As EA Sports FC has continued to rise in popularity, a split in the fanbase has emerged between those who prefer the fast arcade action of online modes such as Ultimate Team, and those who mainly play Career mode and long for the older days when the FIFA series was known for slower and more realistic gameplay.
Last year, EA finally came upon the solution of offering two gameplay presets, one for each group of players, instead of delivering a middle ground solution that satisfies no one.
At Gamereactor we appreciated these changes immensely, and we are thus happy to report that this year's EA Sports FC 26 has doubled down on the gameplay separation.
Last year's Simulation settings was mainly a pre-configuration of various gameplay sliders that have been present for many years such as pace and shot accuracy and so on. This year though, Competitive Gameplay and Authentic Gameplay consist of various AI-changes and features that are unique for each style of gameplay, leading to very different experiences.
Competitive Gameplay is mandatory in FUT, Clubs, Online Seasons, and Online Friendlies, while it can also be enabled in Kick-Off and Career Mode, if you prefer. This playstyle focuses on Responsiveness, Consistency, and Control, reducing the many uncontrollable aspects that are part of real-world football. This is achieved through tight control, fast dribbling, and a reduction of loose balls and goalkeeper rebounds.
On the other hand, Authentic Gameplay,, which is inaccessible online but is the default style for Kick-Off and Career mode, brings an emphasis on physicality and realism. According to EA, the gameplay has been built around three main pillars: Immersion, Realism, and Less Predictability. Speed and pacing accuracy is greatly reduced, physics-based bounces play a larger role, and players will behave in a more natural manner, maintaining a tight backline and not straying too far away from their assigned positions on the pitch.
This split in gameplay style will allow EA to finetune the gameplay further down the road with individual changes for each playstyle. But of course, EA Sports FC 26 also brings a wealth of improvements across the board.
One of the key areas that has changed is dribbling. Players will have much more responsive animations, which according to EA, reduces the feeling of being "locked into an animation."
From the gameplay we have seen, it's evident that the ball will still be pretty much glued to the attackers feet, but Authentic Gameplay provides fewer touches per dribble, which should enable defenders to snatch the ball in a realistic manner.
Speaking of giving defenders a chance, defending has received some much needed improvements. Now, you won't be making a defensive run, only to be completely left in the dust by a simple change of direction by the attacker, as turns have been made much more snappy. Defenders will also be able to better retain the ball after tackling, and opponents will react stronger to physical challenges, making it less likely that they will immediately snatch back the ball.
Another improvement that might help both attackers and defenders - depending on who is the strongest - is the reworked shielding that you activate by holding down L2/LT. There are many new animations for shielding the ball and transition back to a dribble. The feature can even be used when fighting for an upcoming air ball, providing you space to win the header, if you time your shielding correctly.
When it comes to the last line of defence, the goalkeepers, we will also see major improvements. According to EA, gone are the days where the keeper, having made a save, apparently felt bad for the attacker and gifted him or her a goal with the most generous of rebounds.
Improved deflection control will ensure that keepers not just drop the ball willy-nilly; instead they will try to push it out for a corner or towards an area where there are no opponents. The keepers should also act much more decisively in one-on-one situations, actually rushing out and covering angles instead of just stumbling back and forward nervously as was often previously the case.
So confident are EA in their improved goalkeepers that you can now control them in Rush - when the 5-a-side game mode was introduced last year, the AI managed the keeper. In line with this, the Be-A-Goalkeeper experience has been heavily revamped with a brand new control scheme.
While most gameplay changes apply to all sorts of players, others apply only to specific PlayStyles. These unique player behaviours were introduced in EA Sports FC 24, and this year we see five new ones added: Enforcer, Aerial Fortress, Precision Header, Gamechanger, and Inventive. Some of these are replacements for older ones though, as Power Header, Aerial, Trivela, and Flair has been removed.
Following last year's focus on tactical gameplay, five new player roles have also been added, letting you create more dynamic tactics. These include Ball-Playing Keeper, Wide Back, Inverted Wingback, and Box Crasher.
With players having unique Playstyles as well as different skill levels and a preferred foot, the redesigned Player Name Bar that lets you add optional UI elements such as Skill Moves Rating and Footedness is a godsend. No longer will I miss a sure goal, just because I forgot that Lukaku is left-footed.
Of course, this was really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to gameplay adjustments in EA Sports FC 26. But as the former FIFA-commentator John Motson used to say back in the day "games aren't won on paper," and so we will need to try the game out before we can ultimately pass judgment. But at least, many of the improvements do sound very promising, and we can't wait to head out on to the pitch.