EA SPORTS FC 25 - Gameplay Deep Dive

Welcome to the EA SPORTS FC 25 Gameplay Deep Dive Pitch Notes my name is Keegan Sabatino, Gameplay Producer on EA FC, and helping me today I have my colleagues, Brae Thompson and Thomas Caleffi (with special thanks to everyone in the Gameplay Team). In this article, we'll break down each gameplay update coming to FC 25 in detail to get you set for launch on September 27.

We'll kick things off with a quick summary of the key features we're introducing, then dive into full feature breakdowns below.

Let's get started!

FC IQ

This overhaul of tactical foundations across the game delivers greater strategic control and more realistic team movement, while a new AI model powered by real-world data influences player tactics through all-new Player Roles.

TACTICAL REVAMP

An overhaul of Team Tactics upgrades positioning at both ends of the pitch and changes how every team plays based on their real-world style, making every match feel fresh and unique.

PLAYER ROLES

More than 50 new Player Roles will guide the way every player thinks and behaves on the pitch, resulting in more authentic tactical intelligence and movement off the ball.

SMART TACTICS

New real-time suggestions and D-Pad functionalities make in-game tactical decision-making more accessible and intuitive than ever, and new broadcast features allow you to better experience the changes as they take effect.

FC IQ

FC IQ is the new core tactical and positional system for EA SPORTS FC™ 25.

FC IQ helps refresh our approach to tactics and positioning to create greater variety and authenticity in gameplay, while a new AI model, powered by real-world data, influences player tactics through all-new Player Roles

In EA SPORTS FC™ 25, FC IQ sits alongside HyperMotionV* and PlayStyles as a foundational pillar of our gameplay innovations. Thanks to real-world volumetric data from top teams and footballers, we built HyperMotionV, which helped us move forward with the visuals and authenticity of our players. Meanwhile, implementing PlayStyles allowed us to further showcase players' abilities and personalities on the ball. FC IQ is the latest fundamental pillar that brings greater variety and authenticity to our gameplay.

We’ve seen our community ask for new updates to Tactics, and our intent is for FC IQ to shake up how players choose to play across all modes. 

FC IQ has three main components: Player Roles, Team Tactics, and Smart Tactics. 

We will explore these components in even more detail with a later Deep Dive, but here’s what they’ll look like overall.

Player Roles

Player Roles are the main differentiation of FC IQ and guide how every player thinks, behaves, and moves off the ball. Each Role is distinct, with positive aspects and drawbacks.

A majority of Familiar Roles are assigned with help from a proprietary AI model that uses real-world Opta data. Each player will have a Role Familiarity that allows them to perform their duties at a higher capacity than other players. 

Roles also determine how your players line up with and without the ball, and you can see that in the menus.

While a Role dictates the main responsibilities of the player, the Focus is a modifier upon the Role that enables players to slightly tweak one or two characteristics of it.

At launch, there are 31 Roles, each with 1-3 Focuses, totaling 52 unique combinations.

We will explore each of these Roles and Focuses in a future Deep Dive.

Position | Role - Focus

• GK
  • Goalkeeper - Defend | Balanced
  • Sweeper Keeper - Balanced
• RB | LB
  • Fullback - Defend | Balanced
  • Wingback - Balanced
  • Falseback - Defend | Balanced
  • Attacking Winback - Balanced | Attack
• CB
  • Defender - Defend | Balanced
  • Stopper - Balanced
  • Ball-Playing Defender - Defend | Build-Up
• CDM
  • Holding - Defend | Roaming
  • Centre-Half - Defend
  • Deep-Lying Playmaker - Defend | Roaming
• CM
  • Box-to-Box - Balanced
  • Holding - Defend
  • Deep-Lying Playmaker - Defend
  • Playmaker - Attack | Roaming
  • Half-Winger - Balanced | Attack
• RM | LM
  • Winger - Balanced | Attack
  • Wide Midfielder - Defend | Balanced
  • Wide Playmaker - Attack
  • Inside Forward - Balanced | Attack
• CAM
  • Playmaker - Balanced | Roaming
  • Shadow Striker - Attack
  • Half-Winger - Balanced | Attack
• RW | LW
  • Winger - Balanced | Attack
  • Inside Forward - Balanced | Attack | Roaming
  • Wide Playmaker - Attack
• ST
  • Advance Forward - Attack | Complete
  • Poacher - Attack
  • False 9 - Build-Up
  • Target Forward - Balanced | Attack | Wide

