It wouldn't be a new football season without EA FC 25 providing the chance to right all your team's Saturday afternoon wrongs. We're now under a month away from the FC 25 release date, and it's looking like a promising sophomore year following the FIFA series' farewell. Read on for full details on changes to Ultimate Team and career mode, along with the FC 25 trailer, new skill moves, goalkeeper PlayStyles and much more. It's all found in your one-stop EA Sports FC 25 guide.
FC 25 trailer showcases Rush and other improvements
The FC 25 trailer provides your first glimpse at this year's round of crunching tackles, top-corner free kicks, and Jude Bellingham teaming up with Zinedine Zidane in Rush. You can view it by hitting the play button in that window above.
FC 25 release date confirmation
The FC 25 release date is locked in for Friday, September 27, 2024. As has become traditional in the sports world, those who pre-order get to play it early – by a whole week. Anyone who buys the game in advance can download it on Friday, September 20. Other pre-order bonuses include a Greats Of The Game card and Heroes card, an additional Prime Heroes card on November 28, and assorted rewards across FUT, Rush, and career mode – such as being able to start a player career as Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane or David Beckham.
The FC 25 cover star is Jude Bellingham
Fresh off his heroics in steering England to the Euro 2024 final, the FC 25 cover star is Jude Bellingham. "I played this game with my brother all the time growing up, and I've always thought about how incredible it would be to one day be featured on the cover," says the Three Lions' number 10.
Bellingham fronts the standard edition alone, but is joined by a selection of Icons for the FC 25 Ultimate Edition. They include David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Gigi Buffon and Aitana Bonmati. Oh, and 17 authentic trophies from across the footballing world, including the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. Those inclusions might not affect gameplay in any way, but do make for one of the coolest covers in FIFA and FC series history.
FC 25 Rush replaces FC 25 Volta mode
There is no such thing as FC 25 Volta mode. EA has abandoned its previous small-sided match type for a new addition called Rush. All Rush games are five-on-five, and take place on a mini version of a real pitch, with full-sized goals, corners and throws-in. Some fun new tweaks are included, however, such as blue cards – which mean a trip to the sin bin – and a race to win the ball at the opening kick-off. Rush is implemented across all modes to earn rewards, such as extra packs in Ultimate Team, or to improve youth players in career mode. For more, check out GR's FC 25 preview.
FC 25 Ultimate Team innovations include Duplicates storage
Rush forms a major element of Ultimate Team. EA wants you to show off your favorite cards by taking them into matches with friends – so there's a new lobby that enables you to team up with one, two or three pals before jumping into Rush fixtures. Win matches and you score XP, packs or other rewards. Otherwise, the focus in Ultimate Team is on fan service. Mercifully there are significantly more options, including user customization, when it comes to Evolutions cards. Duplicates found in packs are no longer an immediate migraine trigger. Up to 100 can be moved to the new SBC storage folder, then easily dropped into active Squad Building Challenges. Neat.
FC 25 gameplay tweaks are mainly tactical
Every new sports game adds animations and visual tweaks, and in FC 25's case they include slightly snappier ball control movements, and more error on passes at awkward angles. The bigger changes to gameplay come through tactics. EA's new FC IQ feature reimagines the way in which formations work, with presets used for your initial framework, before player roles add fluidity and diversity off the ball. Much like last year's PlayStyles, these roles directly govern movement and decision making. CMs with the Half-winger role pull wide into space, while LBs given the Attacking Wingback designation overlap without you having to command them to do so. Developer EA Vancouver insists that 400 million possible combinations are available across your team – a bold claim, but it should at least mix up the FC 25 meta for a month or three.
New FC 25 skill moves
In its sophomore year, FC 25 builds upon the FC 24 skill moves list with five newcomers, including the totally humiliating (and quite brilliant) Heel Nutmeg. While holding off a defender, you backheel the ball through his or her legs – then spin around them to race away with the ball. Cool. Here are all five new FC 25 skill moves:
- Toe Drag Stepover
- Big Feint
- Step Over Ball
- Heel Nutmeg
- Drag Turn
FC 25 PlayStyles now include goalkeepers
PlayStyles added a huge dose of personality to outfield players in FC 24. Now goalkeepers are getting in on the act too. The best netminders from around the globe receive one or more PlayStyles to separate them from the pack, such as Cross Claimer, where they rush out to punch away high balls into the penalty area. There are six in total, and here's a list of them all:
- Footwork: Performs foot saves faster and with extended reach.
- Rush Out: Rush speed is increased and has an improved reaction speed to shots in rushing situations.
- Deflector: Performs deflection saves into safer areas with increased ball speed control.
- Cross Claimer: Comes out to claim crosses with increased pace, increased awareness of the ball trajectory, and further punch reach with increased power.
- Far Throw: Able to perform throws with increased speed and distance.
- Far Reach: Performs diving saves with improved reach and has access to extended reach animations.
FC 25 Career Mode now includes Simulation option
Before Ultimate Team grew to dominate sports gaming, career mode was FIFA's most revered feature. EA says it's looking to restore those wonder years with a significant overhaul. Women's teams from five different leagues, as well as the Champions League, are incorporated, and neatly you can switch from managing a men's squad to a women's club, then back again. Brilliantly, you can also pick up from the real football world midway through the season thanks to Live Start Points. The offline-only Simulation option, meanwhile, slows matches down, while incorporating real-life weather and wind effects. Pro Evolution Soccer fans will fondly remember the glory days of Master League. This could – could – finally be the year where EA produces a formidable equivalent.
Full FC 25 player career mode Icons list
The other cool addition to FC 25 player career mode is being able to play as a legend of the sport, as if they've been dropped into the modern game. Do you figure out whether prime David Beckham can turn Eric Ten Haag's Manchester United around, or set the England skipper a new challenge at Villa, or Palace, or somewhere in Europe? Can Zinedine Zidane fit in at Pep Guardiola's Manchester City? Seven icons are playable in this manner, and they are as follows:
- Andrea Pirlo
- Ruud Van Nistelrooy
- Kelly Smith
- Thierry Henry
- Ronaldo (pre-order bonus)
- Zinedine Zidane (pre-order bonus)
- David Beckham (pre-order bonus)
