EA Sports FC 25

EA Sports FC 25 is a football simulation game released on September 27, 2024, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. Developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania, it is the second main entry in EA’s football series under the EA Sports FC name, following the end of its long-running FIFA branding agreement. Real Madrid and England midfielder Jude Bellingham appears on the Standard Edition cover.

One of FC 25’s biggest additions is Rush, a five-a-side format played on a smaller pitch. Each side has four outfield players and an AI-controlled goalkeeper. Rush is integrated into several parts of the game, including Football Ultimate Team, Clubs, Kick-Off, and Career Mode youth development. Its rules distinguish it from a shortened eleven-a-side match: play begins with a race to the ball, blue cards can send players temporarily to the sidelines, and offside applies only in the attacking third.

FC IQ is the game’s name for a revised tactical system. It gives managers more control over formations and assigns players roles that influence their positioning and movement when they are not directly controlled. The system also draws on real-world Opta data to inform how many players behave in their roles. These changes are particularly relevant in Manager Career, where selecting a formation is only part of deciding how a team will play.

Career Mode also expands its treatment of women’s football. FC 25 is the first entry in the series to offer women’s leagues in Manager Career and Player Career. Players can take charge of or compete in leagues including England’s Women’s Super League, the United States’ National Women’s Soccer League, Spain’s Liga F, France’s Première Ligue, and Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga. The addition makes women’s club football part of the longer-term career experience rather than limiting it to standalone matches or Ultimate Team.

Football Ultimate Team returns with squad-building, online competition, and Evolutions, which allow eligible player items to be upgraded through objectives. Clubs remains the mode for creating a player and joining friends on a shared team. EA says FC 25 includes more than 19,000 players, over 700 teams, more than 120 stadiums, and over 30 leagues.

Together, Rush, FC IQ, and the expanded Career Mode mark the most identifiable changes from EA Sports FC 24. They sit alongside the series’ familiar licensed clubs and competitions, but each changes a specific way to play: Rush offers shorter team matches, FC IQ reshapes tactical decisions, and women’s Career Mode opens seasons that the previous entry did not offer.