September 28: EA Sports FC 27 officially landed on Friday, with EA using this year’s launch to make one of its biggest departures from the traditional soccer simulation formula.
The Standard Edition launched in the UK at £69.99 on PlayStation, while the Ultimate Edition came in at £99.99 and offered players seven days of early access from 18 September.
For the first time, EA also introduced an Ultimate Plus Edition, very much aimed at Ultimate Team players. It was priced at £139.99 on consoles and £129.99 on PC during its limited pre-order window, offering up to 10,000 FC Points, five Premium Passes and a stack of extra in-game rewards.
The most interesting addition, however, is The Grounds.
EA has built an open social soccer world around the clubs, with up to 100 players able to move between a new, custom-made open world. It has been developed as a hybrid social space where players can interact with each other off the pitch for the first time.
It’s a pretty ambitious move for a series that has historically been built around getting players from the menus to the pitch as soon as possible, and to be honest, it doesn’t land. The quality standard is a far cry from what modern audiences expect from a 2026 release.
The timing is also interesting. Arguably the most anticipated open world release in gaming history, Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on November 19th. Obviously, The Grounds isn’t trying to compete with Rockstar on its own turf, but it does show that EA is looking at how soccer games can become a place where players spend time rather than just a place where they play matches.
The idea is solid, but the execution leaves something to be desired. However, it does provide a platform for developers to build on throughout the game’s lifecycle, and even more so in future releases.
The mode is heavily tied to clubs, with players able to meet teammates, seek out new recruits, and build their Pro as they explore the various areas, though the map can be traversed in about a minute.
Back on the virtual pitch, cover star Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland are the joint highest-rated male players at 91 overall, with Mbappé also boasting a game-leading pace score of 96.
The Grounds is clearly EA’s big swing this year, although Ultimate Team, Career Mode and the usual licensed competitions are still the main event, and that’s unlikely to change overnight.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)