EA Sports FC release date confirmed: Gameplay and early access for 'FIFA 24'

We also saw the Premier League, Champions League and a whole host of other leagues to assuage any fears that EA Sports FC 24 would be anaemic compared to what FIFA 24 could’ve been.

Since then, we’ve had a proper showing off of the game during the official gameplay deep dive, which we will be covering in detail - and it’s looking like fans will hardly realise that it isn’t a FIFA game, given just how much content will be on offer.

EA Sports FC release date

The EA Sports FC release date will be 29th September 2023, the developers from EA have confirmed.

Better yet, if you pre-order the Ultimate Edition of the game, you'll receive a week of early access, allowing you to start playing from 22nd September if you splurge on that version.

Can I pre-order EA Sports FC 24?

You can pre-order EA Sports FC 24 right now from the official stores of PlayStation, Xbox, EA, Steam, Epic Games and Nintendo.

Use any of those links in the previous paragraph to jump away to the relevant storefront and place your order.

Who is on the EA Sports FC 24 cover?

Erling Haaland, who popped up at the reveal event in some natty pyjamas, will grace the EA Sports FC 24 cover. You can see the box art below!

Prior to that, the FC 24 Ultimate Edition cover was revealed in the Tweet below, and it's a star-studded image of players past and present. From Ronaldinho to Pirlo, to some of today's younger blood.

Is EA Sports FC going to be free?

EA Sports FC 24 will not be a free to play game. This has been confirmed by the pre-order pages going live, with the product being fully priced just like FIFA used to be.

You can see the priced-up product pages at PlayStation, Xbox, EA, Steam, Epic Games and Nintendo's official stores.

What platforms can I get EA Sports FC on?

EA Sports FC is set to release on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and even Nintendo Switch, with each of those platforms now boasting an official product page.

See for yourself by clicking over to PlayStation, Xbox, EA, Steam, Epic Games and Nintendo's websites.

Will EA Sports FC have Ultimate Team?

Yes! EA Sports FC will have Ultimate Team, it has been confirmed by the developers.

What's more, women's football will be added to FUT, and everything you know and love from the FIFA games will be there.

Making it clear that returning players don't need to worry about losing their favourite features, the EA Sports blog has said: "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 gameplay details

Firstly, let’s get the official gameplay deep dive watched so we can see it’s all shaping up.

Previously, we were told during the reveal livestream: "Our unique licensing portfolio of 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.”

This huge roster of players, combined with the game's new Hypermotion V system, which has taken motion capture directly from hundreds of footballers on the pitch during 180 real matches, will elevate the action and make the depiction of the beautiful game more realistic than ever – ensuring that the 19,000+ players don’t just play out as copies of one another as there are “over 11,000 true-to-football animations”.

Further enhancing the spectacle is the new Play Styles system, which transcends the gameplay from just being a number and stats outfit to one that centres more around how you actually play the game.

You can take signature moves from certain players and add them to your characters’ abilities, and unlock new ones such as stop-ball-tackles if you opt for a defensive Play Style.

Each Play Style has two tiers, Play Styles and Play Styles+ - the former taking signature abilities into the game and the latter taking them “from special to spectacular.”

Similarly to HyperMotion V, Play Styles are informed by real-world data, making EA Sports FC 24 more a simulation than FIFA ever was in the past.

There’s also AcceleRATE 2.0, which adds further granularity to the various player archetypes in how they run and control the ball.

The base Acceleration Types previously were:

• Controlled: Most players in EA SPORTS FC 24 will fall into the basic Controlled type, as they accelerate in a more balanced and controlled manner.
• Explosive: Shorter and more agile players who are quicker to start, but their acceleration rate slows down after the initial burst of acceleration.
• Lengthy: Taller and stronger players that start slow but thrive over longer distances once they get going.

Now four more are being added to the game:

• Controlled Explosive - 50% Explosive, 50% Controlled
• Mostly Explosive - 70% Explosive, 30% Controlled
• Controlled Lengthy - 50% Lengthy, 50% Controlled
• Mostly Lengthy - 70% Lengthy, 30% Controlled

Their AcceleRATE stats are based on a mix of players’ acceleration, height, agility and strength - making each character and player completely unique from one another

In terms of content, EA told us that those aforementioned 19,000 players come from “exclusive partnerships with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, the MLS – and more to come."

The deal with the Premier League was announced in February 2023, with Sky Sports revealing that EA Sports would continue as the lead partner and official video game licence holder of the Premier League in a six-year deal worth £488 million.

We can also expect EA Sports FC 24 to feature everything you know and love from the modern FIFA games, including Ultimate Team, Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA. You can expect the same attention to detail and number of official licences, too.

Content creation may also take more of a focus, with EA reps hinting at such a possibility over a number of interviews.

EA's Andrew Wilson told the New York Times: "It was really about how can we do more for the players, more for the fans, how can we offer them more modalities to play? How can we bring more partners into the game, how can we expand beyond the bounds of the traditional game?"

Another EA exec, David Jackson, told the BBC: "The world of football and the world of entertainment are changing, and they clash within our product. In the future our players will demand of us the ability to be more expansive in that offering."

Jackson added: "At the moment, we engage in play as a primary form of interactive experience. Soon, watching and creating content are going to be equally as important for fans.

"Under the licensing conventions that we had agreed with FIFA 10 years ago, there were some restrictions that weren't going to allow us to be able to build those experiences for players."

Check out this teaser trailer all about triangles, and the 'announcement' trailer released in July.

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