Soccer Games Online Tips: Head Soccer, Penalties, Free Kicks
Updated
Soccer games online come in four main kinds: head soccer, where two big-headed players jump and kick on a small pitch; penalties, one shot against one keeper; free kicks, where you bend the ball around a wall; and full matches with teams. Each needs its own habit: timing the jump, picking a corner, judging curve and wind, or passing. Below are tips for each, with games from the soccer games category and the wider sports games category.
Kinds of soccer games
| Kind | What decides it | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Head soccer | Jump timing and where you stand | Heroes Head Ball |
| Penalties | Aim, power and reading the keeper | Ultra Kick: Goal Crazy |
| Goalkeeping | Reacting to the shot | Mini Goalkeeper |
| Free kicks | Curve, power and wind | Curve Free Kick |
| Full matches | Passing, tackling and space | Squad Goals: Soccer 3D |
Head soccer: how it works
Head soccer is a one-on-one game on a small pitch. Each side has one player with an oversized head who can move, jump and kick, and goals count from the foot or the head. The side with more goals at the end wins.
- Heroes Head Ball lets you pick 1 of 10 characters and play the computer or a friend. Alone you use the arrow keys with Z and X. In two-player mode one player has WASD with N and M, and the other has the arrow keys with Num1 and Num2.
- Head Ball Challenge has a Career Mode and matches against a friend on the same device. Move with W, A and D or the arrow keys, and shoot with Space or K.
- Bubblehead Ball moves on A and D, jumps on W and shoots on J and K.
- League of Football plays 2D matches in Quick Match, Tournament and 2-player modes, with fireball shots, teleport tricks and slide tackles. On a phone you tap to kick and hold to charge a powerful shot.
Habits that win head soccer matches:
- Stay between the ball and your own goal.
- Jump to meet a high ball with your head instead of waiting for it to land.
- Charge a shot only when you have time. On a phone, League of Football charges a powerful shot while you hold the tap.
Head basketball works the same way; see basketball games tips.
Penalties: scoring
A real penalty is taken from the penalty spot, 12 yards (11 meters) from the goal line, with only the goalkeeper to beat, as Wikipedia's article on the penalty kick explains.
- Ultra Kick: Goal Crazy asks you to aim with a moving cursor, charge the power and shoot. It has four shot types: normal, curve ball, power blast and chip shot. Chain goals for hat-trick bonuses, spend on skills in the Transfer Market, and beat three boss goalkeepers called The Wall, Lightning Hands and the Oracle.
- Penalty Challenge Multiplayer gives you 5 kicks to beat the goalie and 5 of your opponent's kicks to save. Swipe to shoot, and move the mouse or your finger to move the keeper's gloves. Pick one of 32 teams and play in multiplayer mode, against the computer or against a friend on the same device.
- Shoot Penalty has you choose the part of the goal to aim at, then drag the mouse in the direction of the kick. An extra player runs across in front of the goal, so the ball has to miss him as well as the keeper.
- GoalKings is a shooting battle: aim carefully, control the power and choose the moment, then stand in goal and block the other side's shots.
- Football Penalty is a run of penalty duels at targets, with cones and boxes in the way. Trophies pay for new balls.
Two tips carry across all of them: read the goalkeeper before you shoot, and aim for the corners, where the keeper has the farthest to go. Ultra Kick asks for both.
Penalties: saving
- Mini Goalkeeper has the computer shoot while you swipe to send your goalie to the ball.
- Super Goalkeeper moves your keeper as you move the mouse left and right. You win matches by conceding fewer goals.
- Goal Arena 3D has you guard your goal against 3 opponents: swipe left and right to move your keeper, score against them, and make your 3 chances last.
- Ultimate PK switches roles: swipe to shoot, then tap or click the keeper's gloves to defend. You can challenge a friend on the same device.
Free kicks: curve, power and wind
In real soccer the wall must stand at least 10 yards (9.15 meters) from the ball, and the taker either strikes it as hard as possible or curls it around the wall or the keeper, as the free kick article describes. Free-kick games give you both choices.
- Curve Free Kick spells out its physics. Move behind the ball and choose your run-up: the wider the angle, the more the ball curves, and the longer the run-up, the harder the shot. Wind blows from the left or right on every level and pushes the ball in the air, so curve with the wind for a huge swerve or against it to cancel it out. The keeper can be fooled by both wind and spin. There are 12 levels, from central free kicks to tight angles near the corner flag, and 10 tries, with every goal giving one back.
- Free Kick is a drag with your finger to kick, and a drag and swipe to curve the ball past obstacles and barriers.
- Free Kick Master has 3 stadiums with modes such as penalty, free kick and wall. You steer the flight of the ball with the mouse or a finger, and harder hits on the target earn more money for new balls.
- Free Kick Challenge 2026 gives you 90 seconds to score as many goals as you can, while more defenders join as you go.
- Euro Freekick Frenzy has you fix the horizontal and vertical aim by pressing Space. Early goals are worth more than later ones.
Free-kick habits:
- Read the wind before you choose the run-up in Curve Free Kick.
- Decide what the kick needs. In Curve Free Kick a wider angle gives more curve and a longer run-up more power.
- Make the first goals count in Euro Freekick Frenzy, since they score more than late ones.
Full matches
- Squad Goals: Soccer 3D has no cards, fouls or offsides. Drag to run and release to slide, shoot or pass, or run with the arrow keys or WASD and press Space. Whoever scores first wins, in Arena or Team vs Team.
- KickAround Live is online multiplayer for 1 to 8 people per match. Move with WASD, dash with Space, Ctrl or Shift, pass, head or tackle with the left mouse button, and loft the ball or switch player with the right one.
- Car Football 3D is soccer with a car: W is gas, S brakes, A and D steer, Space is the handbrake and Shift boosts.
- Tank Soccer Battle 1 2 3 4 Player puts up to four tanks on one keyboard. Blow up the other tanks, but the player who gets the ball into the goal wins.
- Ragdoll Soccer is physics soccer with a 1 player puzzle mode and a 2 player match. Release the launch rope with Space or L, and try to stay in one piece.
Soccer games FAQ
How do you score more goals in soccer games?
Aim away from the keeper and toward the corners, and set the power before you shoot. Ultra Kick and GoalKings both come down to aim, power and the moment you release.
Can two players play soccer games on one keyboard?
Yes. Heroes Head Ball, Head Ball Challenge, League of Football, Ragdoll Soccer and Tank Soccer Battle have two-player modes, and Ultimate PK and Penalty Challenge Multiplayer let a friend play on the same device. Minicars Soccer, played with cars, is in 2 player games on one keyboard.
What is head soccer?
A one-on-one soccer game with big-headed players on a small pitch. You move, jump and kick, and you can score with your foot or your head.
The soccer games category has more matches, shootouts and trick-shot games.
