EA Sports is back with another football game, but it’s not with FIFA. Instead, it’s presenting a new title, EA Sports FC 24, tying up with new and familiar licenses while revamping several aspects of its gameplay and modes. Despite the name change, fans will find plenty of familiar things with the publisher’s latest sports offering.
It releases on September 29th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch, but Ultimate Edition owners can start on September 22nd. Let’s go over the many ways, both big and small, that the game has evolved.
19,000 players and 700+ Clubs
If you played FIFA 23, then some of the stats for EA Sports FC 24 will look very familiar. It offers over 19,000 players at launch, with Erling Haaland as the cover star on the Standard Edition. There are also a whopping +700 Teams, with the Premier League’s 20 Clubs, the EFL’s 72 member Clubs, 29 Clubs from MLS and many more.
Over 30 Leagues
There are over 30 Leagues also available, like the Barclays Women’s Super League, the National Women’s Soccer League, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Europa Conference League, and more. However, this year also sees new additions, like the 16 top divisions of Spain’s Liga F and the 12 top divisions of Germany’s Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga.
+115 Stadiums
EA Sports FC 24 boasts over 115 stadiums, including the Allianz Stadium, Parc des Princes, Groupama Stadium, Anfield, Emirates Stadium, Wembley Stadium, etc. Together with the presentation, they should provide an authentic atmosphere for football fans to immerse themselves.
HyperMotion V
Available exclusively on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, HyperMotion V essentially uses data from over 180 real-life matches to create the “rhythm and fluidity of real-world football”, as EA Sports puts it. This means that the many, many animations showcased by players are based on their real-world counterparts. Perhaps the most exciting prospect is the Advanced 11v11 Match Capture, which simultaneously captures all 22 players and results in more than 11,000 realistic animations that make it feel like your team is moving as one.
AcceleRate 2.0
Another current-gen exclusive feature is AcceleRATE 2.0, which categorizes player movement into different archetypes, lending more personality to the players. You have the balanced Controlled type, the initially faster Explosive type and the marathon-esque Lengthy type. However, there are four new additions, which mix the existing types like Controlled Explosive, Controlled Lengthy, Mostly Explosive and Mostly Lengthy. Each player is automatically assigned an archetype based on height, agility, strength, acceleration and more.
PlayStyles
The most exciting prospect of EA Sports FC 24’s gameplay is PlayStyles, which gives unique properties to each player, divided into six categories – Passing, Scoring, Ball Control, Defending, Physical and Goalkeeper (though it’s limited to Be a Goalkeeper in Player Career and Clubs). For example, you have Power Shot for those who take powerful shots from the outside and allow for performing them faster; Chip Shot for those who attempt to chip the goalkeeper and can do so with greater accuracy; and many, many more.
PlayStyles+ further adds to this, resulting in players like Haaland and Sam Kerr going above and beyond the rest. Haaland’s Power Shot is even faster and with greater speed than other players, while Kerr’s Finesse Shots have maximum curve and crazier accuracy.
Separate Player Career and Manager Career Modes
Career Mode is back, and there are big changes, including Player and Manager Careers being completely separate this time around. The former introduces Player Agents for defining your path, whether engaging in Negotiations, taking advantage of the new PlayStyles or going into training sessions before each match. The latter adds a Total Management System with pre-match preparations and Tactical View for different match-viewing angles, allowing you to observe every aspect of the action.
Attacking and Defending Changes
Attacking and Defending have also been overhauled. You get new Precision Passing, Swerve On Demand and Headers on Demand when attacking, while Effort Dribble Touch and Orbit Dribble provide new ways to control the ball. Defenders can use Advanced Defending for better control over their defensive actions, and changes have been made to Pressure Tactics and goalkeeping (with the latter getting new Push Deflects to try and push shot deflections away).
Practice Arena
Practice Arena allows for crafting different scenarios to add and remove players with seamless shifting between playing and customization. There’s also Practice Match for playing a match with no score, which you can adjust the difficulty for until you decide to stop, and a Jumping Barrier prop added to the Free Kick Practice Arena for further refining your free kick skills.
Skill Games
Of course, you also have new Skill Games like Precision Passing, Precision Shooting and Controlled Sprint for practising the new mechanics. Skill Games in Career Mode are also reworked and should be more challenging for players.
Ultimate Team Changes
Ultimate Team is back and undergoing major changes, like Evolutions, which allow for improving players and completing objectives to enhance their skills and PlayStyles. Women’s football is also being added, with the option to create hybrid squads, transfer both male and female players on the market, and obtain rewards for both. It will also feature the likes of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the Barclays Women’s Super League, and more into the player pool for Ultimate Team.
PS5 Enhanced Haptics
Haptic feedback on the PS5 DualSense is supported, which isn’t that surprising considering last year’s release had the same. However, EA Sports FC 24 introduces Intense Haptics, allowing you to tweak the haptic feedback to the highest possible settings for full immersion. At least, until the battery gives out.
Cross-Platform Play
Cross-platform play is confirmed, though it’s divided based on the console generation. It means that Xbox Series X/S, PC, and PS5 players can matchmake together, while PS4 and Xbox One players have separate matchmaking pools. The two console generations sadly can’t play together. On the bright side, at least Clubs and VOLTA now support cross-play, so that’s a plus.
Frostbite and Ultimate Team on Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch players, rejoice – EA Sports FC 24 offers the first EA Sports title to support Frostbite. It will also include VOLTA and Ultimate Team. Though it costs $59.99 (as opposed to last year’s game, which retails for $39.99) and does not support cross-platform play with other consoles or PCs, it’s an improvement and expands on the Switch’s sports offerings.
Dual Entitlement
The Standard Edition retails at $69.99, while the Ultimate Edition costs $99.99 for PlayStation, Xbox and PC. However, Dual Entitlement applies to both, which means you can purchase the PS4 and Xbox One versions and upgrade to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions at no extra cost. You can even switch back and forth between previous and current-gen versions (for whatever reason).