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EA Sports FC is the rebranded football video game built by EA Sports, with the developers parting ways with long-standing partners FIFA in 2022. Featuring a whole new logo and feel, the upcoming game promises to show gamers "the future of football"
Excitement and anticipation has been building among the gaming community ever since the announcement of the split, with ardent FIFA fans wondering what is in store.
Here, GOAL brings you everything we know about EA Sports FC 24 so far, including release date, price, what EA has said, features and more.
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When is EA Sports FC 24 released?
| Release date: | September 29, 2023 |
| Early access: | September 22, 2023 |
EA Sports FC 24 was be officially released worldwide on Friday, September 29, 2023.
You were able avail of seven-days early access to EA Sports FC 24 if you pre-ordered to Ultimate Edition, meaning some people were able to play the game from September 22, 2023.
The new game to follows a long-standing tradition of launching in autumn, in advance of the highly commercial festive period.
Yorder the game now - find out more here.
How much will EA Sports FC 24 cost?
| Console | Standard edition | Ultimate edition |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 | £69.99 / $69.99 | £99.99 / $99.99 |
| PS4 | £69.99 / $69.99 | £99.99 / $99.99 |
| Xbox Series X/S | £69.99 / $69.99 | £99.99 / $99.99 |
| Xbox One | £69.99 / $69.99 | £99.99 / $99.99 |
| PC | £69.99 / $69.99 | £99.99 / $99.99 |
| Nintendo Switch | £59.99 / $59.99 | N/A |
The standard edition of EA Sports FC 24 is priced at $69.99 in the United States and £69.99 in the United Kingdom. EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate edition will cost $99.99 in the U.S. and £99.99 in the UK.
The Nintendo Switch version of the game is priced slightly cheaper at £59.99/$59.99, but there is no Ultimate edition.
There had been some speculation that the game might follow a free-to-play model, which means no up-front payment would be required in order to play the game. Despite the whispers though, gamers will have to pay to play EA Sports FC.
What is the difference between EA Sports FC 24 standard edition & Ultimate edition?
| Benefit | Standard edition | Ultimate edition |
|---|---|---|
| Dual Entitlement | Yes | Yes |
| Ultimate Team Cover Star Loan Player Item for 10 Ultimate Team matches | Yes | Yes |
| Two Ambassador Loan Player Pick Items for 5 Ultimate Team matches | Yes | Yes |
| One Clubs Unlocked PlayStyles Slot | Yes | Yes |
| Additional Player Career Personality Points | Yes | Yes |
| One Manager Career 5-Star Coach Available for hire | Yes | Yes |
| 7-days early access | No | Yes |
| 4,600 FC Points | No | Yes |
| Access to Nike Ultimate Team Campaign | No | Yes |
| TOTW 1 Ultimate Team Player Item | No | Yes |
| Nike Ultimate Team Loan Player Item for 24 Ultimate Team Matches & Nike x EA Sports Ultimate Team kit | No | Yes |
| Untradeable UCL/UWCL hero, available November 23* | No | Yes |
*When you pre-order by August 22
The price difference between the standard edition of EA Sports FC 24 and the Ultimate edition is something that gamers naturally weigh up when deciding which version to buy.
No matter what, when you buy the standard edition of the game, you get a number of benefits, including Dual Entitlement and a number of Ultimate Team items. However, there are more perks available to those who purchase the Ultimate edition of the game, such as seven-days early access, FC Points and more.
You can see the differences in the table above.
Which consoles will EA Sports FC 24 be playable on?
EA Sports FC will be available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. It is also available to play on older consoles such as PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
GettyWhat licences will EA Sports FC 24 have?
It will be business as usual for EA Sports FC, with the bulk of official partners remaining with the game after the split with FIFA.
In a blog, EA EVP and GM Cam Weber confirmed that, "more than 19,000+ players, 700+ teams, 100+ stadiums and 30 leagues that we’ve continued to invest in for decades will still be there, uniquely in EA SPORTS FC."
The Premier League, UEFA (meaning Champions League, Europa League and Women's Champions League), Serie A, La Liga, MLS, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, CONMEBOL and EFL have all been confirmed as partners.
How to get early access to EA Sports FC 24
As noted, early access to the game is available to those who pre-order the Ultimate Edition of the game.
Early access allows players to play the game seven days ahead of the September 29 release date, so they will be able to get stuck in from September 22.
Who are the EA Sports FC 24 cover stars?
EA SportsManchester City and Norway superstar Erling Haaland is the cover star of EA Sports FC 24.
EA revealed the EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Edition cover on July 10, and it bucks the trend in more than just one way. EA opted for a more game-like look rather than its typical exercise of using high-quality images of its cover stars.
The FC 24 Ultimate Edition game cover also doesn’t have just one or two players on the cover, but it features no fewer than 31 players, including male and female football stars both from the past and present mingling in a sort of team photo.
Among the faces on the cover are David Beckham, Erling Haaland, Pele, Zinedine Zidane, Jude Bellingham, Paulo Dybala, Alexander Isak, and Ronaldinho, among others.
