EA Sports FC 27: everything new this year

EA Sports FC 27 is out. Ultimate and Ultimate Plus Edition owners started on September 18 with up to seven days of early access, EA Play members got a 10-hour trial, and the full game launched on September 25. A free version, FC 27 Lite, launched the same day with a limited slice of the game, including Kick-Off, and an option to upgrade; Ultimate Team, Manager Career and The Grounds stay locked to the full game.

Jump to: The Grounds · Gameplay · Career Mode · Ultimate Team · PC

The Grounds: a new social football space

The biggest new mode is The Grounds, built around a central Terrace that connects three districts: Montclair, Zeiza and Parkside. It's aimed at playing with others rather than working through a menu:

• Casual matches and 1v1 competition
• Informal 11v11 matches, Rush games and tournaments
• Clubs and Club Headquarters, plus football mentors
• Social activities and customization
• New seasons, campaigns and live updates

The Grounds, including Clubs, is only available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

Gameplay: more control, less automation

EA's stated goal is less automation and more control at key moments. The main changes, taken from EA's own Gameplay Deep Dive:

• Less auto-tackling. In Competitive gameplay, AI-controlled defenders no longer automatically go for the ball when a dribbler comes close. Manual defenders have faster jockeying and longer-range stand tackles.
• Corner kicks. After you aim the delivery the camera shifts to the box, giving you a short window to move, switch, run and shield. Players also no longer move into the best position on their own.
• Crossing rework. Crosses are aimed into space rather than onto a specific player, so a badly aimed cross can miss everyone. Clean headers are rarer but more accurate.
• New runs. Triggered Curved Runs and Pass & Follow Runs give you more control off the ball, and triggered runs now stop after a limited distance.
• Passing. Ground and lobbed through passes follow your directional input strictly, and dinked passes are fully manual.
• Off-Balance Dribbling. Top dribblers can stumble after a bump or shoulder challenge but stay under your control. It's only on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC.
• PlayStyle rebalancing. Finesse Shot, Technical Dribbler, Rapid, Quick Step, Tiki Taka, Pinged Pass and others were toned down so attributes matter more.
• Authentic Gameplay 2.0 aims at more grounded matches with more variety and tactics that evolve as opponents adapt.

Career Mode: a rebuilt transfer market

• AI clubs actively bid against each other, and player values and negotiations are more realistic.
• Performance clauses and buyback clauses are new.
• Dynamic OVR adjusts a player's overall based on form, morale, fitness and playing time.
• Improved player development, new transfer stories and unexpected events.
• Creator Challenges arrive for Manager Live, and Player Career adds rivalries for a starting place.

Ultimate Team: the FUT Gallery and evolutions

• FUT Gallery: a permanent archive of every player item that has passed through your club, with themed sets, a Gallery Level and rewards.
• Holographic Player Items and a redesigned, streamlined Squad Building Challenge, where you fill a progress bar with eligible club items toward a target score.
• Evolution Pathways: branching upgrade routes for certain Evolutions, plus a chain preview so you can see what comes next.
• All special cards automatically get Role++ in all positions within their primary and secondary roles, for more tactical freedom.
• A PlayStyles Lab, a new Campaign Hub and single-player Live Events.

PC and licensing

PC players get shorter startup times, Steam Friends integration, a VRAM usage indicator, updated keyboard controls, new graphics presets and an Enhanced Ultra setting for high-end machines. The game carries more than 21,000 players, over 800 clubs and national teams, 140-plus stadiums and 35-plus leagues.