FC 25 has been officially revealed, and EA released the first details about the upcoming football simulator.
After teasing the trailer for a week, EA has finally unveiled the reveal trailer, featuring Jude Bellingham as the new cover star.
Alongside the trailer, EA has showcased the main features and significant changes in FC 25. This article will summarize these updates by categories to provide a clear overview of what players can expect from the game.
Rush
The first major addition to FC 25 is “Rush”. A new 5v5 game mode that will replace VOLTA and will be available in all core modes such as Kick Off, Ultimate Team, Clubs, and Career Mode. The aim of this new mode is to be compact and intense, as it will be played on a smaller pitch with reduced game time. A few details about this new game mode:
- Match Duration: 7 minutes, with an additional 2 minutes and 20 seconds of golden goal if tied, followed by a penalty shootout if needed.
- AI-Controlled Goalkeeper: Four human players per team, with the goalkeeper being AI-controlled.
- No Fixed Positions: Players must dynamically manage their roles.
- Kick-Off Style: Teams race to the ball, similar to Rocket League.
- Offside Rule: Only applies in the final third of the pitch.
- Blue Cards: Replace red cards, resulting in a one-minute sin bin. Time reduced if opponents score during this period. Two yellow cards also result in a blue card.
- Penalty Kicks: Taken from the final third line, resembling a hockey-style one-on-one with the keeper.
While it won’t be available as a standalone mode, VOLTA will be featured as a 3v3 match option in Kick-Off mode.
FC IQ System
One of the major overhauls at gameplay level is the introduction of a new tactics system in FC 25 called FC IQ. Designed to give gamers more control over their players’ behavior and make gameplay more realistic, it includes the following changes:
- Replacement of Work Rates System: The old work rates system, which dictated player movement and effort in attack and defense, has been replaced by a new role and focus system.
- Player Roles: Assign roles like Playmaker, Shadow Striker, Box-to-Box, Holding, and more to players based on their position. Roles affect player movements and decisions on the pitch. Roles come with focuses like Balanced, Attack, or Roaming, further refining player behavior.
- Role Familiarity: Players have different levels of familiarity with roles, from basic competency to world-class expertise. The levels for this new feature include Base, Role+ and Role++.
- Preset Tactics and Sliders: Quickly adopt preset tactics like Tiki-taka or Gegenpressing, or customize strategies using sliders that adjust various aspects on a 99-point scale.
- Smart Tactics: Real-time tactical suggestions and prompts accessible via the D-pad for adaptive adjustments during matches.
- Simultaneous Movements: Players now execute coordinated movements automatically, enhancing fluidity and realism.
- Multiple Tactical Profiles: Create and save multiple custom tactics profiles and switch between them during matches.
- Tactics Sharing: Share your tactical setups with friends or online using unique identification codes.
- Positions Removed: The new tactics system doesn’t support the following positions: RWB, LWB and CF.
FC IQ in EA Sports FC 25 offers a detailed and flexible tactical system, allowing for deeper control over player roles and behaviors, enhancing the strategic elements of the game.
FC 25 Gameplay Improvements
EA Sports FC 25 introduces several gameplay improvements aimed at enhancing realism and player control. Here are the key changes:
- More Running Styles: Hypermotion V Technology allows for authentic representation of running styles with 1,800 players moving accurately, including both upper and lower body movements. In FC 24 we had 1,200 running styles.
- Goalkeeper PlayStyles: Six new PlayStyles for goalkeepers: Footwork, Rush Out, Deflector, Cross Claimer, Far Throw, and Far Reach.
- Professional Foul Button: A new button input allows you to cynically foul opponents by dragging them down, resulting in an automatic yellow card.
- Passing Accuracy: Players will no longer find opponents with blindly played 180-degree passes unless their passing stats are very high.
- Manual GK Changes: Keepers can only be manually moved 1-2 steps in any direction.
- Five new skill moves available: Toe Drag Step-Over, Step-Over Ball, Heel Nutmeg, Drag Turn, and Big Fade.
- Contextual Animations: More animations involving goalposts and advertising hoardings, adding realism to player interactions.
With FC IQ being the most prominent and promising gameplay feature, these updates aim to make gameplay more engaging and realistic.
Ultimate Team Changes
FC’s Ultimate Team mode sees several updates designed to improve player experience without drastically changing the core gameplay. Here are some of the important changes:
- Increased Storage for Duplicate Untradeable Cards: Up to 100 slots for duplicate untradeable player cards and a dedicated SBC storage tab for easier integration into Squad Builder Challenges.
- Expanded Evolutions: More player evolutions available, with customizable colors and visuals for the cards.
- FC IQ Integration: Players can receive updated roles with special cards based on real-world performances. For example, Jude Bellingham could receive a “Role++” modifier for the Deep-Lying Playmaker role in Ultimate Team.
- Manager Cards: Instant implementation of a manager’s tactics with a button press, such as adopting Pep Guardiola’s Tiki-taka style.
- Decoupling of Friendlies and Rivals: Friendlies now feature varied skill levels among opponents, and Rivals have a points-based system for weekly rewards and the return of relegations. Drawing won’t be useless any more!
- Increased Rewards Distribution: Higher skill level players receive greater rewards in Rivals.
- No Contracts: Player Items and Managers will no longer need contracts.
Furthermore, Rush mode in Ultimate Team provides a social space that offers a break from competitive modes, where players bring one card into the match without any duplicates among teammates. Remember that you will only control your player! The squad requirements in Rush mode will change regularly, and completing Rush matches in FUT earns Rush Points, which can be used to complete objectives and earn rewards.
