Some things in life are inevitable and, for better or worse, a new EA Sports FC game is one of them. The blockbuster footie franchise release has been an almost annual tradition for almost 30 years now but the games, previously known as FIFA until a tiff over licensing forced a rebrand last year, remain defiantly popular.
Last year’s imaginatively titled EA Sports FC 24 sold over 2 million copies in the UK while the biggest selling album, Taylor Swift’s rerecorded 1989, shifted just shy of 300k.
EA Sports FC 25 is the biggest entry in the series yet, boasting more than 19,000 players across more than 700 different teams with a hulking soundtrack to match. The numbers don’t stop there either, with Ultimate Team a chance to complete football-focused challenges in order to earn points to spend on Top Trumps-style cards, all in a bid to create your dream team. Or players can buy packs of digital cards, because microtransactions are sadly another one of life’s sure things.
For the first time in the franchise’s history, women’s football is fully integrated across EA Sports FC. It’s a smart move – the audience for women’s football continues to grow following the inspirational success of the Lionesses – but the game isn’t exactly welcoming to newcomers.
An updated menu system will have long-term fans struggling to find their way about while the in-game training leans heavily on trial and error, making for a disheartening few hours if this is your introduction to the franchise.
Stick with it though and you’ll be rewarded with one of the most entertaining games around. Seasons has you using a combination of tactics, skill and button-mashing to best online opponents and rise up the ranks, while the new, compact 5v5 Rush mode is a total joy.
Far more frantic than the traditional matches, these scrappy football battles feel more immediate and playful. And for those that fancy something a little more in-depth and serious, the Management Career mode will have you answering emails and balancing budgets as you fight for promotion. Ted Lasso never prepared us for this.
There’s a renewed focus on tactics across EA Sports FC 25 as well. With the flick of a button, customisable playstyles can be set up, giving you the chance to immediately react to what’s happening on the pitch. It’s another language for players to learn though, as is the reworked Player Roles system.
The EA Sports FC series has never stopped evolving, but the core of the game has always remained the same – frustratingly brilliant football.
EA Sports FC 25 is a dense game that demands patience but all that thinking never gets in the way of the magic moments this series can conjure. Even if you’re losing 7-0 at home on the last game of your season, hitting the woodwork with an ambitious shot will always feel exhilarating.
It’s a rush that’ll keep you coming back for more. Well, until next year when it’s time to buy EA Sports FC 26 anyway.
