Our first 2 hours playing EA Sports FC 25 and the new modes are great

We’ve tested the upcoming EA Sports FC 25 and are sharing our initial thoughts on Rush mode, FC IQ, and the changes made to tactics.

The trailers and detailed previews released by EA for this year's football game strongly indicate that EA Sports FC 25 will be noticeably distinct from the previous version.

Many exciting new features are being introduced, with one of the most prominent being a new 5v5 game mode called Rush. Additionally, there's an improved AI that boasts enhanced "FC IQ," along with a strategic overhaul.

We’re feeling optimistic about EA Sports FC 25 after our initial experience. The new features are thrilling, and the overhaul of tactics, combined with the enhancements in FC IQ, appears to pave the way for a fresh approach to gameplay.

Rush is a blast to play and serves as a worthy replacement for the street football mode, Volta, offering a more straightforward yet exciting football experience. The field is much smaller, featuring 5v5 matches, but you're still competing in a stadium filled with thousands of cheering fans.

The game focuses on individual matchups and navigating past defenders using smart passes and dribbling skills. It’s fast-paced and thrilling, offering a more exhilarating experience than a standard 90-minute game, as you can anticipate a higher scoreline.

Rush mode resembles the Kings League, which was established by ex-Barcelona player Gerard Pique. It features a smaller field and fewer players on each team. However, Rush introduces a blue card, which is issued to players who commit serious fouls.

The player will be put on hold for a specific period before they can return to the game. However, if the opposing team manages to score while the player is off, the time remaining on the blue card will be reduced.

Sadly, the creativity doesn’t go any further than that. It makes us wonder if Rush would gain from having more quirky rules to add some unpredictability to the game. The Kings League has extra cards that players can acquire, such as one that doubles the goals scored and another that allows a team to take an immediate penalty shot. However, even with these additions, it still feels somewhat lacking.

A significant update in EA Sports FC 25 is the overhaul of its tactics system. This becomes immediately apparent when you first enter the game, as you are welcomed by Zinedine Zidane in his office, where he emphasizes the critical role that tactics play in success. The scene transitions to showcase him celebrating his three Champions League victories as a coach.

You’ll quickly notice that EA has taken out certain tactical instructions related to specific players and teams in EA Sports FC 24, streamlining the whole experience. For instance, you can no longer instruct a winger to remain forward when possession is lost, nor can you adjust the team’s width.

Now, you assign specific roles to each player, similar to how it's done in Football Manager. For example, you can designate a player as a false nine to encourage them to move back and retrieve the ball, or a falseback, which is the game’s version of an inverted fullback, to strengthen your midfield when you have possession. Additionally, you can set an emphasis for each player based on their role, allowing you to choose whether they should adopt a more offensive or defensive approach.

As you experiment with your strategies, you can also visualize how your formation appears both when you have possession of the ball and when you don't. This insight is valuable for achieving the perfect balance.

The updates are supported by the new FC IQ feature that operates behind the scenes. This innovative AI technology has been integrated into the game to enhance the realism of players' movements and behaviors. As EA describes it:

"FC IQ Team Tactics presents strategies employed by some of the best minds in football, enhancing the understanding of the game for every player on the field. Consequently, your entire team will begin to think and act more like professional players."

So far, we've had a positive experience with the game in the short time we've played it. We've encountered some fresh, interesting positions on the field. EA Sports FC can get a bit repetitive after you've nailed down the winning strategies and everyone starts playing similarly, so anything that introduces more creativity is definitely a plus.

Furthermore, the tactical overhaul allows you to test out different strategies and discover what works best for you. It also reflects the current emphasis on positional play in real football, something that fans have been requesting for a long time.

Another new feature is a messaging system that provides tactical advice and suggests player substitutions while you're in the game, known as Smart Tactics. From our brief experience with EA Sports FC 25, this is a neat addition, but it didn't seem particularly useful at first.

The AI kept recommending that I replace my center-back with a player who's not a center-back (definitely not Jorginho for William Saliba). Plus, the feedback we received during the game mostly pointed out things that were pretty obvious.

Finally, there’s an exciting new feature called the POV camera that shows replays of goals from the player’s perspective. It offers a unique look at what the goal looked like at the moment it was scored. We're not quite sure what activates this feature, but we noticed it happen a couple of times after scoring a long-distance shot, and we’d love to see it more often.

It’s hard to tell if EA Sports FC 25 will truly be a significant upgrade from the last game, but initial reactions are encouraging. This is particularly true regarding the functioning of FC IQ in conjunction with the revamped tactics.

EA Sports FC 25 is set to be released on September 27 for various platforms, including Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected], share your thoughts in the comments, connect with us on Twitter, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

You can now submit your Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more conveniently by using our Submit Stuff page here, eliminating the need to send an email.

To read more articles like this, visit our Gaming section.

EA Sports FC 25 will include a paid season pass, as confirmed by the developers.

MORE: England's Jude Bellingham announced as the cover star for EA Sports FC 25 – check out the first trailer here.

MORE: Video game console sales in Europe have fallen by 40%, while EA Sports FC 24 leads the sales charts for May.

Subscribe to access all the premium gaming content and be the first to know about new releases before they're available on the website.

This website is secured by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy along with their Terms of Service are in effect.