Our Verdict
EA Sports FC 25 continues to hand in the same homework it’s done for the past few years now, albeit with a new paragraph on Rush. It’s a solid game that will likely enjoy plenty of additions throughout the year, but I’d like to see more ambition in the future.
More than any other community I’ve seen, the people who play EA FC regularly are some of the most brand-loyal in existence. These are the same types of people who will constantly remind you about the game’s biggest issues, blaming corporate greed, server lag, and plain old ignorance on the developer’s part. And yet, without fail, they’re the first to hammer that pre-order button as soon as the game becomes available. Don’t worry, I’m not judging, for I am one of these people. EA FC 25 is here, and it’s delivering exactly what fans have come to expect from the annual sports game.
EA isn’t reinventing the beautiful game this year, and fans aren’t asking them to either. The most noticeable difference in EA FC 25 is the game’s overall speed. The gameplay across all modes in FC 25 has been slowed down to create a closer representation of football, and though I much prefer the slower pace as it promotes tactical play, I know that there’s a strong chance that it won’t last. In past years, EA has patched the game not long after launch in response to community feedback, bringing the gameplay more in line with the previous year’s version.
On the pitch, the in-game quick tactics have been upgraded, providing a wider array of options while you’re on the ball. This system hasn’t received an overhaul in years, so it’s great to finally see some refinements. I found it fiddly to navigate through the menus at first, but it doesn’t take long to understand where the most important options are tucked away. Having the ability to substitute players without pausing the game is incredibly helpful, particularly when you’re building momentum as you want to avoid giving your opponent any time to recover. Depending on the game state, you receive prompts via the Smart Tactics feature advising you on how to set your team up. Sadly, this is pretty useless as it’s obvious that if you’re 3-0 down, you probably want to try to score some goals.
With all the top football players and teams at your disposal, each with a set of unique PlayStyles and stats, you need to be able to put together the perfect strategic plan. The new Player Roles system lets you decide how you want each player on your team to operate. This was technically possible to do in the old games, a player using the correct role will perform better than someone shoehorned into that same role. For example, you’re going to have an easier time playing out from the back with David Raya in the Sweeper Keeper role rather than someone like Jordan Pickford.
This system is fantastic as it should incentivize people to build their own teams rather than relying on what the top players use, but it’s practically impossible to stop anyone from copying meta teams. With the new addition of custom tactic codes, it’s now easier than ever to utilize popular tactical setups. There is a fine line between winning and losing, so I understand why nobody hesitates to use anything that they believe will give them an advantage. It’s a shame as this system opens up a wealth of possibilities, but you’re likely to run into similar teams featuring players with blistering pace.
While there have been minor improvements to Clubs and the Manager game modes, it’s clear only a fraction of the game’s community are interested in any of this stuff, and it’s easy to see why. EA has dug itself into an Ultimate Team-shaped hole that it can’t seem to get out of. No matter what it seems to introduce, it’s clear that the new content won’t reach a wider audience unless it’s incorporated into the main mode. There are objectives in Career and Clubs that unlock Ultimate Team items on the season pass, but that’s not going to be enough to incentivize hardcore players from defaulting to their favorite game mode.
Ultimate Team has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, with FC 24 adding women to the game, and new ways to unlock icons and heroes through squad-building challenges. These cards used to be unattainable to most free-to-play players, and now you’re able to obtain legendary players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira without having to spend any cash on packs.
There are two massive changes in Ultimate Team this year: the removal of contracts and the duplicate storage system. There used to be loads of filler in Ultimate Team designed purely to waste time, but slowly annoyances like player fitness and position cards have been wiped out, and now it’s time to wave goodbye to contracts. The final nail in the coffin will be when EA inevitably removes injuries from cards, but that will most likely come over the next few years. Duplicate storage is something people have been asking for the longest time, and now you aren’t forced to throw your dupes into the trash, only to fish them out using the awful quick-sell recovery mechanic.
It’s no surprise to see why everyone gravitates to this mode as there’s always something new to do or something you could be doing. Whether that’s playing offline-centric modes like Squad Battles, ranked play with Division Rivals, or dipping in and out of Rush, you’re constantly being rewarded with coins and packs to improve your squad. Even when you’re physically away from the game, you’re able to stay connected using the web app to get all of your FC chores done. It’s an extremely addictive cycle, and EA has made sure not to make too many adjustments to jeopardize its prize winning hog.
The big new game mode in FC 25 is Rush, shrinking the 11v11 sport down to 5v5. This is not to be confused with Volta, EA’s street football mode, which has been largely ignored by the community since its introduction in 2020. Unlike Volta, Rush has one key element going for it which is going to guarantee you give it a try. It’s being incorporated into every core mode, more specifically, Ultimate Team.
