The fifth version of "New Star Soccer", "NSS5", was released in August 2011. NSS5 returns to 2D gameplay, but with a completely new match engine. The game is a major departure from previous releases in that it is free-to-play and is integrated with an online account system. Free users are allowed to play up to 3 in-game matches a day, whereas in previous installation of the game a demo version with a 10-match limit was offered. Users wishing to play more often must purchase a premium account. Another change is the abandonment of the vast player database that shipped with previous versions. NSG cited the inconvenience of the massive effort required to create, maintain and implement such a database in affecting their decision to drop it. However, the game still featured the leagues of over 100 countries.