By their very nature, annual franchises don't make too many changes to their core gameplay and content from installment to installment. So, EA Sports FC 25 is, of course, going to be more focused on iterative improvements and refinements rather than on total reinventions. That said, there's no denying that this year's installment in the annual football franchise is set to make plenty of changes, a few of which are looking quite significant.
No More Volta
It was with FIFA 20 that EA's annual football series introduced Volta, which itself was a replacement for the previous three-installment story mode titled "The Journey". Now, 5 years later, the series is ready to move on from Volta as well. With EA Sports FC 25 set to drop the mode, it will, however, be replaced with a new 5v5 experience.
Rush: The New 5v5 Experience
Rush is a new 5v5 experience that is technically taking Volta's place in EA Sports FC 25. Though it's going to be much more wide-ranging, rather than being a standalone mode, the 5v5 Rush is going to be part of pretty much the entire game, including modes such as Career and Ultimate Team. And how exactly is it different from Volta?
On the pitch, it's effectively going to be much less arcadey, with the goal being to emulate the feel of a regular 11v11 match in a smaller setting. That will, however, mean new rules exclusive to Rush, like offsides only being given in the final third of the pitch or red cards being replaced with blue cards, which only temporarily eject players, allowing them to re-enter the game after the next goal that their team concedes.
FCI IQ: A New AI Model
Another much-touted improvement this year is what EA Sports has dubbed FCI IQ, which is essentially the catchall name given to a number of new systems and mechanics meant to give players greater control over their in-game tactics and management. EA describes it as a new AI model powered by real-world data, and one of the key new mechanics that it will be built around is going to be player roles.
Player roles, if you have played Sega and Sports Interactive's Football Manager games, you have a good idea of what player roles are. As in those games, in EA Sports FC 25, a player's position on the pitch won't be the only thing that you'll be thinking about when selecting a lineup, because now you'll also be setting specific roles for them in that position. With different roles bringing different responsibilities, how well suited a player is or isn't to the role that you're asking them to fill may very well end up having a significant impact on how a match pans out.
Development Plans and Player Roles
With the introduction of player roles, development plans are also being expanded on in EA Sports FC 25. Now, in your manager career mode, you'll be able to train players in specific roles. Players will level up with specific roles if they consistently show growth with attributes relevant to those roles. While what stage of their career a player is in will also impact their development more authentically.
Recruitment and Development
Recruitment and development have always been an important part of career mode, especially if you're planning on sticking with a single save over the course of multiple seasons. And that side of the game is leveling up in FC 25 as well. Rush matches will be organized once a month in manager career mode, and here you'll be able to play players from your Youth Academy, getting the chance to see them in action and giving them a great opportunity to develop and grow.
Meanwhile, youth players in FC 25 will now look their age, and they will continue to physically and visually change as they age. So, no more 15-year-olds who look like 28-year-olds or vice versa.
Social Media and Career Mode
Here's a minor addition, but one that many fans of the sport will appreciate. EA Sports FC 25's career mode is set to introduce a new social media feed to further immerse players in their own career stories. And among other things, that feed is going to feature none other than Fabrizio Romano, the wildly popular Italian journalist. Romano will frequently show up with news, transfer activity, and the like. Prepare for many "here we go" mentions during the transfer window.
Press Conferences
Press conferences were a nice novelty when they were first introduced in FIFA way back when, but more often than not, veteran players now end up entirely skipping them because they add little to nothing and are quite repetitive, to say the least. FC 25, however, is promising at least some improvements with questions from the media now being focused on tactics, how your opponent is set up, match statistics, and the like. How much of a difference that will make remains to be seen, but it is something at least.
Player Morale
Player morale is also being tweaked in FC 25. You will, of course, have to continue to keep an eye on whether or not a player's morale is plummeting to dangerous levels. But now, too much of a good thing is something else that you're going to have to be on the lookout for in FC 25. If a player's morale is too high, they could become complacent, which in turn leads to their attributes being temporarily lowered. Finding the sweet spot with player morale will be key in this year's game.
Live Start Points
Another intriguing new addition in this year's career mode is Live Start Points, which are pretty much exactly what they sound like. In both player and manager careers, across a number of different leagues and Cup competitions, you can jump into proceedings from any game week within the ongoing season. With each Live Start Point accurately reflecting everything happening in the world of football at that time, including league positions, injuries, transfers, suspensions, player form, and the like.
Career Mode Icons
Career mode icons are another major new addition for the player career mode enjoyers in FC 25. You'll be able to play as an icon, while past games have only let you play a player career as either a current existing player or a custom one of your own creation. In FC 25, you'll be able to play as retired legends and icons of past years. So, if you want to start a player career as David Beckham, you can go right ahead and do that.
Women's Career Mode
Women's football has been featured in EA Sports FC and FIFA for a while now, but this year's game is stepping up in this area as well. At long last, FC 25 will finally allow players to play career mode with a women's football club. Women's career mode will also have all of the features of its men's counterpart, while also having new features and challenges exclusive to itself.
New Menus
By definition, this is a purely cosmetic change, but once every few years, the franchise likes to change up its menus and visual theming, and FC 25 is set to do that within the confines of career mode. Expect entirely new visuals and UI, including the addition of the aforementioned social media feed, as well as a new task list feature.
Tactical Fouls
This year's game is also introducing tactical fouls, something that fans should be thrilled about. Strategically committing professional fouls has been a legitimate tactic to stop counterattacks forever, but trying to do that in past year's games almost always led to unfairly harsh punishments from the referee. In FC 25, tactical fouls will be recognized by the game itself, and initial instances will always result in bookings. Be careful, however, because if you do it too much, you're going to be looking at a red card promptly.
Contracts in Ultimate Team
One of the bigger changes in the flagship Ultimate Team mode and this year's game is the removal of contracts. EA says the goal is to get players back to the on-pitch action much quicker, which is exactly what many in the community have loudly requested for years. So, it's good to see the developers finally responding.
With these changes, EA Sports FC 25 is shaping up to be a significant improvement over its predecessors. While some changes may be more iterative than revolutionary, the cumulative effect of these tweaks should make for a more engaging and realistic football experience.
