EA Sports FC 26 deep dive explains the gameplay changes

EA has released a new deep dive for EA Sports FC 26, with the video expanding on what we saw in the announcement trailer which was the changes to the gameplay. That includes the competitive and authentic gameplay styles, which leads into how things will proceed on the pitch. You can check out the full details in the video below.

Every aspect of gameplay has been addressed for FC 26 including dribbling, pace, passing,
tackling, shooting, goalkeeping, and physicality. There have also been things removed from this entry including agile dribbling, and timed finishing. Some of the updates that EA mentions are specifically for current generation consoles and not the previous generation. One of those updates is dynamic dribbling with animations refined to take into account player height, the distance between the ball and player when they are dribbling. The jog speed of dribbling has also been increased. Movement has been overhauled so players are more agile and do not feel as heavy as in previous games. Within this there are other acceleration types including explosive, controlled and lengthy. For explosive and lengthy player attributes are key, and are broken down as follows:

● Explosive
○ Agility minimum 65
○ (Agility – Strength) >= 10
○ Acceleration minimum 80
○ Height has been separated between male and female players
■ Male height maximum 182cm (~6’0”)
■ Female height maximum 162cm (~5’4”)

● Lengthy
○ Strength minimum 65
○ (Strength – Agility) >= 4
○ Acceleration minimum 40
○ Height has been separated between male and female players
■ Male height minimum 183 cm (~6’1”)
■ Female height minimum 164cm (~5’5”)

Controlled is for those players that do not meet the above criteria. Goalkeepers have also been reworked so they are more responsive, position themselves better, and are better to play as. One key element for goalkeepers is the use of machine learning in Reinforcement Learning goalkeeper positioning. EA states, “This new system uses machine learning to help AI-controlled goalkeepers make more realistic decisions about where to position themselves in the box. By analyzing countless scenarios, the AI can now better cut down angles and react to different types of attacks while adjusting their position more intelligently. It’s important to note that RL Positioning is only active in certain situations, and is only used to position the Goalkeeper. The system is not active when making a save or
performing a catch.”

Passing is going to be more fluid as the animations have been improved so players can pass in wider angles, and first touch animations will be improved to. Through passes have been overhauled too, with the receivers better selected for ground and through passes. Lob passes will see the ball go into areas where there are fewer obstructions as well. With shooting, angles have been refined too so there are wider angles to fire from. Attacking and defensive movement has been addressed in FC 26 so player positioning is more fluid, with players more likely to remain onside too. When defending players will man mark when attacks are occurring near the goal.

There are a lot of changes coming to EA Sports FC 26, which has been needed after FC 25 failed to bring any significant changes following FC 24. EA Sports FC 26 is set to be released on September 26th, though those who buy the Ulitmate Edition will get access from September 19th. The game will be available on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series XS, Xbox One, Switch, and Amazon Luna.

Source: Press Release