EA FC 25 is finally here – well, sort of. After going solo for the first time with EA FC 24, EA Sports will launch the newest installment of the EA Sports FC game series in the next few months, EA FC 25. Players were desperate to see big gameplay updates in EA FC 24 after some underwhelming FIFA game releases, and changes were made, with HyperMotion V and PlayStyles both being added. EA has announced that, for EA FC 25, another pillar of its gameplay innovation will be added called FC IQ. The new addition has seen tactics overhauled in EA FC 25, with the publisher claiming it will 'shake up the meta'. Did the new FC IQ make a big difference to tactics and gameplay, and does the new Rush game mode improve the game?
EA FC 25 gameplay: it needs more
In the early preview build of EA FC 25, we could play two different modes – Rush Kick Off, and regular Kick Off. In Kick Off, the new FC IQ tactics seemed the biggest change, and we can confidently say that when setting up your squad on EA FC 25, you have more options tactic-wise than ever before – fantastic!
EA claims it's the most significant change to tactics in a decade, and it does feel that way. The ultra-attacking, attacking, balanced, defensive, and ultra-defensive tactics have been removed for good, with a new team tactics system replacing them.
Using real-world data, EA has used FC IQ to make the game even more authentic, giving each player something called Player Roles. There are over 50 Player Roles in EA FC 25, and this guides how your players behave off the ball and out of possession.
When setting up your tactics, you can assign a player role to each position on the pitch – more like an in-depth version of player instructions. There are three to five player roles per position, with each role having positive and negative impacts on your team. For example, if I'm using Manchester City and assigning a role to former EA FC 24 cover star Erling Haaland, I can choose whether he is an advanced forward, poacher, false nine, or target forward.
Haaland plays best when you assign the poacher role to him, with the striker having two plus' appear next to his name, meaning he is familiar with this role. But, with Manchester City's team tactics using a false nine, it impacts how well he plays in-game as the tactics don't match. EA has also removed the center-forward, left-wing-back, and right-wing-back positions from the game, with these positions now integrated into the player roles.
When assigning player roles, a graphic called the 'activity map' appears on screen to show you where on the pitch the player will play, using the color green to display this, similar to Football Manager 2024. So, if you play your full back as a falseback, it will push the defender into the center of the pitch as a deep-lying midfielder, meaning the player will rarely stick to the wing.
A new tactical foul system has been introduced too, where you can purposely pull back the opposition to stop a counterattack, but it will get you a guaranteed yellow card. EA has also increased the number of subs as well, with nine substitutes now included.
RUSH-ed?
The Volta game mode will not feature in EA FC 25. After first being introduced in FIFA 20, it's gone (sort of). Volta was introduced as almost a replacement for FIFA Street, the beloved game that saw its last edition, FIFA Street 4, released in 2012. But, that same magic that made FIFA Street so popular was missing, and Volta was forgotten about by the majority of players after the first few months.
EA has now developed a new EA FC 25 mode called Rush, but in terms of gameplay, it's basically Volta 2.0, and it left me underwhelmed. Rush is a 5v5 game mode that will feature in Ultimate Team, Clubs, Manager Career Mode, and Kick-Off. In Ultimate Team and Clubs, you will control a single player and play alongside three friends or strangers, with the goalkeeper AI.
In Kick-Off and Manager Career Mode, you will control the entire team, and it might be because I only got to try it out in Kick-Off, but Rush just felt bored playing. I liked the addition of new commentators, the Rush-specific stadium, and the drone show that was displayed before the game started, but away from that, the gameplay wasn't anything special.
Firstly, the pitch was bigger than a Volta pitch and smaller than a regular pitch, but it still felt way too big. And because it's not the street-style game Volta was, there are no ridiculous skill moves. EA hasn't changed any of the gameplay mechanics from the 11v11 for Rush, so it's the same, just with fewer players on a smaller pitch.
In Rush, the kick-off is a race to the ball, which adds a bit more competitiveness to the game. There are also blue cards in Rush, so if a player receives a blue card, they are sin-binned for one minute. Offsides do exist in Rush with the pitch being a decent size, but only in the attacking third rather than the attacking half.
One of the most exciting additions for Rush was how penalties are taken. Rather than a regular penalty, a Rush penalty will see the fouled player take on the 'keeper in a one vs one situation, starting from the halfway line. The opponent's captain also controls the 'keeper to make it even more fun. Apart from the new penalty system though, I didn't enjoy Rush.
However, it does seem like a sociable game mode, and it might be more fun to play it within Clubs or Ultimate Team, but in Kick Off, it's just not it.
New EA FC 25 features
Clubs are getting a promising overhaul, including a new way to spend your club's budget on improving stats and adding PlayStyles. Relegation is also returning to the divisions, which increases the stakes when competing.
Career Mode is also receiving big changes, for the first time in what feels like forever. Women's football is being added to both Manager and Player Career, while you will be able to use Icons in Player Career, which is a very cool concept I can't wait to try.
The youth academy has also been overhauled with more scouting options available, and you can use Rush to develop and play with your youth squad - the first time that the youth academy has been playable. A live Career mode feature called Live Start Points will arrive in EA FC 25, where you can jump into a career mode based on the real-life season.
For example, If Brentford are somehow top of the Premier League at Christmas, you can start the game from that exact time You can try and guide them to glory, with all fixtures and results up to date. I wasn't able to try out either Clubs or Career Mode in my preview build, but on paper, these are welcome upgrades.
Overall then, it's not that EA FC 25's gameplay felt bad, but the fact that it felt so similar to EA FC.
