REMATCH has been a raging success, attracting millions of gamers on PlayStation, Xbox and PC since its launch in June.Â
While not perfect, it is a hugely entertaining multiplayer title, but it can be daunting for beginners to jump right into it when everyone else has had a big head start.
That’s why we’ve come up with some simple but essential tips for those who are just getting started. Good luck!
REMATCH: Beginner tips to help improve your game
Practise, practise, practise
Seems obvious, but you really should get as much practise in before you dive into matches. There’s a practise mode and various tutorials and challenges to help you get a hang of every aspect of the game, from goalkeeping and defending to ball control and finishing.
There’s also a freeplay mode where it’s just you and the ball so you can play around to your heart’s content. Of course, there is no substitute for the real thing and you will ultimately have to prove yourself on the field, but you should hone your skills in a pressure free zone first.
When you feel like you’re ready to get going, Quick Matches are the best place to start. 3v3 is ideal for beginners, allowing players plenty of space to try things out and express their abilities. You will, though, come across a lot of ball hoggers who would rather walk it in than pass.
It can be hard to get meaningful time on the ball as a beginner in 5v5, but I have found 4v4 a really nice sweet spot and those matches have been very enjoyable for me.
REMATCH Review – An undeniably fun but flawed game with bags of potential
Don’t overdo it
Following on from that point, there is temptation on the part of many players to play like Ronaldinho with endless rainbow flicks in an effort to beat the entire opposition singlehanded. It looks and feels great when you can pull it off, but it can often land you in trouble, especially when attempted in your own half. It also slows the game down, allowing the defence to regroup and potentially killing any chance that was on.
Rather than viewing the flicks and skills as the only weapon in your armoury, look at them as useful tools you can use to give yourself a bit of space when under pressure. When you get confident enough in your ability, you can even lure opponents in and break the lines with a simple flick over their heads.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to take the ball into contact. When you’re being closed down by a defender, you can take the ball backwards to give yourself an extra second or two to assess your options before passing it or getting a shot off. Dribble stance is also useful when trying to avoid being dispossessed.
Pass quickly, pass often
As I’ve touched on, there are plenty of selfish players in REMATCH. Sometimes you will get lucky and have someone on your team who is genuinely brilliant, but more often than not they will attempt flicks at every opportunity instead of passing, rarely score and barely ever track back. The worst kind of teammates.
Don’t be that person. Be the person who puts your squad in the best position to create chances and score goals. Keep it simple and pass when the pass is on. Your teammates will appreciate it, but it’s also a good strategy for success. The best teams I have come up against have all been willing to pass quickly and often, playing their way around an opposition who can’t get a hold of them while creating space for others.
A first-time pass can be lethal, too. I’ve been able to split defences open a number of times by diverting goal kicks and long balls to the opposite side of the pitch with a quick pass. You’re praying it’s accurate or there’s a player making a run onto it, but I’ve been surprised with how often I’ve pulled it off successfully. The opposition are generally not expecting it and it can open up an opportunity for a goal.
Lob passes also come in handy, but if you want to send it long then you can shoot it into your teammate’s direction.
Most importantly, call for the ball (by pushing the right analog stick down) if you’re in position to receive and listen to your teammates when they do the same. A direct line to them will be highlighted along the pitch, which is super handy when directing passes to players out of view.
AUDIO WARNING, solo queued in Rematch and this guy blares music down his mic round start and boots it at their net, and it goes in lmao, my goat pic.twitter.com/Tafx3KEmYk
— Ciara_Q🀄 (@Ciara0Elizabeth) July 5, 2025
Put some mustard on your shots
Scoring goals is the hardest part of the game. You may only get one or two chances a game, so you have to make them count.
One of the great things about this game is that you can score from almost anywhere and if you try your luck with an audacious attempt, then you might strike gold. But too often I’ve seen players through on goal, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, and hit a very saveable shot at the target.
In fairness, I have been guilty of this too, and shooting can be a tricky skill to master. REMATCH behaves more like a third-person shooter than your average football video game, as you use a reticle in the screen to aim your shots.
When possible, you should aim your shots low and hard into the corner of the net. Like in real football, these are harder for the goalkeeper to save.
Putting swerve on attempts from further out is pretty much essential, as it can catch the ‘keeper out and put the ball beyond their reach. Use the right analog stick to direct the swerve or even put a bit of dip on the ball. You can put some serious bend on your strikes.
Shooting isn’t the only way to score, though. You can catch a goalie out with a simple tap. You look absolutely foolish when it doesn’t come off, but they are almost always expecting a shot. Plus you can direct the ball a little more easily when using the tap option; unlike shooting, you direct passes with the right analog stick.
As time was running out in a game the other night, I managed to score a no-look goal, tapping the ball as I received a long pass to send it in the general direction of the goal. Fortunately it was accurate and caught the goalie completely off guard. It was a lucky shot, but you make your own luck in this game.
If you find yourself through on goal you can also use a handy trick which almost always fools the goalie; hit a shot off the surrounding wall, above the goal, to set up a second shot for yourself or for a teammate to slot past the helpless ‘keeper.
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Do your fair share of defending
Defending is as important as attacking in REMATCH. Unfortunately, the same players who try to hog the ball all the time are also often unwilling to do the dirty work of tracking back, marking and making last-ditch stops.
Make sure you don’t leave it all to your goalkeeper when the opposition is on the attack. Sometimes it’s a lost cause trying to track back and you only end up chasing shadows, running back and forth to no avail. It can be very useful having one player stay in the attacking third while the rest defend, so you can spring a quick counter when you retrieve the ball. But if you find that there’s more than one of you doing this at a time, then race back to help out.
As for defensive actions, the slide tackle is best used sparingly. It continues for a while and can take you completely out of the action when you miss the ball.
A regular tackle can be more effective at winning possession, although getting the timing right and anticipating your opponent’s next move can be tricky. Again, you will get better with practise.
The defensive stance (hold L2/LT) is essential, as it can aid you in intercepting the ball if your opponent hits it in your immediate vicinity, while also helping you tackle quickly.
Keep an eye on your stamina bar. If you need to race back but have used up all or most of your stamina, then you’re not much use in defense.
Goalkeeping
Playing in goals is, for me, one of the more stressful parts of REMATCH. Perhaps it’s just my pessimistic nature, but I always assume that I will concede a goal.
One of the keys to the position is not going too early. It’s so easy to get caught out by trying to anticipate the shot location before the ball is hit. Sometimes you genuinely are better off standing still, in a defensive stance. The problem is that waiting that extra second means you might miss a shot hit with velocity, even if you guess the right way.
Positioning is key, so don’t veer too far from goal (unless you’re confident of winning the ball) or leave too much of one side exposed. Use the penalty spot as a point of reference.
Worth keeping in mind that you have unlimited stamina as a goalie, as well as a shot boost. The latter allows you to boot the ball to teammates in the far corners of the pitch and even score the odd goal.
'Av itttttt#Rematch peaked for me right here
— Ste McGovern (@stemcgovern.bsky.social) 2025-07-11T13:32:18.996Z
Play nice
Every multiplayer game is going to have trolls who try and ruin the experience for everyone. But it’s also easy for anyone to get frustrated when things are going wrong and you’re losing.
Using the ‘Good Job’ react in a sarcastic manner after someone has messed up is unfortunately commonplace in the game. It’s tempting to do it when you see a teammate do something poorly, but it does nothing to improve performance. Indeed, it makes it more likely that that teammate will quit the game and leave you a man down.
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