Just like a real game of five-a-side football, Rush features all the pros and cons that come with playing with randoms off the street. Right from the player select menu, you can get a rough idea about the type of people you’re about to play with. There’s no set team structure or formation in Rush, leaving each player to decide which role they should take on. Of course, everyone wants to be the hero, so in most matches you’ll find yourself paired with three attackers. If you opt for Rush in Ultimate Team, you’re able to pick from any player in your squad, with an AI goalkeeper chosen at random. Only the team captain can control the keeper, similar to the way it works in Pro Clubs.
Without needing to speak to each other, four good players should be able to coordinate well enough to play some decent football. If you happen to have a weak link on your team, they can single-handedly cause enough disruption to hamper your chances of winning. Mistakes are amplified in Rush due to the team sizes, so passing the ball to the opposition from kick-off will almost certainly cost you. While you’re unable to receive red cards in Rush, you can get slapped with a blue card, placing you in a sin bin for one minute.
Rush is easily the standout mode in FC 25 thanks to its fast-paced gameplay and emphasis on teamwork. It’s clear to see the potential in Rush, and though it’s harder to enjoy the mode as a solo player right now, I fully expect the community to improve as time goes on. Some obvious changes could elevate the experience for everyone, like forced player roles to ensure your team has defenders. It would be nice to have the option to stick with your team if you have a good match, à la Overwatch. Speaking of Overwatch, an appraisal system wouldn’t go amiss either, as there’s currently no way to give your teammates props for playing well. I also understand why Rush doesn’t have a vote kick feature, but there’s no way to deal with idlers looking to score easy points to complete their objectives.
It’s great to have a game mode that feels different from the usual grind of Division Rivals and Champs, especially when you find yourself stuck in a rank you don’t belong in. In FC 25, the rank placement system uses your previous season best from FC 24 to determine your standing. As most hardcore FC players know, there’s a big difference between ranked matches at the beginning of the game’s lifecycle compared to the end. It’s a nightmare competing at the start when everyone is trying hard to earn packs, but that eases off once the season ends.
So, let’s say you managed to make it to Division 2 in FC 24, the game would automatically slot you into Division 6 in FC 25. Being placed in Division 6 by the system doesn’t sound like a death sentence, but in order to combat smurfs, EA has disabled rank decay. With no way to escape, you’re forced for the remainder of the season to play against above-average opposition. Unless you make a concerted effort to improve, you will find it difficult to break out of your current Division.
It’s also harder to earn the weekly rewards, requiring a total of 15 wins for the best rewards instead of the usual seven in previous years. As if losing wasn’t bad enough, earning a grand total of zero points towards your weekly goal, you’re rewarded with a measly amount of FUT Champions points. It doesn’t make any sense to give struggling players these points if they can’t handle the standard Divisions Rivals mode.
As a relatively casual player, I preferred the old system as it didn’t take too long to rack up seven wins over the course of a week. It’s already difficult to earn multiple wins as it is, so I can’t see many people going for the best rewards unless they have a week off work. While I don’t have a problem with facing off against strong opponents, there are definitely going to be some people who would’ve wanted the option to start fresh.
Speaking of changes nobody asked for, EA has revamped the replay system, now dubbed Highlighter, adding in a photo mode and video editor. The photo mode has a variety of camera lenses and effects; it’s quite impressive compared to what I’ve seen from some AAA games. Highlighter also gives you access to a timeline of the match, allowing you to split segments up with different cameras, filters, and effects. After getting to grips with the clunky controls, it’s clear to see that Highlighter is a surprisingly deep video editor, which makes it all the more disappointing that it’s broken.
From what I’ve seen, it’s impossible to view any of your first-half highlights using the timeline. Yes, you’re able to watch them back using the regular replay viewer, but you can’t access any of these clips when you’re making a movie. You also need to be careful not to score too many goals as the replay system can simply forget it ever happened, skipping over the moment entirely. To top it off, I spent half an hour creating a highlight reel only for the game to crash, losing all of my progress. Highlighter doesn’t store any of your replays, so the only opportunity you have to create movies is to do it right after a match. It’s baffling why this feature was released in this state; it’s currently unfit for purpose and unreliable to boot.
Now that the competition is firmly out of EA’s way, it’s free to dominate the football game landscape with relative ease. If I were being cynical, I’d say Rush isn’t exactly innovative considering it’s just football with smaller teams. Plus, the changes made to Ultimate Team aren’t unique as they’ve been requested by players for several years. And with all that said, this is precisely what the community expects from EA, and as long they keep buying it, EA is going to keep on making it like this.