should you be tempted to dive back in. There is a schoolyard league, complete with jumpers for goalposts and literal kids chasing a ball. The Time Warp league features classic World Cup winning sides as well as dominant clubs in domestic and European competitions.
While all others fell to the Konami/EA duopoly before the next generation of consoles hit the market, This is Football had a brief run on PlayStation 2, picking up four caps.
It also represented Sony at junior level with three runouts on PSP. By 2005, TiF too was swept away by the populist appeal of Pro Evolution Soccer and the brute force marketing behind FIFA. To this day, TiF remains the last true challenger to the two.
ISS Pro Evolution/Pro Evolution Soccer (1999-2002)
Konami released four games in the west using the ISS Pro Evolution engine and each is still as playable as the last. ISS Pro Evolution was a half-generation ahead of its predecessor International Superstar Pro ’98, which itself was the very best soccer game on PlayStation until Evolution took that mantle.
ISS Pro Evolution had a depth and skill ceiling that sports games (outside of racing games) often lacked. The game made you work for your goals, dribbling was demanding and rewarding in equal measures, passing was fluid.
The first title, ISS Pro Evolution, launched the Master League. However, it was a little barebones and was a little rough around the edges. ISS Pro Evolution 2 not only polished the gameplay to a mirror shine, it also introduced real player names, a second division, and injuries that added some dynamism to the mode.
Konami moved their focus to PlayStation 2 as soon as ISS Pro Evolution 2 hit store shelves, and Pro Evolution Soccer and Pro Evolution Soccer 2 for PS1 would see modest improvements. Even with these little changes, they were still miles ahead of the pack.
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Any of the four Evolution games are worth playing nowadays. Their role in establishing how soccer was played on consoles means they are very easy to get back into. Most of modern football’s moves and tricks are here, and laid out in much the same way as today’s offerings.
While the AI and strategy sets of those four games are primitive by the standards of today, they still present enough challenge and flexibility to make them the PS1 football games still worth playing above all others.
Honourable Mentions
PS1 was home to many football games that delighted gamers back in the day. However, only this select few are worthy of investing time (and money) into beyond a hit of nostalgia.
Michael Owen’s World League Soccer ’99 offered 8,000 or so players from over 400 teams. A season mode gave it some longevity. However, the sluggish controls and stilted animations are tough to get back into in 2025. Even for someone like myself, who played many hours of Michael Owen’s World League Soccer ’99 on PC back in the day, as well as the UEFA Champions’ League series which was based on the same engine.
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Michael Owen’s World League Soccer ’99 features an opening cutscene featuring the titular (possibly Welsh) England legend. Owen delivers his two lines with the enthusiasm and warmth of a man whose family is being held at gunpoint just off camera.
Viva Football is a game I wanted to love back in 1998, and wanted to love again as I played dozens of soccer titles to compile this list. The premise is that players can recreate any World Cup qualifying phase or final tournament from 1958 to 1998.
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There are over 1,000 national teams to choose from, with over 10,000 licensed players covering four decades of the world’s most watched sporting event. The intro cutscene is outstanding, featuring moments from the eleven tournaments covered within the game. Maradona’s Hand of God, the Battle of Santiago, and Roberto Baggio’s 1994 final penalty miss, are just three of the moment captured in low-poly glory.
However, Viva Football has never been fun to actually play. Not in 1998, and certainly not now.
