EA Sports FC 26 has key element that finally makes it feel fresh - but it could go so much further

At last. Ring the bells. Sound the horn. EA Sports FC 26 finally feels different. It's fresh again on the pitch. To a point, at least...

EA's marketing campaign for EA Sports FC 26 has been about addressing many different gripes people have raised about the series on social media.

On that basis, EA Sports FC 26 is a very successful entry into the series, with a number of highly requested tweaks being made.

There is one key element that stands out above all and is incredibly successful in making EA Sports FC 26 feel very different to its predecessors - but it could have gone so much further with it that it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity when looking at the complete package.

A review code was provided by the publisher and I played EA Sports FC 26 on a base PS5.

Game modes in EA Sports FC 26 are what you'd expect / Screenshot from EA

What modes are in EA Sports FC 26?

The same modes you come to expect in EA Sports FC 26 are all here. There aren't any new ones this year but some have been refined.

The main mode, as always, is Ultimate Team. There are some new animations for player reveals when opening packs but aside from that, it's business as usual here.

You build up the squad you want by earning coins (or purchasing FC Points), opening packs, playing against others online, completing objectives and buying and selling players in the transfer hub. There's the option to customise your stadium, kits, balls and more.

Rivals is the main mode where you play and compete against others to climb the Divisions. Champions, Draft, Rush and Squad Building Challenges return too. There are Live Events and streamlined options to play against AI or Friends.

Manager Career this year has a new Manager Live option where different main objectives can be focused on.

For example, if you want a really short-term career, you can choose the primary option to win a pre-season tournament. Those with a more longer-term view include winning the Champions League within a certain number of seasons. More options will be added as the season goes on.

These saves all extend beyond these objectives but offer something a little bit different to work towards. The original experience is available here too.

Archetypes is the big new thing added to both Player Career and Clubs this year and basically act as footballer classes. It's a new progression system that replaces the Player Growth system and there are 13 different ones which are inspired by some of the greats of the game which can be chosen and upgraded.

Kick Off mode returns along with Seasons where players can play with real teams against others and progress up the leagues and Co-op Seasons where players can do this with a friend.

Tournaments and Online Friendlies allow players to play and compete against others one-on-one. PlayStation Tournament hasn't yet started.

EA Sports FC 26 looks good on and off the pitch / Screenshot from EA Sports

How does EA Sports FC 26 look visually and perform?

EA Sports FC 26 looks good on the whole. It looks great on the pitch and the animations, movement and presentation in games are all what you'd expect with some small tweaks.

The menus are pretty well identical to last year. There isn't a reskin or anything here, those who played EA Sports FC 25 won't find much different in terms of how the menus look.

On the pitch, EA Sports FC 26 runs smoothly. I never encountered any stuttering or performance issues or anything like that when out on the grass.

However it did crash twice very early on when playing Ultimate Team and this wasn't anything to do with my internet connection. I had to quit the game fully and relaunch it.

It never happened in-game but when I was tinkering with the squad.

Authentic mode is a game changer - but it could have been implemented much more widely / Screenshot from EA

What's the gameplay in EA Sports FC 26 like?

This is always the big one when it comes to any sports games and I'm pleased to say EA Sports FC 26 finally offers a much different experience on the pitch - to a point.

There's a new Authentic mode that accompanies the Competitive one. Basically, the Competitive mode is the standard FC mode whereas Authentic offers players a much more realistic experience.

Authentic is much slower, tactical and, in my opinion, much more difficult. In the first few games playing on Authentic, it took me a while to get used to it because of how different it feels.

It's important to build up and think about every action you make. And I mean every action.

In both attack and defence, patience is required to find the right openings. Impatience often leads to chances being generated by the opposition. Even small things like trying to burn past a defender with speed often leads to the ball being lost.

But, when you get it exactly right, and with games being much lower scoring than in Competitive mode, it feels so rewarding. Every match I played in Authentic mode felt like I was in a proper game and I loved playing in this mode.

The huge drawback with this is that it's only in single-player modes. Competitive mode is used throughout online modes. It's a shame there isn't an option or a dedicated online mode for this as I'd love to be able to play these kind of games against others online.

Competitive mode on the other hand feels much more frantic and frenetic than ever - maybe it's because of how different Authentic mode feels but it feels like a completely different game going back and forth between these.

Games in this mode are high-scoring goal fests and still have some of the annoyances despite tweaks to gameplay, such as pace being king and defences being wide open. The Competitive experience doesn't feel massively different to previous entries in the series to me.

EA Sports FC 26 is a step in the right direction - but it could have been more than that / Screenshot from EA

What's the verdict on EA Sports FC 26?

EA Sports FC 26 is a good entry into EA's iconic football video game series. Developers have listened to player feedback online and have delivered a game that takes many of those gripes into account, even if the majority of the game itself feels familiar.

Authentic mode is an absolute triumph. I absolutely love this as it offers such a different experience and I can't wait to dive back into the Manager Career save I've already put a lot of hours into.

But I do wish EA went even further with it and implemented it in modes where I could play and compete against others online. Hopefully this happens in an update or maybe in next year's entry. However it stops it from feeling anything more than a step in the right direction.

7.5/10

EA Sports FC 26 is available in Early Access right now through the Ultimate Edition with the Standard Edition of the game releasing on 26 September. The game is playable on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• EA Sports FC 26: Take a look at developers' huge gameplay decision in new teaser
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is better than Mario Kart World - this is why

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.