Although story-driven sports games are not unheard of — and even big studios like Codemasters have recently returned to creating more bespoke single-player story content for their juggernauts — focusing on the narrative experience is certainly not the norm for the genre. That’s exactly what makes Football Story, an upcoming indie game from fructus temporum and Polden Publishing, such an interesting prospect.

Football Story will feature four different campaigns, each focusing on a unique character. Among them are Wanda, whose goal is to earn enough money from playing soccer to purchase a new washing machine for her family, and Tommy, who participates in underground matches to defend him and his brother’s reputation.

All characters will be fully customizable with clothes and accessories earned from missions and multiplayer matches. The game’s pixel art style looks incredibly detailed, bringing a flourishing city and its inhabitants to life.

Speaking of the city, players can go out and explore the neighborhood, finding side missions to complete or shops to browse.

On the sports side of things, players will need to manage their soccer team and keep track of their own characters’ training regimen, lest they lose their edge over their rivals. Reputation is major in the world of street soccer, so one can never be in too great shape.

The matches themselves obviously won’t rival EA FC or eFootball in terms of simulation detail or visuals, but look to be action-packed and thrilling until the last minute, which is the perfect accompaniment to the story-focused package this indie hopes to deliver.

Football Story is targeting a release in early 2026 on PC.