EA Sports FC 24: Is it the same as FIFA?

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for insider tips and product reviews from our shopping experts Sign up for our free IndyBest email After three decades of  Fifa games across multiple generations of consoles,  EA  has severed ties with the football governing body and axed the organisation from its name, making  Fifa 23  the last video game in the bestselling franchise. But it’s certainly not all over. What is ‘EA Sports FC 24’ EA has picked up its boots and forged its own path, with a new football gaming series under the EA Sports banner. EA Sports FC 24 is basically ‘Fifa 24’, but packaged in a shiny new outfit. The big addition to  FC 24  is that, for the first time, both women’s and men’s players will be selectable and able to play alongside each other in Ultimate Team. While the games developer has slowly added women’s football leagues into the series over the past few Fifa titles, this will be the first time you can add the much-loved Women’s World Cup finalists Lucy Bronze and Alessia Russo to the franchise’s most popular mode. Plus, Nintendo Switch gamers won’t be forced to play a legacy version of the game this time round – Switch fans will get the full-fat game, just without cross-play and HyperMotion V. EA Sports FC 24  officially releases on 29 September. It features Manchester City’s Erling Haaland on the cover. There are two different editions of the game and both are available to pre-order now. Here’s everything you need to know, from pre-order bonuses, features, cross-platform details and how you can get onto the closed beta. Where to pre-order ‘EA Sports FC 24’ ‘EA Sports FC 24 standard edition’: From £64.99, Amazon.co.uk (Amazon ) If you pre-order the standard edition of  EA Sports FC 24 , you’ll get a few extra bonuses with your purchase. It comes with the base game, a cover star loan player item (Haaland for 10 games), a male and female ambassador loan item (for five matches), the new PlayStyles slot in clubs, extra personality points in player career mode and a five-star coach in Manager Career mode. Phew! The game is available on PC, PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch. It is currently available to pre-order at Amazon, Game and other retailers. It ships on 29 September.    Amazon Game ‘EA Sports FC 24, ultimate edition’: From £79.99, Amazon.co.uk (Amazon ) If you part with a little more cash and pre-order the ultimate edition of  EA Sports FC 24 , you’ll get the game seven days earlier than everyone else, starting on 22 September. The one notable difference between the ultimate edition and standard edition is that those who opt for the ultimate edition gain access to  FC 24 ‘s ultimate team campaign mode. You’ll also gain access to a few extra bonuses to kickstart your  FC 24  journey. As well as the bonuses from the standard edition, you’ll unlock 4,600 FC points, a Team of the Week one-pack, as well as a loan player item for 24 matches in ultimate team campaign mode and the Nike x EA Sports ultimate team kit.    Those who pre-ordered before 22 August received a UEFA Champions’ League Hero and a women’s UEFA Champions’ League Hero. Currently, Amazon is the only retailer with the ultimate edition of  FC 24  available to pre-order for Xbox and PC. PS5 gamers will have to pre-order the game from the PlayStation Store. While it doesn’t seem like EA is releasing an Nintendo Switch ultimate edition, it is stated that you will be able to play the ultimate team mode from the base game above. Ultimate edition How to save 20 per cent when pre-ordering ‘EA Sports FC 24’ EA Sports is giving gamers who have a copy of  Fifa 23  an extra 20 per cent off when they pre-order the game. When you open up  Fifa 23  on any platform, go to the main menu and scroll to the right – you’ll find an  EA Sports FC 24 banner. Your discount will be applied if you pre-order through the store.       What’s new in ‘EA Sports FC 24’? It might have a new name, but the  Fifa  you know and love is still here with some polish, shine and new features. As mentioned above, women’s players can be selected alongside the men’s players on the same pitch, and the ultimate team evolutions feature will let you level up players by completing objectives. As well as access to 30 different leagues, including the Premier League, Europa League and Women’s Super League, EA has added two new women’s leagues – the Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga and Liga F. You’ll still get access to 19,000 licensed players and over 100 stadiums, too. There’s a huge focus on realism in  FC 24 . EA has added in something called playstyles, which the publisher says will make gameplay look even more realistic. Using real-world player data from Opta and other sources, playstyles will give players unique capabilities that make their way of playing look and feel more authentic. ‘Playstyles+ enhance those signature abilities to world-class standard,’ the developer wrote. ‘Think Haaland’s power shot, reflecting elite players’ abilities to play at a level that few others can reach.’ HyperMotion has also been upgraded to HyperMotion V, which continues to develop the fluidity and rhythm of how players move on the pitch, utilising real-world volumetric data, though again, this is only available on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC. There’s also an enhanced frostbite engine will help play look even more realistic, with EA saying that you’ll be able to see the ripple in players’ shirts. Lastly, to celebrate EA forging its own path, the company is launching something called founder status. If you make an EA FC 24 Ultimate Team before 1 November, you’ll get a founder badge and kit to represent, as well as extra bonuses through every subsequent  EA FC  game. Platforms and cross play: What platforms can you play ‘EA Sports FC 24’ on?    EA Sports FC 24 will be playable on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S and Xbox One. For the first time, it will also be available on Nintendo Switch in a full non-legacy format, with the same Frostbite engine, the same rosters, the same PlayStyles and modes, and yes, even Volta. You’ll only miss out on HyperMotion and cross-platform play. Win! FC 24 is playable cross-platform between Xbox gamers, PS5 gamers and PC gamers, but Switch gamers will only be able to play against their mates also using a Nintendo Switch. ‘EA Sports FC 24’ release date FC 24 will be released on 29 September. If you pre-order the game today, you’ll be able to start playing a whole week earlier than everyone else. For discounts on gaming products and offers on consoles, try the links below: AO discount codes Very discount codes Want to game in comfort? Have a read of our guide to the best gaming chairs Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Already subscribed?