Role Familiarity

While the Roles are determined per position, Familiarity is connected to specific players and acts on the Role level.

Familiarity is position-based, meaning that if a player has that position as one of their preferred ones, they can play any role in that position. This applies to any position a player might have.

Our proprietary AI model helps determine the Role Familiarity of a majority of players in FC 25.

• [Role] - A base role means the player can play in that Role.
• [Role+] - Indicated with a ‘+’ sign meaning this player has mastered the Role.
  • Every player in FC 25 has at least one Role+.
• [Role++] - A ‘++’ sign indicates the player is a world-class player in this role.
• Out of Position - The yellow exclamation mark indicates a simplified version of the Role when the player is out of position.

Team Tactics

FC IQ Team Tactics introduces systems used by football’s top tacticians and upgrades the football IQ of every player on the pitch. As a result, your whole team will think and behave more like real-world pros.

These are the main components of team tactics:

• Tactical Settings - Formation, Defensive Approach, and Build-Up Style
• Tactical Presets, which let you quickly set your tactics
• Views for your team with and without the ball
• Dynamic Summary that analyzes your tactics
• Create 5 independent Custom Tactics
• A unique code to share your tactics 
• And many more, like a new Squad tab for Roles, which we will explore in our future Deep Dive

Smart Tactics

Smart Tactics make in-game tactical decisions more accessible and intuitive, and allow players to better experience their changes as they take effect.

A new messaging system will suggest a range of tactical changes in-game based on the current flow of the match, and players will be able to easily perform changes using the directional buttons.

These are the main components of Smart Tactics:

• Directional pad: 
  • My Tactics (your custom tactics)
  • Tactical Focus
  • Quick Tactics
• Tactical Suggestions during the match
  • New menu
• New Substitution menu
• Animated chalkboard and AR visuals
• New Tactics-specific Commentary
• Change Tactics and Subs at any time

We will explore more in-depth about FC IQ in a later Deep Dive.

HyperMotion & PlayStyles

HyperMotionV* technology uses volumetric data to create lifelike player movements. Meanwhile, GK Playstyles bring a new level of depth to the goalkeeper's role, affecting how they react to different situations on the pitch. This technology allows for our AI to better mimic real-life player behaviors, making each match feel fresh and unique.

HyperMotionV [NG]

HyperMotionV Technology continues to evolve towards achieving new levels of authenticity and helps us refresh what’s possible on the pitch, bringing to FC 25 new animations that are driven by real-world volumetric data with the goal of fuelling FC IQ while making players more unique.

AI Mimic [NG]

As a reminder, AI Mimic takes footballers’ real-world volumetric data and uses advanced artificial intelligence to recreate unique body movements.

AI Mimic technology uses numerous frames of volumetric animation, providing an additional level of detail and fluidity for over 1800 players, including more than 200 new women, ensuring a more diverse and inclusive representation of the global football community. Compared to FC 24, where we had 1,373 players with upper body movement, we've expanded our library to include 1,847 athletes with full body movement, encompassing both upper and lower body actions. This expansion is intended to improve the overall gameplay visuals and bring a new level of realism to the virtual pitch.

GK PlayStyles

Footwork

Who Has It

A goalkeeper who is known for using their feet to make difficult saves.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle

Performs foot saves faster and with extended reach.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle+

Performs foot saves more quickly with even greater reach.

