EA FC 24 vs. FIFA 23: What’s the difference?

With EA FC 24’s launch coming closer each day and the intense promotional campaign EA is setting up for it, most people are probably aware that it is the successor to the wildly successful FIFA game series. Is the name the only thing that’s different, or is EA Sports FC a completely new product? Let’s explore the similarities and differences between EA FC 24 and FIFA 23.

We already know EA FC 24’s release date, its cover star, and how much its various editions will cost on each platform. EA has also presented its traditional gameplay features preview, giving us a good idea of how EA Sports FC will play. If EA is keeping to traditions, are FIFA and EA FC one and the same?

Is EA FC 24 similar to FIFA?

In almost every sense, yes, EA FC 24 is just another FIFA game. All of the classic game modes—Career mode, VOLTA, Pro Clubs, and of course, Ultimate Team, have been confirmed and will be featured in EA FC 24.

The game doesn’t lose any notable licenses at the club level. All major competitions, including the Champions League and Europa League, have been licensed for EA Sports FC. In total, EA FC 24 will have over 30 leagues, over 700 clubs, and over 19,000 players properly licensed.

EA FC 24 will be similar to FIFA in the gameplay department too. The engine stays the same as Frostbite will be used for EA’s annual soccer game for the eighth year in a row. Hypermotion, EA’s big gameplay feature that’s led their FIFA presentations in the past few years, is once again front and center during the pre-launch campaign.

One or two new gameplay mechanics are possible and, frankly, necessary, but at the end of the day, EA FC 24 is a soccer simulator published by EA, just like FIFA was. You’ll get everything that comes with that proposition.

The big difference between EA FC 24 and FIFA 23

There’s one glaringly obvious difference between EA Sports FC and FIFA, and that is the name. EA didn’t suddenly decide it doesn’t like the name FIFA anymore. The publisher could not reach an agreement with world soccer’s governing body, also called FIFA, to extend the naming license beyond FIFA 23. This is the sole reason EA Sports FC came to be. Naturally, everything mentioning FIFA will be removed or renamed. This includes FIFA Ultimate Team, which has been shortened to simply Ultimate Team in EA FC 24.

Losing the FIFA license has another in-game effect: the World Cup won’t be part of EA FC 24 in any way because its licensing is part of the FIFA deal. With the 2022 World Cup taking place in December, right in the middle of FIFA 23’s run, the competition was heavily emphasized in all aspects of the game for a while. For that reason, not having anything related to the World Cup in EA FC 24 might feel more off than it would have in any other year.

What’s new in EA FC 24 Ultimate Team?

EA has put in the effort to make the EA FC 24 Ultimate Team a little different from FUT. The unquestionable standout is the company’s decision to mesh male and female players together in Ultimate Team without any restrictions. We’ve already had a glimpse at how this will work rating-wise with the EA FC 24 Heroes announcement. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out how it will actually play out in-game.

Besides the big change, two new Ultimate Team features will debut in EA Sports FC. These features are called PlayStyles and Evolutions. PlayStyles are gameplay traits that are unique to the player’s real-life playstyle. EA’s own example is Erling Haaland’s Power Shot. The concept is that PlayStyles will only reflect real-life traits, and Haaland can’t have a sliding tackle PlayStyle, for instance.

Evolutions is a new system that will allow for improving players from within your Ultimate Team squad by completing objectives. The coolest part about Evolutions is that you can upgrade the cards’ look along with their stats, which creates a whole new sense of progression.

Overall, there’s not much difference between EA FC 24 and FIFA 23, if at all. The game has a different name and won’t feature the World Cup, but the other changes aren’t any more special than your usual jump from one FIFA to another. If you’re looking to play another FIFA game, don’t let the name fool you: EA FC 24 is exactly that.