EA Sports FC 25 hands-on preview: it’s all about the tactics

While it felt a bit too incremental, EA Sports FC 25 has some interesting new features up its sleeve

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

We spent a few days attending an EA Sports FC 25 digital presentation and playing a pre-beta build, and while it felt a little too much of an incremental update, we had a couple interesting takeaways ahead of launch in a couple of months.

Ultimate Edition players will get the game on September 20, while the Standard Edition will be released on September 27. Standard Edition’s cover features the youngest cover star ever in Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, at just 21 years old. The Ultimate Edition comes with Bonmati, Bellingham, Beckham, Zidane, and Buffon on its cover.

As for gameplay, Rush and FC IQ are the biggest news this year. Rush essentially replaces Volta, which leaves after its original introduction in FIFA 20. However, FC 25 is integrating it across all the existing modes.

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

The 5v5 experience features four human players, or human-controlled players, and a CPU goalkeeper. Club and FUT matches will be hosted in a stadium created with Nike, inspired by the iconic Swoosh and Mercurial boots, and called the Nike Air Zoom Arena. It will be based on a rulebook reminiscent of some of the innovations occasionally suggested for real soccer: blue cards (players taken off for a minute), NBA-style race-to-ball kick-offs, shootout penalties, and attacking third offsides.

It’s perfect for couch gaming. In the build we tested, you couldn’t adjust the game length, and it felt a bit long. The biggest issue, however, is in the shootout. The shootout concept is a lot of fun, but you can’t control the goalkeeper, which takes away from the thrill. On top of that, the pitch is the right size, as opposed to Volta’s, even though it’d benefit from a more immediate skill system.

FC IQ, on the other hand, is the “most significant change to tactics in a decade” for the series. It’s bringing 50+ new roles guiding players without the ball, created based on Opta data. At launch, it’s coming with 3-5 roles per position, for a total of 31 unique roles, each with pros and cons. A CAM can be a playmaker, shadow striker, or half-winger; an RB-LB can be fullback, falseback, wingback, or attacking wingback, for example. Each player has a familiarity level from 1 to 4 with a “major impact” on gameplay: all have a Role+, and only the best have a Role++ – in Vinicius Jr.’s case, he’s an Inside Forward++.

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

Each role has 1-3 focuses for a total of 52 combinations: a playmaker can be roaming, for example, and have freedom to sweep around the offensive zone, or attacking to attack depth and provide support for the forward. Other focuses will be added post-launch as they replace the old work rates.

At a time when coaches are all about roles and attitudes more than pure tactics, this brings the game more in line with the real sport. We really appreciated the way players deploy with and without the ball in two potentially different modules depending on the instructions we give them, and the way a team conveys a fundamentally different feeling based on these instructions.

If you want Manchester City to play at its best, you should ask Gvardiol to stick to the center-backs and Walker to attack the whole wing - and that’s how you get Guardiola’s three-man defense. Similarly, by instructing the trequartista to think like a halfback, you get that Real Madrid’s starting 4321 becomes a 442, and Atletico Madrid’s 532 is a 424 as soon as they get the ball. This is how real soccer works today, and this system feels incredibly satisfying, if a little intimidating at first. Focus complements it. That’s how you tell your midfielder to stay in his own area of competence if the fullback goes wide. 

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

Team management has also evolved. You can share your tactics via a cross-platform code, and nine players are now on the bench, showing you how many substitutions and slots you have left on Gen 5. In addition, new assignments allow you to fix players who should be sent to the first and second post on corner kicks.

Six new PlayStyles have been added exclusively for goalkeepers, and the tactical foul has been introduced. You trigger it by pressing R1+X or RB+A - a somewhat awkward layout configuration, which is also why we were unable to trigger it in our demo. Of course, it’ll cost you a yellow card.

Five are the new skills, and players can now slip on the ball under special conditions, but the animation is only cosmetic. And speaking of special conditions, wind has been added as a new weather effect: at three intensities, it’s influencing ball trajectories and kits visually. On the sidelines, you’ll see photographers and stewards moving around the pitch, and the mascots of some licensed clubs, such as the Juventus zebra, will celebrate goals with you.

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

Overall, FC 25’s gameplay feels mostly samey. Goalkeepers feel pretty good, and more and more variables make scoring in the one-on-one less obvious. Players rotating their bodies for a perfect pass feel more grounded and natural, while defenders still feel too passive unless you get control of them in time. Finally, referees hand out penalties too generously at this stage, so hopefully, that gets fixed ahead of release.

As for the graphics, two different modes will be offered for the first time, both targeting 60fps. The first is called Enhanced Visuals. It’s opted-on by default and features upscaled 4K with more visual effects, including ray-traced ambient occlusion, full self-shadowing, and cloth sim on shirt and shorts. The second mode comes with native 4K, cloth sim only on shorts, self-shadowing only during daylight hours, and default exposure rather than local.

Career mode is introducing women’s soccer from the top five leagues in the same ecosystem as the original, a revamp of the youth academy, and a scenario-based feature. Live Start Points will make it a de facto part of the game’s live service: these scenarios will be added throughout the year from the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Women’s Champions League, Coppa Italia, FA Cup and “many more.” These’ll be available in two varieties: updates spread over the whole season and Snapshots. 

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

In the first case, you pick a team or a player and play from a certain matchday — real-world standings, disqualifications, and injuries apply. Snapshots are meant to be more specific real-world scenarios - maybe a coach gets sacked, and you are hired to take over from that matchday and make it better for your team. By their very nature, Live Start Points will be available after launch, as EA needs to collect the necessary data.

As for the youth academy, you now have 160 countries to be scouted, choosing from four roles and three focuses. You can develop these talents by playing Rush tournaments every two months, both with their starting overall and at their maximum potential.

Finally, Ultimate Team. Rush will also set foot on FUT: you can pick your player from the 11v11 team, and create a team to face rivals online with three other friends (four and a CPU goalkeeper). The matchmaking will only be human players vs. human players, and it’s only playable through events with specific requirements for the players you can deploy, whether it’s leagues, nationality, or more. Special bonuses will be granted for those completing extra squad building requirements. By winning, you’ll earn regular match coins and Rush Points: these will contribute to five weekly thresholds with rewards for the main FUT mode.

EA Sports FC 25 / EA Sports

FC IQ will make each player item have a set of roles in addition to its position, and roles will also be added to promo items such as TOTW throughout the year. If you don’t want to create tactics from scratch, you can get a coach item and borrow their signature tactics. 

Progression has also been revamped. A single season pass-like system now spans across FUT, Club and Career mode with a combined progression, free and premium rewards unlocking with XP points acquired during the game. On top of that, Divisions are now rewarding three points for a win, one for a draw and 0 for a loss, and there will be fewer weekly checkpoints, in an attempt to keep it simpler.

The ball has only just started rolling for EA Sports FC 25. Expect more in-depth coverage in the coming weeks, and eventually a full review in the run-up to the launch, scheduled for September 20 for Ultimate Edition players and September 27 for regular players.