Rush Out

Who Has It

A goalkeeper who is known to often challenge attackers head-on in 1v1 situations.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle

Rush speed is increased and has an improved reaction speed to shots in rushing situations. 

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle+

Rush speed is greatly increased and has a faster reaction speed to shots in rushing situations.

Deflector

Who Has It

A goalkeeper who is known for having great deflection control to safer spaces.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle

Performs deflection saves into safer areas with increased ball speed control.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle+

Performs deflection saves into safer areas or towards free teammates with greater ball speed control.

Cross Claimer

Who Has It

A goalkeeper who is known to often come off the line to claim high balls from dangerous areas.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle

Comes out to claim crosses with increased pace, increased awareness of the ball trajectory, and further punch reach with increased power.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle+

Comes out to claim crosses with greater pace, greater awareness of the ball trajectory, increased punch reach with greater power.

Far Reach

Who Has It

A goalkeeper who is known for the ability to cover the net and extend their reach to save challenging shots.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle

Performs diving saves with improved reach and has access to extended reach animations.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle+

Performs diving saves with greater reach and has access to extended reach animations.

Far Throw

Who Has It

A goalkeeper who is known for starting counter attacks with long throws.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle

Able to perform throws with increased speed and distance.

Gameplay effects - PlayStyle+

Able to perform throws with greater speed and distance.

Attacking

The attacking phase of the game has received a comprehensive overhaul with an Accuracy Revamp. This includes new Skill Moves, the ability to let the ball run to create space, and improvements to passing, shooting, and dribbling. Our changes here aim to give players more control and precision, making attacking plays more rewarding and exciting.

Passing

We're excited to share some significant updates to passing mechanics, which aim to make every pass more authentic and rewarding.

Passing Accuracy Changes

In FC 25 we have implemented a redesigned Accuracy system in order to bring more personality and authenticity to the virtual pitch. This new system is designed to reflect the real-world challenges of making accurate passes under pressure, different angles, and various difficult situations. Players will notice that passes now feel more personality-based, meaning the skills and Attributes of the player you're controlling will have a greater impact on the outcome of each pass. This change also ensures that good situations, where you make smart, tactical decisions, will yield better results, truly rewarding your football acumen.

Other Passing Changes

In our continuous effort to refine the gameplay experience, we've implemented several key updates to passing mechanics;

• New Slip Animations: Added and refreshed new animations to reflect the challenges of playing on wet and slippery surfaces. After a hard pass, players might occasionally slip, adding a layer of realism to the game.

Note: These animations only trigger in matches with Rain or Snow weather conditions non-competitive modes. These animations, when triggered, are only visual and do not affect end results of passes or shots.

• Tight Angle and Powerful Passes: Added and refreshed new animations for high-powered passes made at tight angles. Our intent here is to add variety and realism, making difficult passes look and feel more authentic.
• Improvements to Crossing Receiver Targeting: Adjusted the cross receiver targeting to be more consistent and predictable.

Shooting

There is no better feeling than putting the ball in the back of the net, and we hope to provide players with even more ways to do this in EA SPORTS FC™ 25.

Our goal with these changes is to create a more immersive and realistic football experience that rewards players for their knowledge, strategy, and skill. By making passing more nuanced and reflective of real-life football, we believe we can bring a new level of excitement and challenge to the game.

Shooting Accuracy Changes

One of the significant updates we're introducing is to shooting accuracy, which now aligns with the changes we've made to passing accuracy. This means that the accuracy of shots will now more closely mirror the real-life abilities of players, their playstyles, and the specific situations they find themselves in during a match. Players can expect that taking shots in difficult situations will feel more challenging, with new animations added to showcase off-balance and tough-angle shots.

Other Shooting Improvements

In addition to the accuracy changes, we’ve made several other improvements to shooting in EA SPORTS FC™ 25:

• Off-Balance Follow Through: New to the game, players can now trigger off-balance animations. This feature takes into account the angle and power of the shot, adding another layer of depth to shooting mechanics.
• Animation Refresh: Added and refreshed new shooting animations based on volumetric data.

