Football fans, rejoice. There’s a new EA Sports FC 27 game on the way, and if you pre-order the Ultimate Edition of the game, you can even start playing from this week.
One of the biggest new features this year is The Grounds, a new open-world mode that takes inspiration from rival basketball game NBA 2K’s The City. Described by EA as a “social playground”, it lets you create your own footballer, explore different districts and have a kick about with other players in casual or competitive matches.
FC 27 officially launches on 25 September, but you don’t have to wait until then to start playing. Pre-order the Ultimate Edition and you’ll get seven days of early access from 18 September. Here’s everything you need to know about FC 27 early access, including the best pre-order deals.
Best ‘EA Sports FC 27’ pre-order deals
- ‘FC 27’ Ultimate Edition with EA Play: Was £99.99, now £89.99, Playstation.com
- ‘FC 27’ Standard Edition, PS5: Was £69.99, now £62.95, Amazon.co.uk
- ‘FC 27’ Standard Edition, Xbox Series X/S: Was £69.99, now £62.99, Amazon.co.uk
‘EA Sports FC 27’: How to get early access
EA Sports FC 27 will launch worldwide on Friday 25 September 2026, but dedicated fans can get early access to the game and have a head start on their mates.
Anyone who pre-orders the Ultimate Edition will get up to seven days of early access, with the game unlocking on Friday 18 September. EA Play members will also be able to play up to 10 hours of the game from the same date with the EA Play trial.
‘EA Sports FC 27’: What’s new?
EA Sports FC 27 seems to stick to EA’s well-trodden formula. As with many iterations of EA’s beloved game, it’s a fairly iterative version of the game you know and love.
The biggest new feature is The Grounds. EA calls it a social playground. You’ll be able to create your own footballer and freely explore a series of football-themed districts, meet up with friends in The Grounds, challenge others to casual or competitive games, complete skill-based activities and earn rewards as you develop your character. Fans have been clamouring for a shared social hub for years, so it’s nice to see it finally coming to the game.
EA also says that it has improved how dribbling, passing, shooting, defending and its goalkeeper AI work to make matches feel more responsive and realistic. As with FC 26, players can choose between two gameplay presets. Competitive is designed for Ultimate Team and Clubs, while Authentic slows down the pace of the game and tweaks player behaviour to better reflect real-world football in Career Mode.
Speaking of Career Mode. EA has partnered with TransferRoom, the real-world transfer marketplace that’s used by hundreds of professional clubs, to make Career Mode even more realistic. The transfer system has been designed so clubs now compete more naturally for players, with negotiations changing and adapting over time. Deals are also influenced by a player's ambitions, wage demands and club interest. EA is also introducing new live scenarios based on real football storylines, letting players experience the same managerial challenges that actual football managers face during the season.
Lastly, Ultimate Team. EA is rolling out a new FUT Gallery – a permanent collection of your biggest achievements in Ultimate Team. It will include special player items, trophies and other milestones. There are also new Live Events, as well as a refreshed progression system and additional tournament formats so you can earn rewards throughout the year in different ways. Clubs will also gain new progression features and social improvements.
‘EA Sports FC 27’, Ultimate Edition
The Ultimate Edition is the best edition of the game for players who want early access and extra in-game content. You'll get seven days of early access from 18 September, 6,000 FC Points delivered over three monthly drops, the Season 1 Premium Pass, an additional Football Ultimate Team Player Evolution slot and a range of Career Mode bonuses. The latter includes a Dynamic OVR Pre-Season Boost, a five-star Senior Scout and five extra Manager Live Challenge creation slots.
You'll also get The Grounds cosmetic items, three ICONs or Heroes for Career Mode, a five-star coach and youth scout, and Double AXP consumables to help level up Archetypes faster.
All pre-orders come with Career Mode bonuses, including a Dynamic OVR Pre-Season Boost, The Grounds Signature Sweatsuit, a Tier 3 Mbappé-inspired AMP, Double AXP consumables for 10 matches and exclusive pre-order challenges. You’ll get three Icons or Heroes, a five-star coach, five-star youth scout, five-star senior scout and five additional Manager Live Challenge creation slots, too.
It costs £99.99 and is available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. If you have an EA Play subscription, you can get the Ultimate Edition for £89.99.
‘EA Sports FC 27’ Standard Edition
Just want the cheapest way to play your favourite football game? The Standard Edition is for you if you don't mind waiting until the full launch on 25 September. Unlike the Ultimate edition, it doesn't include early access, FC Points, Premium Passes or the additional Ultimate Team and Career Mode content.
That said, if you pre-order, you'll still receive a selection of bonus items, including a Dynamic OVR Pre-Season Boost for Career Mode, The Grounds Signature Sweatsuit, a Tier 3 Mbappé-inspired AMP, Double AXP consumables for 10 matches and exclusive pre-order challenges. You'll also unlock three Icons or Heroes for Career Mode, a five-star coach and five-star youth scout.
The Standard Edition costs £69.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. You can save 10 per cent by pre-ordering at Amazon. It costs £64.99 on PS4 and Xbox One. The Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 version costs £54.99, but you can currently save £5 at Game.
‘EA Sports FC 27’ platforms
EA Sports FC 27 will launch on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 only gets the Standard Edition.
Cross-play is supported on consoles of the same generation, so PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC gamers can all play together, and PS4 and Xbox One players can play together in a separate pool. You can’t play together if your friend has a PS4 and you have a PS5, however. Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 still don’t support cross-play, unfortunately.
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