EA Sports FC 24: Pre-order, release date, features, beta details and more

After three decades of games, the once-loving partnership between EA Sports and Fifa has come to an end. Fifa 23 marked the final video game in the bestselling franchise, and now EA is picking up its boots and forging 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, meaning that, yes, Ultimate Team Heroes are coming to the game. The legendary former players announced so far include Alex Scott, Carlos Tévez, Wesley Sneijder, Bixente Lizarazu and Gianluca Vialli, who died earlier this year. More Ultimate Team Heroes will be revealed throughout the week.

The big addition to FC 24 is that, for the first time ever, 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 much-loved players such as Lucy Bronze and Beth Mead to the franchise’s most popular mode.

Plus, Nintendo Switch fans will be pleased to hear they won’t be forced to play a legacy version of the game this time round – Switch gamers 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 to get onto the closed beta.

Where to pre-order ‘EA Sports FC 24’

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, where it is slightly cheaper, and other retailers. It ships on 29 September.   

Amazon

Game

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 also 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.   

If you pre-order before 22 August, EA is also giving away 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. There is no Nintendo Switch ultimate edition, however.

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 have to play against their mates locally.

‘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.

‘EA Sports FC 24’ beta: How do you get onto it?

EA has yet to confirm whether it will be running a closed beta system for FC 24 like it has done with previous Fifa titles, but leaks and rumours suggest it will be continuing the tradition. For those in the dark, EA picks a select few PlayStation and Xbox gamers to beta test various modes, including career mode, ultimate team, pro clubs, kick off and Volta.

The beta for Fifa 23 launched on Thursday 11 August 2022 and lasted roughly three weeks. Leaker Futzone suggests the beta will open starting the week of 31 July, which falls into a similar timeframe.

There’s no way to guarantee a spot in the closed beta, but there is a way to increase your chances. Make sure you’re receiving emails from EA in your account settings on the EA website. Make sure Fifa/EA FC are in your Preferred Games. Ensure you’re signed up for playtesting. And, finally, be active and playing Fifa 23.

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