Controlling the Ball (Dribbling) 

This year we've focused on refining the dribbling experience in EA SPORTS FC™ 25, allowing players to feel more grounded and in control when maneuvering on the ball. Additionally, we've cleaned up animations to eliminate some potentially awkward movements, ensuring that every dribble and turn looks and feels more lifelike. 

Dribbling Improvements [NG]

In FC 25,our dribbling improvements include: 

• Improvements to various turning angles
• New and Refreshed animations when dribbling with the ball
• New and Refreshed animations when receiving the ball

Effort Dribble [NG]

Note: The following abbreviations will be used for controls: LS = Left Stick, RS = Right Stick

• Improvements made to input direction influence on Effort Dribbles and responsiveness
• Refreshed animations to improve angle variations
  • R1 + RS (Flick in Any Direction) OR RS (Hold in Any Direction) ||  RB + RS (Flick in Any Direction) OR RS (Hold in Any Direction)

First Touch PlayStyle Improvement

• New animations were added for first touches, for both ground and aerial passes

Let Ball Run Improvements

• Let Ball Run will now start playing the animation on request, instead of waiting for the ball to reach the player
  • Press and Hold R1 + LS (Away From Ball) || Press and Hold RB + LS (Away From Ball)

The following command has been removed: Orbit Dribble L1 + L2 + LS Direction || LB + LT + LS Direction

Skill Moves 

New Skill Moves have been added along with some changes to existing ones.

New Skill Moves

• Big Feint (2-star)
  • Hold L2 + Flick RS left/Right (+ LS Direction to Exit) || Hold LT + Flick RS left/Right (+ LS Direction to Exit)
• Stop and Go (2-star)
  • Hold L2 + RS Back, Forward || Hold LT + RS Back, Forward
  • Cancellable
• Step Over Ball (4-star)
  • Hold L1 + Flick RS Forward, Left/Right || Hold LB + Flick RS Forward, Left/Right
  • Cancellable
• Toe Drag Stepover(5-star)
  • Hold L1 + Rotate RS Right, Back, Left / Rotate RS Left, Back, Right || Hold LB + Rotate RS Right, Back, Left / Rotate RS Left, Back, Right

Skill Move Changes

• New Trickster Fake Shots
  • □/o + x + LS Direction || X/B + A + LS Direction from Stand or jog
• Skill Moves updated
  • Drag Turn (4-star) - updated animation to be more responsive and effective in correct situations
  • Drag Back Spin (4 Star) - Has been moved to Hold L2 + Flick RS Fwd, Flick Left/Right || Hold LT + Flick RS Fwd, Flick Left/Right
    • From Flick RS Back, Flick RS Left/Right
  • Added new 180° Flair nutmeg (4-star) animation 
    • Hold L1 + R1 + Flick RS Direction || Hold LB + RB + Flick RS Direction

Defending

Defending has also been enhanced with the introduction of professional fouls, with the aim of adding new strategic elements to gameplay. With improvements to goalkeeper movement and rushes, along with an increase in Player Switching speed, we want players to be able to defend more responsively.

Defensive Actions

We want you to be able to take more control over the pitch to shut down your opposition with revamped core mechanics, and a new mechanic, the Professional Foul.

Professional Foul

This action can be a strategic choice to halt a counterattack or stop an opponent’s promising advance. However, while initially always resulting in a yellow card, excessive use of Professional Fouls in a match can lead to red cards.

To request a professional foul, you can press:

R1+X || RB+A

Other Defending Updates

• Reaction Time Modifier: Added a new setting to help compensate for the speed in which the Next Player Switch changes to allow you to calibrate to your needs.
• Slide Tackles: Improvements to slide animation logic to ensure better possible outcomes.
• Shoulder Challenges: Animation cleanup and improved tackler's responsiveness of getting the ball after shoulder challenges
• Animation Refresh: New and refreshed new animations from real world Volumetric Data.

