Soccer Random — Play Free Online

What is Soccer Random?

Soccer Random is a two-button physics soccer game from the team behind TwoPlayerGames.org, and you can play it free here on retrobowl.me. Each side has two floppy ragdoll players, and a single key makes both of them jump and swing a leg at the ball. The first team to score 5 goals wins. What makes it different is the "random" part: after every goal the game can swap the ball, the pitch, the goals, and even how the players look.

It is part of the same family as Basket Random and Volley Random, so if you know those, you already know the controls. People search for it as soccer random, random soccer, or football random, and it is a common pick for anyone on a Retro Bowl site who wants a quick soccer match instead of American football. Rounds last seconds, not minutes, so it also works well on a school Chromebook for a short break, where many students look for it unblocked.

Key features

• One-key controls: Each team uses just one key, and pressing it makes both of its players jump and kick at the same time.
• Two-on-two matches: Every match is blue against red, with two ragdoll players per side.
• 1 player or 2 players: The start screen has a 1P button to play the computer and a 2P button for two people on one keyboard or screen.
• Random changes after goals: New balls, new pitches, new goal shapes, and new player looks can show up after each point.
• Four ball types: A regular soccer ball, an American football, a big ball, and a small ball.
• Three pitches: A grass field in the city, a slippery snow field, and a beach with the sea, ships, and mountains behind it.
• First to 5: A full match ends as soon as one team reaches 5 goals.
• Touch support: On phones and tablets you get two big on-screen buttons, one for each team.

How to play Soccer Random

1. Press the 1P button to play against the computer, or the 2P button to play a friend on the same device.
2. Wait for the ball to drop at the start of the point.
3. Press your key to make both of your players jump and kick. Timing matters more than speed, because a jump at the wrong moment sends your players flying the wrong way.
4. Knock the ball into the other team's goal. A "GOAL!" banner shows who scored.
5. After each goal, look at what changed: the ball, the field, the goals, or the players.
6. Keep going until one team reaches 5 goals. Use the pause button if you need to stop.

Soccer Random controls

Action	Keyboard	Mouse or Touch
Player 1: jump and kick (both players)	Up arrow	Tap the Player 1 button
Player 2: jump and kick (both players)	W	Tap the Player 2 button
Start a 1 player or 2 player game	None	Click or tap 1P or 2P
Pause	None	Click or tap the pause button

In a 1 player game, the computer controls the other team. In a 2 player game, one person uses the Up arrow and the other uses W, so you can share one keyboard.

What changes after each goal

The first point of every match uses the normal setup: a regular ball, normal goals, standard players, and the grass pitch. From the second point on, the game rolls new random settings before each kickoff. Here is how often each change comes up.

What changes	Options	How often
Ball	Regular ball, American football, big ball, small ball	Regular ball half the time; each of the other three about 1 in 6
Pitch	Grass field in the city, snow, beach	Grass half the time; snow and beach about 1 in 4 each
Players	Normal, big heads, tiny bald heads, shirtless with no shoes	Normal about 2 in 3; each special look about 1 in 9
Goals	Normal goals or one of two different goal shapes	Normal about 2 in 3

Ball sizes and pitches

The ball and the ground change how a point plays out, so it helps to know what each one does.

Ball	Chance after the first point	What to expect
Regular ball	1 in 2	The normal round ball with steady bounces
Big ball	About 1 in 6	A larger target that is easier to reach
American football	About 1 in 6	An oval ball, so bounces are less even
Small ball	About 1 in 6	A smaller target that is easy to swing past

The snow pitch makes players slip and wobble more than on grass. The beach has its own sandy ground with the sea behind it.

Tips and strategy

• Do not spam the key: Both of your players jump every time you press, so tapping nonstop leaves them flipping around and your goal empty.
• Let the ball come to you: Jump when the ball is close to your front player's leg, not when it is still high in the air.
• Guard your net: When the ball is rolling toward your goal, a badly timed jump lifts both of your players off the ground at once and can leave the net open.
• Change your timing for each ball: Jump a bit earlier for the big ball and wait longer for the small ball, which is easy to swing past.
• Stay calm on snow: Players slide more on the snow pitch, so use fewer, well-timed jumps.
• Use the first point to learn: The opening point always has the normal setup, so use it to test how your opponent jumps.

Soccer Random game modes

1 player

You control one team with the Up arrow or the touch button, and the computer plays the other team.

2 players

Two people share one device. One uses the Up arrow and the other uses W, or each person taps their own side of the screen.

Versions and similar games

Soccer Random has sister games that use the same one-button, two-player idea. Try Basket Random for basketball and Volley Random for volleyball. For more silly soccer, play Heads Arena Soccer All Stars or Bumper Cars Soccer. And if you came for football with a capital F, Retro Bowl is the classic American football game this site is named after.

Developer and history

The game itself names TwoPlayerGames.org: the More button on the start screen links there. That site hosts the other Random games as well. The game does not show a release date or a studio credit beyond that link, so we leave those details out.