FIFA 21: Class of 21 ICONs Ratings, PS5 Pre-Order, Xbox Series Next Gen Price, Demo, Release Date, Career Mode, Latest News & more
Latest News – Official ICON Ratings
It’s been over a month since EA revealed the 11 new ICONs coming to FIFA 21, and now we have been shown their ratings!
Eric Cantona is the star of the show, but watch out for Ferenc Puskas and Xavi’s cards too!
FIFA 21 Ratings Reveals
The first FIFA 21 ratings have arrived, and plenty more have come right after.
We’ve seen the top 100 players revealed, as well as the best player per position and league.
We also got some new insights into the next generation of football superstars with U-21 players like Alphonso Davies and Mason Greenwood leveling up for the game this year.
FIFA 21 Release Date
The full version of FIFA 21 is arriving on Friday, 9 September!
Early Access via EA Play
EA Play is the new platform for a exclusive access to the latest EA titles.
Replacing EA Access, signing up the service will get you involved in the EA Play First Trials – starting Thursday, 1 October.
RE-BRAND – EA Access has now become EA Play
This gives you a 10-hour taste of the game before it goes live.
You can get full access to the game from Tuesday, 6 October by pre-ordering the game, but only with specific editions.
Check out our complete guide to FIFA 21 Editions, right here
Platforms
FIFA 21 will initially be released on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
The game will then become available on PS5 and Xbox Series X from release with NextGen enhancements, but this will not be a separate version of FIFA 21.
FIFA 21 Trailer
Next Gen
In the first tease for Next Gen play, EA teased FIFA 21 alongside Madden 21 at EA Play Live:
Dual Entitlement
If you buy the game on Xbox One or PS4, you won’t need to buy the game on its Next Gen equivalent thanks to “Dual Entitlement”.
FUT and VOLTA progress will carry over onto Next Gen, but annoyingly – the same cannot be said of Career Mode!
CARRY ON: Keep your progress on next-gen
Although the Next Gen version are not a separate edition of the game, you will receive enhancements for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
GAMEPLAY
- Blazing fast load times – get to kick-off in seconds
- Controller haptics (PS5 only) – feel every shot, kick, pass, and tackle in your hands
GRAPHICS AND VISUALS
- Deferred Lighting and Rendering – a new lighting system creates more detail in every part of the stadium
- Re-imagined player bodies – next-gen technology takes players to a whole new level of realism
FIRST LOOK – This was the first screenshot of FIFA 21 on Next Gen!
PLAYER ANIMATIONS
- Enhanced animation technology – new animations create ultra-responsive and realistic player movement
- Off-ball humanisation – from adjusting shin pads to screaming for passes, feel all the emotion of football at the highest level
NEXT LEVEL ATMOSPHERES
- Gameday immersion – contextual player, bench, and fan reactions let you feel the explosive passion of a last-minute winner
PS5
The PS5 will be coming out on 12 November for US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and 19 November for the rest of the world.
That means that from either of these dates, depending on which country you’re in, you should be able to get cracking with FIFA 21!
PlayStation 5 will have its own bespoke feature ahead of Xbox Series X.
With the PS5 controller featuring, haptic feedback this will be utilised in FIFA 21.
EXCLUSIVE – You’ll need a PS5 controller to get the full FIFA 21 experience!
Haptic feedback is the new rumble tech in the controller, which will really turn on the heat for a penalty, or sense the pressure from a challenging defender.
If you’re looking to play on Xbox Series X or S, don’t feel like you’re missing out on the action though!
RAZE YOUR GAME: The Razer Wolverine controller can be customised to suit your play-style
Thanks to the machine’s backwards compatibility, there are loads of amazing controllers on the market right now which you’ll be able to use on next-gen – so it could be the perfect time to seriously upgrade your setup!
Xbox Series X
Microsoft has officially revealed the prices for their Next Gen consoles, with the Xbox Series S coming in at $299, while the Xbox Series X costs £499.
The new consoles will arrive on Tuesday, 10 November, with pre-orders opening from Tuesday, 22 September.
Furthermore, it’s been revealed that you can get EA Play with the Xbox Game Pass at no extra cost!
It looks as if there will be no exlusives to Xbox Series X despite EA Sports game receiving the “Optimized for Series X” tag from Microsoft.
The above trailer showcases some of the games leading the way for Series X, and the visuals we can expect.
Cover Star & Editions
With a new aesthetic this year, the FIFA 21 covers are simply stunning, and in a new theme, all three Editions feature the same “cover star”.
You can view every Edition in detail, by heading over to our pre-order guide
Standard Edition
The Standard Edition will cost £49.99 / $59.99 (£54.99 / $59.99 on PC).
POSTER BOY – Mbappe finally makes it to the FIFA 21 cover
Pre-ordering the Standard Edition will entitle you to bonuses in FIFA 21 Ultimate Team:
- Up to 3 Rare Gold Packs, 1 per week for 3 weeks
- Cover Star Loan Item, for 5 FUT matches
- FUT Ambassador Player Pick — Choose 1 of 3 player items for 3 FUT matches.
- Special Edition FUT Kits and stadium items
Champions Edition
The Champions Edition comes in at £79.99 / $79.99.
EUROPEAN GLORY – The Champions Edition shows off PSG’s new away kit
Not only do you get three days early access for the Champions Edition, but pre-order and you’ll get:
- