Apple Arcade currently has two offerings for football fans, and they complement each other nicely. One is Charrua Soccer, and is the more arcade-like experience of the two, with a focus on fun, made obvious by its cartoonish player depictions. Having said that, it still carries a satisfying level of depth, and has a bucketload of gameplay options, tournaments, teams and so on.

Apple Arcade’s second offering is Sociable Soccer 2020 from Tower Studios and Combo-Breaker, and it’s clearly aiming to be more simulation-based, with its studs more firmly grounded in reality.

With two such high quality options available, I’d recommend checking out both titles.

After doing a recount, there’s currently 142 games vying for your attention on Apple Arcade, with a diversity and level of quality that this writer finds astounding. With the service being little more than a year old, and only so many hours in a day, I’ve yet to dig deep into many of the games on my radar.

But word on the street is there’s a big update just over the horizon for Sociable Soccer 2020, and so with major changes on the way, I thought now would be a good time to reacquaint myself with this version of The Beautiful Game.

Mash the continue button below for more.

Sociable Soccer 2020 joined Apple Arcade’s roster on 8 November 2019, and since then has already evolved considerably.

July 2020 saw a huge update, with control, AI and graphical improvements, as well as a massive addition to content, with the game now boasting more than 1000 teams, over 25,000 upgradeable players, and stacks of tournaments in a variety of difficulty levels.

Daily tournaments are presented, and there are rewards for logging in regularly, but the quality of the gameplay itself is all that’s needed to warrant return visits.

Sociable Soccer 2020 is not perfect. Last night I commenced my rediscovery of this Apple Arcade gem, playing yesterday’s 12 daily matches, and also finding time to win the Oceanian Cup (yes I know, I’ve only scratched the surface). During my playtime it felt as though my goalies were often seeming to dive after they’d saved a goal and secured the ball, and also found my goalie saving the vast majority of penalties, which didn’t feel right. I got to a point where I was relieved to be on the wrong side of a penalty as there might have been a better chance of going down a goal had normal play continued.

Still, niggles aside, my Friday night was one well spent, and I’m very much looking forward to my next session, in which I plan to dominate the African Champions Cup.

With my beloved Barcelona taking on Atletico de Madrid tomorrow in the real world of La Liga, I feel this rediscovery of SS2020 will complement my fandom nicely, and make for good company during any season breaks (although breaks are few and far between these days).

Passing feels crisp and confident, as does tackling. I developed an instinct for knowing when I’d fouled an opposing player before the ref had even blown the whistle, as it was graphically obvious and it just felt like correct decisions were being made, adding to the realism of the gameplay. I never really felt robbed by a poor decision (or at least my brain didn’t, even if my heart did).

Out of the many matches I played last night, scores were very much in the nature of what you’d expect – 2-2, 1-0, 1-1 and so on. I didn’t have any ridiculous basketball score blowouts, which also added to the realism.

A variety of coaches can be selected from, and matches will earn currency with which you can upgrade your players. Or you can sell some outright if you can’t afford the upgrade you want.

Apple TV 4K is my platform of choice for SS2020, as it has the quality of a console title, with the beautiful big (fan-filled!) stadiums filling my 60 inch flatscreen with greenery and action. With Apple Arcade of course, it’s nice knowing my progress will follow me across my Mac, iPhone and iPad as well (best gaming subscription service ever!).

I look forward to watching (and playing) Sociable Soccer 2020’s ongoing evolution. Bring it on.

Check out the trailer:

If you’re new to The Apple TV Gaming Blog (ATVG), or just new to Apple TV gaming in general, or both, then the best place to get acquainted is our Best Apple TV Games of 2020 article. You’ll find a great collection of games to play, and a bunch of useful links to our previous site content. Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.