Defensive Positioning

• Defensive Awareness when Beat:  Improved defensive AI to recognize instances where they are about to be beaten by an attacker, dropping more centrally toward the goal 
• Defensive Formations: The system now considers the formation chosen and adapts it based on FC IQ's tactical setup. 
• Player Marking Inside Box: Increasing defensive AI ability to zone mark inside the defensive 18-yard box, aimed at countering cut-back goals. Defenders will not follow the ball carrier as precisely, but rather try to defend the cutback pass with increased effort and efficacy.

Goalkeeper

The goalkeeper position has received several improvements in EA SPORTS FC™ 25, from Goalkeeper Movement to the new Rush to Contain mechanic. 

Goalkeeper Movement

Goalkeepers can only be manually moved 1-2 steps in any direction, with a short cooldown period after use to prevent this move from being overused.

In summary: 

• Adjustment made to Goalkeeper Movement, allowing only 1-2 steps to set themselves up for a save in that direction
• Goalkeeper will return to base position after a short delay
• Goalkeeper will also have a short cooldown between GK movements
• Animation Refresh: New and refreshed animations for Leg Saves, Kick Saves, Diving Saves, and Punch Saves

During set pieces like corner kicks and free kicks, the Goalkeeper's manual movement will function as it has previously.

Goalkeeper Rush

In EA SPORTS FC™ 25, we are adding a new type of Goalkeeper Rush to the player's toolkit. This new mechanic will have the goalkeeper rush out and close the distance to the attacking player but remain a distance away from them to close down the shooting angle.

To perform Goalkeeper Rush to Contain:

• Tap ▲ + Hold ▲ || Tap Y + Hold Y to perform Goalkeeper Rush to Contain

Other Goalkeeper Changes

• Input changes for Goalkeeper Cross Intercept renamed to Goalkeeper Rush to Center:
  • Tap ▲ + Tap ▲ || Tap Y + Tap Y to perform Goalkeeper Rush to Center
  • Tap ▲ || Tap Y to cancel Goalkeeper Rush to Center

Across The Pitch

Visual enhancements across the pitch aim to bring a new level of authenticity to the game, from the lushness of the grass to the more lifelike player models. New set pieces roles add variety to the game, while the introduction of bench players' G5 rules and the Eval Engine's Pass Map offer deeper tactical analysis and strategic options.

Set Pieces

Corner Roles*

*Might not be available in all modes

Players can now select players to fill 3 important locations during corner kicks;

• Near Post: Player selected here will be the main post watcher on the defensive corner and will make the near post run on the offensive corner.
• Back Post: Player selected here will be located on the far side of the defensive corner and will make a back post run on the offensive corner.
• Target Player: This player will be located centrally in the box on the offensive corner.

Free Kicks

• Quick Free Kicks: Players can now request a Precision Pass R1 + ▲ || RB + Y from a Quick Free Kick
• Adjusted shot speed from further distances to allow for more options when taking a far free kick.

Penalty Kicks

• Adjusted Composure Circle speed based on the player's Composure Attribute.
• New Penalty Kick Avatar runs can be applied to Avatars in Player Career and Clubs.
• New Penalty Kick animations for multiple players.

Rules

Our updates in this part of FC 25 are designed to improve the overall gameplay experience, bringing it closer to real-world football. From the introduction of the Offside Advantage Overlay to adjustments in foul logic, we’re aiming to enhance the game for both serious and more casual EA SPORTS FC™ players.  

Offside Advantage Overlay

• A visual cue appears on the pitch, making it easier for players to recognize offside positions during gameplay

User Color Advantage Overlay

• An overlay intended to improve player visibility on the pitch
• This overlay adjusts the brightness and contrast of Player Items, ensuring that they stand out against the background, regardless of the environmental conditions or the time of the match.

