Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

EA Sports FC Tactical turns soccer into a free-to-play, turn-based RPG

EA’s FIFA series is going through some changes. For one, it’s not FIFA at all anymore. The series has officially made its transition into the new EA Sports FC brand with its recently released 2024 installment. That’s not the biggest surprise on the horizon for soccer fans, though; The sport is getting a surprising new mobile game with a left-field tactics twist.

EA Sports FC Tactical is an upcoming free-to-play spinoff that turns football into Fire Emblem. Co-developed with KLab Inc, the studio behind anime sports title Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team, the mobile game distills all the action of FC 2024 into a turn-based RPG. Every play is its own little tactical battle that pits strikers against defenders.

Recommended Videos

It may sound head-scratching on paper, but it makes total sense in practice. In a quick hands-on demo of EA Sports FC Tactical, I quickly got a feel for how intuitive a turn-based sports game like this can be. A greater emphasis on mental strategy over controller-based action does a great job of highlighting the high-level decision-making that makes soccer such an impressive sport.

Soccer Emblem

Before hopping into a match, players assemble a team using intuitive drag-and-drop controls. It’s there that it becomes clear that FC Tactical isn’t just your average soccer game; it’s a full-blown RPG. Players have stats, passive abilities, and special skills that make it feel more like building an adventuring party than a sports team. That’s the first area where I can feel KLab’s Captain Tsubasa touch coming into play.

I’d get to see that in action when diving into a match. At the start of each play, I’m shown an overhead glance at the field, where I can see my player icons moving around. The camera swoops into a familiar 3D perspective as soon as the player with the ball bumps into a defender. Time freezes at that moment, suddenly turning the action into a turn-based strategy game.

A soccer player kicks a ball in EA Sports FC Tactical.
EA

As a striker, I’m presented with a row of options. I can shoot, pass, dribble, or perhaps even unleash a special ability. Those options are presented in a simple UI that isn’t too different from something like Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis. I simply tap on a box to activate a move, though I’ll need to weigh my options first. Each ability has a number on it representing my stat in a specific skill. I need to weigh that against my opponent’s number to decide my best option. Skills also cost energy, which is a finite resource each individual player has. To win a match, I need to make sure I’m managing my stamina to the end and knowing the right moment to take risks. That gameplay loop carries over when I’m on defense, as I’m planning blocks instead of shots.

There are a few other factors to consider. If I’m shooting or passing, I need to pay attention to how many defenders the ball is going to go through. I’ll need to pass a skill check for each one, which can get tricky when dealing with three defenders. Moments like that make every single play feel important, turning soccer into a game of chess.

When I choose my move, time unfreezes and I get to see the sequence play out just as it would in an actual match of FC 2024. As an added touch, KLab brings a bit of its Captain Tsubasa experience to its animations. When I activate a special ability, my player lights up with colorful energy before unleashing their super skill as if they’re a character in an anime. It’s a nice touch that emphasizes the RPG at the heart of the experience. FC Tactical even takes some explicit notes from series like Fire Emblem, as it features its own “weapon triangle” to explain strengths and weaknesses in player positions.

A soccer player unleashes a powerful kick in EA Sports FC Tactical.
EA

While it’s all intuitive fun, there’s one question mark about the project: its use of microtransactions. The plan seems to be that FC Tactical will be a free-to-play game with seasonal updates and a battle pass. On top of that, it also uses an in-game currency that’s used to upgrade player skills. According to team members on hand at the preview, those points can be earned in-game or purchased outright with real money. A developer assured me that the system wouldn’t be pay-to-win, but I’m struggling to see how using money to make skills better wouldn’t fit that bill. EA notes that the all of these features are still in the works and subject to change, so I imagine there might be some tweaks to all of this before it launches.

If those microtransactions don’t intrude too much, EA Sports FC Tactical could be a creative genre mash-up built for those who want a more cerebral sports game. It puts me in the mind of a coach rather than a player, which is a change of pace I can get behind. I can’t keep up with the pros, but maybe I can outsmart them.

EA Sports FC Tactical will launch in 2024. Pre-registration is now open via the App Store and Google Play.

Giovanni Colantonio
As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…
Topics
EA Sports College Football 25 is the best sports game in years
A player holds a football in EA Sports College Football 25.

Although Electronic Arts is one of the kings of the sports video game genre, it does not have the best track record as of late. FC (formerly FIFA) and Madden games are bestsellers every year, but they also have dreadful user reviews on sites like Metacritic. That's due to light, incremental changes year-over-year, a lack of crucial mechanics for sports simulators, and lots of bugs. That rocky reputation made EA's impending return to college football equal parts exciting and scary ahead of its release. Would EA Sports College Football 25 be the grand return of the series after a decade of dormancy or a disastrous return?

Thankfully, I can confirm that EA Sports College Football 25 is the best EA Sports game that I've played in years. It takes the solid core of Madden's football gameplay, but actually builds on that in a couple of key ways. Its presentation feels much more lively and polished than other EA Sports games, and its modes bring a lot of welcome depth and customization options that have been sorely lacking in other EA Sports offerings. While there are still a couple of quirks to be ironed out, this is the first EA Sports game I've felt comfortable recommending at full price in a long time.
Taking the field again
Unlike this year's Top Spin 2K25 (which somehow still felt like a minor improvement over its predecessor despite the decade-long gap between them), College Football 25 feels like a big step up for the college football franchise. It's now running on the Frostbite Engine like Madden and FC do, and because this is a current-gen exclusive, it's one of the best-looking sports games out there. EA upped the production value of the presentation around the game too, with highly detailed stadiums, cheerleaders, mascots, referees, and more.

Read more
Play the definitive edition of this classic RPG for free in July thanks to Amazon Prime
Your party fighting fire elementals in a bit in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. There's a dialogue box at the bottom and menus on both sides.

Baldur's Gate 3 was the game of 2023 almost without question, but you can go back to where the video game series all began with Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. And if you have Amazon Prime, you can do it for free.

Amazon announced its July offerings for Prime Gaming, which includes Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, the remastered version of the classic 1998 RPG. All you have to do to own the game for free is to log into your account and hit the claim button. The only downside is that you'll have to use the Amazon Games launcher instead of something like Steam.

Read more
You can now play this underrated Marvel RPG for free thanks to Epic Games Store
Lilith, Mother of Demons, in the Marvel's Midnight Suns trailer.

If you missed out on Marvel's Midnight Suns, the 2022 turn-based RPG from XCOM developer Firaxis Games -- and based on the poor sales numbers, a lot of you did -- you can now play it for free thanks to the Epic Games Store.

The storefront has a new free game for users to claim every week, and this time it's Marvel's Midnight Suns. However, you only have until June 13 to claim the game for free. The deal only applies to the base game, although the two editions with extras are also on sale. The digital+ version comes with 11 premium skins and is on sale for $20 (down from the $80 full price). If you want access to all the post-launch characters -- Deadpool, Venom, Morbius, and Storm -- along with those premium skins, you can purchase the legendary edition for $25 (down from $100).

Read more