EA FC 25 has officially been revealed and there’s lots to look forward to in the next iteration of the world’s most popular football video game.
This year FC 25 focuses on improvements to the social side of the game with a whole new game mode called 'Rush' as well as brand new, in-depth tactical mechanics that will make battles on the pitch feel closer to the dugout than ever before.
There are a lot of new additions to this year’s game, so I'm going to focus on the FIVE key things you need to know about EA FC 25 before its release later this year on September 27.
VIDEO: The incredible new trailer for EA FC 25
1. A new social way to play EA FC 25
Say goodbye to Volta and hello to Rush. This new 5-a-side game mode is integrated across EA FC 25 and brings the world of 11-a-side football into a more compact and social environment. You’ll team up with three of your friends each controlling one outfield player to take on four other players from around the world.
If you play in Ultimate Team, each player selects a card from their squad to use or if you’re in Clubs it’s your Virtual Pro. There are also no fixed positions so everyone needs to communicate to decide who’s playing where and how to outsmart the opponents tactically.
Rush games take place in a Nike-branded stadium designed to look like a Mercurial football boot and there are specific rules like blue cards, offsides only in the final third, and 1-on-1 penalties similar to ice hockey. You’ll earn Rush points when playing Rush games which will help you complete objectives and unlock rewards across FC 25.
By incorporating Rush across FC 25 game modes, there’s more likelihood that this new social experience hits the ground running rather than falls to the wayside like Volta did as a standalone option in the menus.
2. A whole new tactical approach
EA IQ is set to completely overhaul the way you play with over 50 new player roles and new tactical options that bring a whole new level of strategy to FC. EA IQ uses real-world data to drive authenticity and gives players more control over their team.
You’ll be able to recreate your favourite manager's tactics or pick your own in what is set to revolutionise tactical battles on the pitch. Menus have been overhauled to show you where players are most comfortable and what role suits their style of play best — similar to Football Manager.
EA says there are between 100 and 400 million possibilities for different tactics and you can make changes to the way your team performs on and off the ball. Work rates are completely gone this time round and there appears to be far more flexibility to make your team play exactly how you want it to.
Not only can you make your perfect tactical composition but you can also share and download tactics from around the world via QR codes. If that wasn't enough manager cards in Ultimate Team will let you copy that coach's philosophy, so you can play like Pep without messing around in the settings.
3. AI-powered face scans
Cranium will make its way to all of EA’s sports franchises in the future but it’s going to debut here in FC 25. Cranium uses machine learning to recreate the faces of players who haven’t had a full scan when developing the game.
This means the generic faces of old should be gone, replaced with likenesses powered by AI. Cranium will also improve the character creator in Clubs but we should see its true power when lining up with less popular teams that may have had generic player faces in the past.
While not all players in the game will get the Cranium treatment (EA still needs to feed images of the players into the machine learning model), this could be the beginning of a huge change to the world of sports video games that brings in realism like we’ve never seen before.
4. Stadiums feels more alive
Stadiums will feel more alive in FC 25 adding to the experience on and off the pitch. EA has added authentic mascots for a selection of teams that you’ll be able to celebrate with after scoring that banger you’ve always dreamed of.
Managers will now react on the sidelines too so you’ll see Pep interacting with substitutes or Ange celebrating a last-minute winner. Crowd noises should also feel more authentic with dynamic audio that better anticipates what’s happening on the pitch.
There are also going to be photographers, cameramen, and crane cameras during the game plus fans and security moving around the stadium to add to the real-life feel. Combine these new additions with a new raytracing mode to enhance visuals and FC 25 should look like the best football video game we’ve ever seen.
5. FC 25, Here we go!
Career mode gets loads of love this season with new Live Start Points allowing you to jump into the action at different moments of the real-life season. Want to try and win the league with Arsenal when they are top at Christmas? Or save one of the newly-promoted sides from relegation with 10 games to go? You’ll be able to play the season exactly how you want to.
Women’s football is in career mode for the first time and you can also play as youngsters from the youth academy in Rush mode. There’s also a selection of icons that you can play as reliving their career or taking their path in a different direction by bringing them to your favourite club.
For those who love the transfer window, EA has brought Fabrizio Romano on board so you’ll get a “Here we go” when you sign a player to your club — the stuff dreams are made of.
So when can we play?
EA FC 25 launches on September 27th on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Opt for the Ultimate Edition to gain access on September 20th.
Pre-order the game before August 20th and you’ll receive an untradeable FC 25 Origin Hero Player Item on September 20th, an FC 25 Prime Hero on November 28th, and an untradeable Hero or Icon Player Item for your FC 24 Ultimate team.
FourFourTwo will be going more in-depth with the additions to EA FC 25 in the lead-up to the game’s launch, so stay tuned for more FC 25 coverage this summer.
More EA FC 25 stories
Wow! Save over TWO-THIRDS on EAFC 24 this Amazon Prime Day - but there's only a limited time remaining
Quiz! Can you name the top 100 players in EA Sports FC 24?
'We’ve got more money than we know what to do with' Blur wanted something better than cash for being on FIFA 98 and they got it
