The Soccer game that started a best-selling series licensed by football's world governing body used a dimetric viewpoint, previously unusual in football games but quickly imitated by several titles. The televisual presentation, one of the unique points of the early EA Sports titles, with hosts introducing the matches, was another thing making the game stand out from a market dominated by Sensible Soccer and Kick Off games.
The gameplay in Soccer is based on international teams with fictional player names. The abilities of each player are rated out of 10 to give the player an overall impression of how good they are. The options available include toggling fouls and offsides, setting match length, and operating a timer continuously or only while the ball is in play. Players can use quick runs, short passes, blistering shots outside the penalty box, and set pieces by moving a box into the target area for the ball, then passed, lobbed, or kicked directly. On the tactical side, formations can be selected with 5 different strategies available, as well as team coverage, which determines where defenders, midfielders, and strikers cover.