Career Mode Features
EA might have finally shaken things up for Career Mode this year, as they revealed a plethora of major and minor additions that will surely please even the most hardcore players. Here’s what EA has prepared for FC 25 Career Mode:
- Women’s Teams in Career Mode: Manage women’s teams in one of the 5 present leagues, and compete in the Women’s Champions League. Reflects women’s football dynamics with different financial tasks, shorter contracts, and tighter budgets.
- Live Start Points: Play Career Mode based on real-life season progress, updated weekly. Jump into the season at key moments such as relegation battles or derbies. Available in leagues and cups such as Premier League, La Liga, Champions League, and Women’s Champions League.
- Player Career with Icons: Play as legendary players in Player Career Mode. Initial Icons include Andrea Pirlo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Kelly Smith, and Thierry Henry. Pre-order Icons include Ronaldo (R9), Zinedine Zidane, and David Beckham. More Icons will be added throughout the season.
- FC IQ Integration: Enhanced tactical system with Player Roles and Team Tactics. Ability to hire coaches to improve player familiarity with roles, such as tiki-taka for Haaland.
- Youth Academy Overhaul: Scouting expanded to over 160 countries with more specific search options for roles and positions. Play and develop youth players in Rush mode tournaments every two months. Option to play youth players at current or potential ratings to see future performance.
- Youth Players Appearances: Youth Academy players will finally reflect their age (no more 6’2″ 15-year-olds with full beard) and as they get older their physical appearance will change just like in real life.
- Player Origins: Choose background stories for Player Career Mode. Origin stories impact player personality and stats. Examples include being the child of a legend or rising from street football.
- Social Media Integration: Updated social media feature with an Instagram-like interface and will include transfer news from Fabrizio Romano with “Here We Go” announcements. Additional news outlets are expected to be included.
- New AI Behavior: AI adapts to tactical setups, providing varied challenges.
- More Subs: There will be 9 substitutes available on the bench.
- Board Expectations: There will be various levels settings to this option from Easy to Hard. You can also now disable the Board Expecations before starting a save.
- Various Improvements: Morale meter overhaul, new tactical vision press conferences and new UI for streamlined managerial tasks.
With these comprehensive updates, FC 25’s Career Mode is set to provide a more engaging, realistic, and dynamic experience for players.
FC 25 Clubs Improvements
There will be several enhancements to Clubs mode in FC 25, offering more ways to play, win, and progress with friends. Here’s an overview on these changes:
- Clubs Rush: Rush is a key component of Clubs in FC 25. Winning games boosts individual and team ranks on global leaderboards. Earn Rush Points and Victory Points for rewards at the end of each season.
- Relegation Battles: Relegation returns, triggering a one-off relegation match if you lose enough games. Win to stay up; lose and you drop a division.
- Rush Player Ranks: Climb individual Rush ranks for greater rewards by earning points through winning matches, goals, assists, and other contributions.
- Facility Management: Club managers can allocate budget toward facility cards that boost gameplay attributes, adding strategic depth to club management.
- Club Identity: Facility budgets grow with club reputation, unlocking benefits and promoting long-term success.
- Facility Cards:20 to 30 facility cards in one-star, two-star, or three-star variants provide unique attribute benefits to all human club members in competitive matches.
- Manager’s Role: Managers can strategically spend their budget on facility upgrades like shooting coaches or weight rooms to enhance team performance.
- Dynamic Clubhouse Screen: The revamped Clubhouse screen displays your team’s colors and crest, showing you and your teammates in the changing room.
- Avatar Customization: EA’s new facial sculpting technology allows for detailed and varied player models.
- Three PlayStyle Plus Slots: A third PlayStyle Plus slot has been added, allowing players more flexibility, with Level 100 as the highest achievable level at launch.
- Maximum Height: Player height of all Virtual Pros in FC 25 will be capped at 6’5” or 195 cm.
- Enhanced Customization: EA FC 25 offers more customization options with a variety of vanity items, tattoos, boots, gloves, and arm sleeves.
FC 25 General Changes
As we covered specific game modes and categories there are also some new features and changes that applies to the entire game. Without going to much into details here are the main ones:
- Single Season Pass: A single season pass now works across Career Mode, Ultimate Team, and Clubs, allowing players to progress through the pass regardless of which mode they play. EA will also add a Premium Season Pass.
- EA Sports Cranium: This innovation significantly improves player likenesses, reducing the presence of generic faces. Even players without an official scan will closely resemble their real-life counterparts. The tech applies to both scanned and non-scanned players and includes a more advanced character creator for custom players.
- Weather Dynamics: New weather dynamics like high winds and slippery pitches affect offline gameplay for added realism.
- Dynamic Time Progression: Matches progress from daylight to nighttime, enhancing immersion.
- Celebrations with Mascots: Celebrate goals with official club mascots in choreographed routines.
- Broadcast Enhancements: More POV angles and cutscenes before set pieces make the viewing experience more engaging.
- Sideline Action: Increased touchline drama with cutscenes showing celebrations and reactions from coaches and substitutes.
- Graphics Modes: Switch between two graphics modes, both offering 60fps:
- Enhanced Visuals: Features ray tracing and upscaled 4K resolution.
- Favour Resolution: Uses standard lighting with native 4K resolution.
- Match Intros Return: Full authentic pre-match intros are back in FC 25, featuring cinematic sequences, player walk-ins, and line-ups, with an option to enable or disable this feature.
More details will be revealed as we get closer to the game release as EA will release deep dive posts for all game modes.
FC 25 will release worldwide on September 27, 2024 and will be available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
