What’s new and what are the differences between EA Sports FC 24 and FIFA 23?
EA SPORTS FC 24 marks a big moment for what was previously the FIFA franchise. After 29 years and 39 releases, EA Sports’s football juggernaut dropped the FIFA license and now goes by a new name. But is it just a name change and a few tweaks to FIFA 23? Or is EA SPORTS FC 24 changing things on a wider scale?
Based on what developer EA Vancouver has shown so far, there are some sizable additions that give the on-pitch action a more authentic feel and add new dimensions to familiar modes. From women players in Ultimate Team to Haaland’s flying kick goal against Dortmund, these are the changes and improvements in FC 24.
Gameplay
FC 24 brings a new motion capture animation system to the pitch that EA’s calling HyperMotionV. The tech brings hundreds of new animations to the game courtesy of volumetric motion capture. A series of cameras placed around the pitch during real football games capture the actual players’ movements—everything from the way they run to their headers and shooting technique. With that data, EA can then create a volumetric model that’s more than just floating points.
FC 24’s been gathering this data in both mens’ and womens’ games, and it’s promising higher levels of authenticity than ever as a result. If you set up a match between Manchester City and Liverpool, for example, you should see 20 different running animations, unique to each outfield player. And Haaland’s famous Champions League goal against Dortmund last season, that aerial lunge, is in the game like-for-like this year thanks to HyperMotionV.
PlayStyles are also a new addition to FC 24. Certain players get special abilities that mimic what makes their game special in real life. The best defenders will have a Slide Tackle ability, for example, which gives them a strong-but-clean tackle animation. There are 34 total PlayStyles in FC 24, with Finesse Shot, Trickster, and Power Shot also shown in gameplay so far. A higher tier of PlayStyle called PlayStyle+ unlocks even more special abilities and animations for the game’s truly elite players.
Like previous FIFA titles, FC 24’s running on the Frostbite engine—albeit a version that EA is touting as a major overhaul. Shirt fabrics are shinier and flow more in motion, and EA’s promising a raft of visual improvements on the pitch.
Ultimate Team
Ultimate Team, the compulsive card-collecting mode, is back—and sporting some pretty major changes this year.
Evolutions are the headline act. You can finally improve the ratings of your favorite players. By completing certain objectives for the player card you want to upgrade, you’ll gain boosts to certain stats. The player’s OVR (Overall Rating) can also be increased, judging by the gameplay shown in EA’s Deep Dive series.
The introduction of women players is another major shakeup to the formula, allowing you to drop the likes of Australia’s Sam Kerr and Brazil’s Marta in among the greats of the men’s game and have them all play in the same squad.
There are new Heroes and Icons this year, as you’d expect. Wesley Sneijder and Carlos Tevez from the mens’ game have been featured in EA’s pre-release videos so far, along with Alex Scott from the womens’ game. The way Chemistry works for FC 24's Icon and Hero cards has been tweaked though—when you drop one into your squad, you can apply a +1 league link to any other player in that squad.
There are presentation tweaks to pack openings this year too, including a two-player walkout to spotlight those moments when you unlock two great players in the same pack. A new objectives menu gives you some clear directions for activities at a glance, while in your squad formation there have been some tweaks to player positions. If a player has a secondary position, you can simply drop them into that position in the formation with no need for modifier cards.
FC 24 Career Mode
Career has long been the singleplayer mainstay mode in FIFA games, and it’s back in FC 24 with a suite of improvements.
Manager Career mode introduces coaches who will help bring a particular style of play to your squad. Coaches offer buffs to player stats and their rate of development, so picking a coach with complementary boosts to the areas you want to emphasize on the pitch should get your team playing the way you want.
Three new training additions find their way into Career mode, as well: Training Plans, Pre-Match Reports, and Match-Ready Training.
Training Plans redesign the Match Sharpness mechanic by making you balance stat boosts with fitness levels—in other words, how much a player can actually make use of their stat boosts on the pitch. Pre-Match Reports outline how your upcoming opposition likes to play and their key players, so you can devise a tactic to counter them. And Match-Ready Training follows on from that system. Once you’ve identified how your opposition likes to play, you then know which areas of your game need to improve. Match-Ready Training Drills offer you a one-time stat boost in those areas. Complete the passing drill, for instance, and you’ll get a passing stat boost for the game.
In Player Career mode, where you control just one player in a squad, FC 24 introduces Player Agents. Tell your Agent where you want to go and they’ll give you objectives to help you broker that transfer deal. Complete these Agent objectives and you’ll increase the chances of that dream move to Kettering Town. It’s not just about getting one transfer deal though—your Player Agent will advise you on the stepping stone clubs you should play for in order to end up at your dream destination by the end of your career.
The aforementioned PlayStyles are a big factor in Player Career, and you’re able to select specific PlayStyles based on your personality type. Max out a personality type and you’ll be able to turn one of your PlayStyles into a PlayStyle+.
Dynamic moments have also been added to both Career modes, so you’ll see more celebratory cutscenes when you win a trophy. Grealish’s legendary post-Champions League celebrations have not been confirmed for FC 24 though, sadly.
Clubs
In Clubs mode, you and up to ten other online teammates each control your own player. While Clubs was a fan-favorite in the FIFA games, the community was keen to see EA overhaul the mode.
There are numerous additions and improvements to the mode in FC 24, starting with generation-specific crossplay compatibility—meaning PS4 and Xbox One players can play together, as can PS5 and Xbox Series X players. (Volta mode gets the same generation-specific crossplay compatibility.)
Club leagues have also been restructured for FC 24. They now feature three phases: league, promotion, and end-of-season playoffs where players compete for leaderboard placement and fan rewards. Unique Clubs league trophies can also be unlocked here, and a greater variety of pre-match intros should sell the drama of key games.
Divisions are reset at the end of each three-phase season, but players keep their rewards and skill rating, so there’s an ongoing leaderboard that persists beyond each season. As you play, you gain fans and reputation. Over time you’ll unlock bigger stadiums to customize and play in, and attract a higher caliber of AI teammate for the positions that your human Club-mates aren’t occupying.
More player customization options have also been added to both the Clubs and Volta modes, from tattoos to elegant bum bags.
FC Pro 24
FC Pro 24 is FC 24’s esports program, featuring a simpler 1v1 tournament structure than we’ve seen previously in FIFA esports. The objective here is a “simplified season narrative,” according to EA. In other words, it’s easier to keep track of who’s playing and what the results were.
From game launch until February 2024, the FC Pro Open Ladder will run weekly open qualifiers that see the top players advancing to the FC Pro Open. The League qualifiers then run from February to April, where national champions will be decided. Like the FC Pro Open Ladder qualifiers, the top players will advance to the FC Pro Open World Championships, a 32-player grand final taking place from May through July of 2024.
You can preorder EA Sports FC 24 Standard Edition and Ultimate Edition on the Epic Games Store.