Meanwhile, Manchester City striker Haaland was named as the cover star for the standard edition of FC 24.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Marco Reus, Kylian Mbappe, and Ronaldinho are among the handful of global stars who have previously held the honour of being the cover star of FIFA, so the Norwegian goal-getter joins the elite company.
Haaland also becomes the first player to adorn the newly-renamed game, which was previously known as FIFA.
What features will EA Sports FC 24 have?
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EA SportsThe messaging from EA Sports regarding EA Sports FC has strongly emphasised the developers' 30-year association with the FIFA franchise, and it is not a stretch to expect EA Sports FC to pick up where FIFA 23 left off in terms of features and innovation.
That means game modes such as Career Mode, Pro Clubs, VOLTA and Ultimate Team will be familiar features in the rebrand. In the aforementioned blog post, Cam Weber outlined a desire "to innovate, create and evolve".
"We’re dedicated to meaningfully reinvesting in the sport, and we’re excited to work with a large and increasing number of partners to expand to new authentic experiences that bring joy, inclusivity and immersion to a global community of fans," explained Weber.
He added: "We exist to create the future of football fandom – whether virtual or real, digital or physical, it’s all football."
It is clear that the proverbial shackles are off from a creative perspective, with EA Sports' development teams being given licence to explore more areas for innovation following the split from FIFA.
"We think that the growth potential there is immense," David Jackson, EA Sports VP Brand, told the Footballco Business Podcast. "We now have limitless potential to explore new areas that some of our players are already asking for, in terms of the ability to maybe integrate broadcast highlights or content, or different access points into the game, different modes within our product is really interesting."
Ballon d'Or
For the first time in the history of the EA Sports football franchise, the Ballon d'Or award will feature.
It will be part of the game's Career Mode, meaning you and your players can strive to win the biggest individual accolade in football.
Manager Career & Player Career
Career Mode is now split cleanly between Manager Career and Player Career.
Manager Career will allow the player to delve deeper into what it means to be a football manager and a Total Management System is part of that in the game. Tactical Vision, Coaches and Match Preparation will be key components here.
In Player Career, the addition of Player Agents, who will help guide you on your journey through the professional game. You can set Target Teams, receive recommendations and general advice on your next steps. When at a club, you will have mandatory and optional objectives.
PlayStyles
A new feature of the game which incorporates real-world data from Opta, PlayStyles adds more dimensions to players, allowing their unique skills and abilities to shine through.
Ultimate Team Evolutions
With Ultimate Team Evolutions, the idea is to cultivate your own club legends and build dynasties. This will involved completing a set of objectives to improve a player's skill, PlayStyles and more.
Women's football
Women's football will now be a part of Ultimate Team and you will be able to add the best women's players to your squad, with a number of new ICONs and Heroes.
Will EA Sports FC 24 have Ultimate Team?
Ultimate Team will be a part of EA Sports FC, meaning fans of the popular game mode can breathe a sigh of relief. What form it takes remains to be seen, but you may need to get used to a new acronym - FUT no more.
In the aforementioned blog post, EA Sports chief Weber allayed fears that the rebrand might mean the end of Ultimate Team, saying: "Everything you love about our games will be part of EA SPORTS FC – the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes will be there. Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA Football will all be there."
EA Sports FC 24 web app
The web app and companion app for EA Sports FC are set for release on September 20, 2023 and September 21, 2023.
Find out everything you need to know here!
EA Sports FC 24 trailer
A teaser trailer for the new game was dropped on July 10, giving gamers a glimpse into what is in store in EA Sports FC 24.
Narrated by Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, the teaser promises, "this is a whole new game" as stars from past and present share the screen.
The video opens with Pep Guardiola delivering a dressing-room team-talk to players wearing different jerseys, with Jude Bellingham and David Beckham sitting next to each other. Then, Erling Haaland appears, typically unfazed, while Vinicius Jr belts a strike into the top corner.
Interestingly, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe are conspicuously absent from the trailer.
EA Sports FC 24 player ratings
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EA Sports/Getty/GOAL compositeYou can see the best players on EA Sports FC at the links below.
- Best men's players
- Best women's players
- Best young players
- Best MLS players
- Best Premier League players
- Best Saudi Pro League players
- Best Ligue 1 players
- Best Bundesliga players
- Best USMNT players
- Best USWNT players
- Wrexham player ratings
EA Sports revealed the top rated players on the game on September 11, with Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Alexia Putellas and Kevin De Bruyne each receiving a rating of 91.
Lionel Messi has a rating of 90 on the game, meaning he is still one of the best individuals, but Cristiano Ronaldo has plunged lower into the 80s.
EA Sports FC 24 soundtrack
For the musically inclined, EA Sports has long catered to a broad scope and included music from all over the world on its game soundtracks. It is no different for EA Sports FC 24.
This year, artists such as legendary rockers The Rolling Stones and British grime singer Stormzy feature along with many more from across Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.