EA Sports FC 26 Review: The Game of Culture

Every year, EA blesses us with a fresh installment of the Football Video Game franchise, which was formerly known as the FIFA series. But ever since the agreement fallout, EA has gone solo with its FC titles for the last three years. FC 26, the latest installment, is finally here and pushes all the barriers to be the number one football video game across all platforms, as this year showed many other contenders trying to win the market. But does it really reach the mark, or is it just another logo refresh? Let’s find out at our review for FC 26 here at Gameffine.

The Most Fresh Football Video Game Ever

FC 26 has truly captivated all fans with the numerous improvements and refreshes that have made the game look at its all-time best. While there are even more problematic issues at hand with the video game being more live service than ever, it is crucial to acknowledge the other things that it does well.

FC 26 has truly listened to their fans, making the game even tighter, more responsible, expansive, and inclusive. The amount of game modes ensures that every football fan around the world has something to ponder on at all times. Even if you’re just looking to get into the dynamics and thrill of the ecosystem of football, then this year’s Manager mode makes it even more joyous and rewarding to play with. And for the veteran fans, it’s good to know that you can now add iconic players to your team as well.

As for other modes, the biggest change right off the bat is the ability to choose between competitive and authentic in your classic kick-off mode. The authentic mode really takes the realism to extreme levels. I’ve never had goosebumps in a classic Liverpool vs Manchester United match before. The game really focuses on carrying the momentum exactly like a real match, instead of a mega sweaty NBA-looking passes ending inside the goal post. The players make genuine mistakes, the tackles are much more toe-to-toe, and your entire game is now just about strategy. And while you’re thinking, you third steps ahead, the stadium uproars with your dedicated team chants, which fills your entire room if you’re playing on a speaker. The visuals are amazing, corners feel like a final match, seeing your coach raging and the fans going absolutely nuts truly makes this whole experience unique and authentic.

The other game modes are more or less the same, but this time there are even more options for training and learning. Great for people who still haven’t hopped on FC or FIFA games their entire lives, or just want a good comeback path.

A New Football Game or Service Renewal?

I have been actively playing every FC game that comes out, simply because some of my friends have no knowledge about other video games at all. The love for football runs through their veins, and the logo adorns their entire wardrobes. But one thing that always stood out was that there were barely any differences in the previous edition of the games, and I would have had to literally ask what version we were on. But this changes with the current installment of the game, as on the consoles, the game clearly shows much better performance, visuals, and animations. There is much more life to each player on the pitch, accurately reacting to the moment-to-moment play. The celebrations are much more beautiful to look at, the passes are even tighter, and the overall tackles feel cutthroat.

Other game modes, including Rush, now give a much better multiplayer experience with the option to have a permanent goalie as well.

Unfortunately for the game itself, the UI still carries forward from last year with barely anything pretty. The UI is excellent in terms of art and colors, but it is extremely slow to load, fueled by jaggy 30 fps output. It’s an entire journey to get into a particular game mode or switch between them. Which is even worse for UT players, who have to hit the store again and again to open earned packs and deal through uninspired opening animations.

Quick match, which uses the same preset, is a good addition, but could have been entirely avoided with a good UI system.

Now let’s discuss progression. Almost every important item for you to get a better and stronger UC team has been locked behind the battle pass, which you need to spend additional money to subscribe to and unlock rewards. Your other option is weekly objectives, but that will only fetch you booster packs at best. Many icon players are already in the battle pass, which could mean that future icon players are going to be in the upcoming edition of the battle pass. This is not healthy, especially for the people who are already paying the full price of the game at launch.

But if you’re an avid spender, you have tonne’s of options right from the first week to have a powerful team in play.

Rest, everything else carries forward from the previous title, except your unlocked players and lineups.

For the graphics, the game is at it’s all time best, and for the first time ever, I had zero bugs or even visual errors. The game feels unbelievably smooth throughout the match, and even higher ping multiplayer matches are much more stabilized for a fair game throughout. The cinematics, and hypermotion POV are definitely a joy to watch. Even the league themes and stadiums are even more personalized and much more authentic.

Final Words

FC 26 is definitely the gold standard for a football game. There is good competition in the market, but no one is really as good as this. FC 26 is more of a culture with the wide variety of options to play football, but it is now slowly becoming a product of greedy, limited live service that may just end up being the point of no return for the franchise. But for now, the fun dominates, and you will love the work and quality FC 26 offers.