Skip to main content PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES Search PC Gamer View Profile Movies & TV Gaming Industry PC Gaming Show Newsletter Signup Community Guidelines Affiliate Links Meet the team About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine Subscription Why subscribe? Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag Try a single issue or save on a subscription Issues delivered straight to your door or device From£35.99View PC Gaming Show Summer Game Fest Dune: Awakening Elden Ring: Nightreign Recommended reading Rematch blew away my expectations—trailers don't do Sloclap's 5v5 football game justice Soccer fans should be paying attention to Rematch, the 5v5 game coming this summer from the developer of martial arts hit Sifu Rematch passes 100K Steam concurrents in open beta as 'Rocket League but with feet' turns out to be a winning idea Rematch: All the key details on the 5v5 football game from the masterminds behind Sifu 'Just make a very good game': Sloclap never considered making Rematch free-to-play, and dismisses the idea that online games can't succeed with a price tag Rematch, the soccer game from the maker of Sifu and Absolver, is holding an open beta this weekend It doesn't really make sense that soccer star Ronaldo is now a Fatal Fury character, but if you follow the money you can see how it happened Ball hogs and 'wannabe Messis' are already the heels of the Rematch community: 'Coach should run out onto the field and beat them with a stick' Justin Wagner 17 June 2025 Captain Tsubasa would be disappointed. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Sloclap) Rematch just isn't a game where you can 1v5. Goalkeepers are blessed with unlimited stamina, ball hogs are easily stolen from, and it's pretty easy to react to a lone player's desperate shot at the goal. That hasn't stopped some players from instantly dropping ten smackers on the Ronaldinho skin and treating the ball like the One Ring. Rematch is in the advanced access phase of its Steam launch (it's out in full on Thursday) and players on Reddit have already been bonding over a mutual disdain for anyone with anime protagonist syndrome, particularly those dressing up their characters to look like those from soccer manga Blue Lock. "During the beta I was wondering why every wannabe Messi who doesn't know where the pass button is had the same exact haircut," observed user fkitbaylife. "Looks like it has carried to release as well lol." Related Articles Rematch blew away my expectations—trailers don't do Sloclap's 5v5 football game justice Soccer fans should be paying attention to Rematch, the 5v5 game coming this summer from the developer of martial arts hit Sifu Rematch passes 100K Steam concurrents in open beta as 'Rocket League but with feet' turns out to be a winning idea The game launched with a skin available for $10 in the shop modeled after the Brazilian wizard himself, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, and some players are finding it's a reliable indicator of World Cup-grade egos. "Every single person who uses the Ronaldinho skin is trash as well," said Business_Criticism42 on the same thread. "Think they are the best thing since sliced bread trying to 1v1 everyone and never pass. I'm gonna continue to quit if I ever see a skin in a lobby." Of course, plenty of folks are just having fun and finding their footing in the world of Rocket League sans cars. X user GameParax laid out their experience of an earlier beta as a Blue Lock fan: "After playing Rematch all weekend I can 100% say everything they do in Blue Lock is justified, it's 1000% that serious." Reddit user The_Falenator also stood up for the soccer shonen community: "Not everyone is like this. I'm Tabito Karasu or Reo normally, but I'm a more defensive type of player and cant attack to save my life. I personally don't think I'm toxic myself, though." The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Underneath the jokes, the common complaint is that some players refuse to pass, a behavior they'll have to shed to move up the ranks. Players are debating whether there should be some more obvious mechanical incentive to convince these players that it's a team game. Reddit user Adventurous-Peak-778 argued that "without some kind of penalty, people have no need to pass;" though in the replies, Next-Cheesecake381 pointed out "the penalty is losing." Taking a more imaginative posture, MysteriousElephant15 replied: "Yeah, coach should run out onto the field and beat them with a stick." Suffice it to say, hogging the ball won't get you far and it certainly won't make you popular. No asymmetrical roles or carry mechanics exist to prop up all star players; the true mark of a great Rematch player will be the ability to make nice with strangers for the six minutes or so it takes to get through a game. "If they throw, play selfishly, be an asshole, then yeah, fuck them, but as a sub can we not just hate on everyone and anyone who likes Blue Lock and also plays Rematch," said SerowiWantsToInvest. Reddit user Jangerows, who started the thread calling in-game Blue Lock cosplayers "mediocre LARPers," issued a simple reply: "I'll try." If you're prepared to join hands with your fellow gamer, whether they love Blue Lock or have no idea what that is, and hit the pitch together, you can find Rematch on Steam. Justin Wagner Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time with pause combat. Any day now... You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Rematch blew away my expectations—trailers don't do Sloclap's 5v5 football game justice Soccer fans should be paying attention to Rematch, the 5v5 game coming this summer from the developer of martial arts hit Sifu Rematch passes 100K Steam concurrents in open beta as 'Rocket League but with feet' turns out to be a winning idea Rematch: All the key details on the 5v5 football game from the masterminds behind Sifu 'Just make a very good game': Sloclap never considered making Rematch free-to-play, and dismisses the idea that online games can't succeed with a price tag Rematch, the soccer game from the maker of Sifu and Absolver, is holding an open beta this weekend Latest in Sports 'The soundtrack to skate parks was punk rock music': Tony Hawk on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtracks, and how they shaped a generation of videogame skate kids All active Blade Ball codes in June 2025 and how to redeem them in Roblox Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 skater list: everyone confirmed so far Iron Galaxy has explained why Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 won't feature the career mode: 'Our goal here is to make the ultimate package' Bam Margera is officially returning to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 as a Secret Skater EA's Skate reboot is always online, and you know what that means Latest in News Ubisoft slows free currency gain in Rainbow Six Siege X to a pathetic crawl, then immediately drops its most expensive skin in 10 years Just 1 year after raising $340,000 on Kickstarter to make a 'vibrant' new JPRG, Studio Camelia abruptly closes Hades 2 adds nastier bosses and new weapon variants in its last major update before it leaves early access behind Dark and Darker will be purged from Epic Games Store libraries later this year, but it's still available on Steam for now 'I can't even hit anything': Path of Exile player watches helplessly as his mercenary wipes out screens of enemies before he can even reach them Marathon is delayed, new release date will be announced in the fall: 'We need more time to craft Marathon into the game that truly reflects your passion' HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads Best graphics card for laptops in 2025: the mobile GPUs I'd want in my next gaming laptop Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most Best 14-inch gaming laptop in 2025: The top compact gaming laptops I've held in these hands Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I've tested Sony WF-C510 review FBC: Firebreak review The Communist Manifesto – A Visual Novel review PowerColor Alphyn AM10 Wireless Gaming Mouse review Couchmaster Cycon3 review PC Gamer is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Contact Future's experts Terms and conditions Privacy policy Cookies policy Advertise with us Accessibility Statement Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Please login or signup to comment Please wait...