Note: When playing local with multiple controllers, the Advantage overlay will appear in the corresponding color of the player that has committed foul.

Extra Substitutes* [NG]

*Might not be available in all modes

Players will now have (9) available bench slots depending on the competition, enabling more flexibility when it comes to mid-match tactical changes. 

Aggressive Team and Player Foul Animations

• Updated animations and reactions related to fouls
• Aggressive team and player foul scenes have been enhanced to reflect the intensity and emotion of matches

Improvements to Foul Logic on GK Dives

• Improved foul logic related to goalkeeper dives, making foul calls between them and attacking players more accurate

Red Card Advantage

A newly introduced system adds an advantage call for potential second yellow or straight red card scenarios, allowing play to continue. Second yellows and red cards can be given later, during the next stoppage in play.

Note: The Red Card Advantage is only intended to occur during clear goal-scoring opportunities.

Eval Engine 

Added a new Pass Map in the stats screen to provide more in depth information for players.

Player Movement

We’ve made the following improvements to player movement:

• Off-Ball Movement: Improvements to player movement visuals when moving around the pitch
• Goal Post Interactions: New interaction animations when a player collides with the goal post.
• Goalkeeper Falls: Improved visual quality of the goalkeeper's movement when falling and getting up off the ground to bring more authentic motion to the game.
• Shielding: Improved consistency of player's ability to shield the player from incoming players. Shielding is now tied to player fatigue, so the more tired a player is, the weaker their shielding can be.

Simulation Mode

For those who enjoy a more strategic and simulated approach, the Simulation Mode introduces enhanced CPU AI, wind effects, and player-controlled sliders for fine-tuning gameplay.

Simulation Mode will be available in the following modes:

• Player Career 
• Manager Career
• Kickoff
• Tournament

The following are the preset slider settings that come into effect during Simulation Mode:

CPU AI

With Simulation Mode, customized preset sliders tune the CPU AI to better mimic the speed of authentic matches, giving offline players a slower, more authentic version of the world’s game.

CPU Sliders

Located in Game Settings > CPU Sliders, we are introducing two new presets for CPU sliders in EA SPORTS FC™ 25.  These presets are:

• Tactical
  • CPU decision making varies based on opposing team’s style of play
  • Note - Tactical CPU sliders are overwritten at the start of every match
• Dynamic
  • Similar to Tactical CPU sliders, but slider values will fluctuate slightly from their Tactical values
  • This can allow for more CPU AI behavior variety when playing the same opponents multiple times

New CPU Sliders added to FC25:

• Tackle Aggression
• Buildup Speed
• Shot Frequency
• First Touch Pass Frequency
• Crossing Frequency
• Dribble Frequency
• Skill Move Frequency

Wind Effects

Wind is new to EA SPORTS FC™ 25, and will be available for all offline modes, toggleable via Settings > Match.

Wind effects impact various aspects of the match,such as ball trajectory, player hair, and jersey physics. Wind effects will be available in the following modes, toggleable via Settings:

• Player & Manager Career
• Kickoff
• Tournament

Note: Players can choose between three different Wind Effects - Low, Medium or High.  Wind will not change speed or direction during the course of a match.

We hope this Gameplay Deep Dive gives you a good sense of the exciting features and mechanics coming to EA SPORTS FC™ 25. Our team is dedicated to providing an immersive and realistic football experience, and we can’t wait to see you get your hands on our new features and changes. Thanks for taking the time to read our Pitch Notes!

• The EA SPORTS FC™ Team

Pre-Order EA SPORTS FC™ 25 now for PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

*HYPERMOTIONV TECHNOLOGY ONLY AVAILABLE ON PLAYSTATION 5, XBOX SERIES X|S AND PC VERSIONS.

Stay in the conversation on all things EA SPORTS FC™  by following us on our official X channel, Instagram, and YouTube, our Dev X channel @EASFCDIRECT, on the EA SPORTS FC Tracker and participating in the official EA SPORTS FC Forums.