EA Sports FC 24 vs FIFA 23: What are the new features?

It’s the end of an era, as EA Sports has finally lost the FIFA licence. As a result, EA’s successor to FIFA 23 will be named EA Sports FC 24 instead. But aside from the name, are there any other significant changes taking place?

EA has confirmed a number of new features for EA Sports FC 24 compared to EA, which we’ve listed below.

The good news is that the loss of the FIFA branding won’t affect the licensing for leagues, teams and players. EA FC 24 will feature all of the major leagues, with the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Series A and more all included. The only major team that’s absent looks to be AC Milan – all of its players will still appear in the game, just with a different team name and kit. 

So what changes can you expect to see with the transfer switch from FIFA 23 or EA Sports FC 24? We’ve highlighted the key differences below. 

More realistic player animations

EA is pushing its new HyperMotionV technology as one of the biggest upgrades for EA Sports FC 24. This uses volumetric data from more than 180 professional men’s and women’s football matches to simulate more realistic animations for in-game players. 

EA claims there will be a remarkable 1200 different signature run styles in its new game, helping to make each player look and feel unique. Haaland was provided as an example, as his run style differs to the vast majority of players. EA Sports FC 24 will be able to recreate the way he runs by using real-world data captured from professional football matches.

The enhanced Frostbite engine should also help to make in-game players look more accurate to their real-life counterparts. EA suggests player models will be 10x more anatomically precise than in FIFA 23, while football shirts can stretch and ripple for more authentic visuals. 

Playstyles

The second biggest change for EA Sports FC 24 compared to FIFA 23 is the introduction of Playstyles. These are signature skills given to talented players, which unlock new abilities to make each player feel more unique.

For example, players with select defensive Playstyles will be capable of a stop ball tackle, which sees the player gain control of the ball immediately after a tackle, allowing you to launch a quick counter attack. The power shot will also increase the speed of your strikes on goal.

Players will be able to have more than one Playstyle, with Haaland confirmed to have Power Header, Acrobatic Shot, and Power Shot abilities. Meanwhile, Trent-Alexander Arnold is confirmed to have the Whipped Cross skills and Vinícius Júnior will have Rapid Dribbling.

Long-term fans of the FIFA series will likely point out that Playstyles sounds a lot like the old Traits system. It looks like EA has rebranded the system, while also expanding it with 34 brand new playstyles. There will also be a tier system this time round with Playstyles Plus, providing an even greater boost to certain abilities for elite players.

Women Footballers in Ultimate Team 

FIFA 23 finally introduced Women’s Football to the series, but it was restricted to its own section within the game, and so had no crossover with the Men’s Football.

This has changed for EA FC 23, as women footballers will be sharing the pitch with men for the latest iteration of Ultimate Team. This will allow you to build hybrid squads, so you can have both Erling Haaland and Sam Kerr in the same lineup. 

EA will also be introducing six new Women’s Football competitions to the series: UEFA Women’s Champions League, Barclays Women’s Super League, National Women’s Soccer League, D1 Arkema, Google Pixel Frauen-Bundesliga and Liga F.

Ultimate Team Evolutions

When receiving a player card in past FIFA games, including FIFA 23, all of the numerical ratings would be fixed in place. That’s changing for FC 24, as you’ll now be able to train up select players to improve their ratings. 

EA explains that you’ll be able to complete a set of objectives to improve the individual skills of players. We assume there must be some mechanic to prevent players from upgrading all of their cards to a 100 rating, but it’s certainly intriguing that you’ll be able to level up cards which could mean that silver and bronze cards will no longer go to waste.

EA also confirmed that you will be able to modify the appearance of your cards, adding new designs and animated backgrounds to make them stand out more and showcase milestones they a player has achieved at your club. 

Player Agents for Player Mode

Agents will play a more active role in Player Mode for EA Sports FC 24. Instead of leaving all the transfer business up to you, EA claims agents will now be able to offer advice for the next step in your footballing career.

All-new Career Path objectives will open up new ways for you to be able to influence external clubs to make a transfer bid for you. There isn’t a huge amount of details on this just yet, but it may well make transfer sagas even more dramatic.

Hire your own backroom staff in Manager Mode

It looks like EA Sports FC 24 could be taking a leaf out of the Football Manager series, as it looks like you’ll be able to micromanage the club by hiring your own backroom staff. This feature hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but one of the pre-order bonuses for FC 24 includes a 5-star coach for the Manager Career mode. 

EA has at least confirmed that FC 24 players will have more control over coaches and tactics, while new training features will also be introduced. Gone are the days when Manager Mode simply meant playing as your favourite club on matchday – now you’re expected to get more involved in the backroom, just like Klopp and Guardiola.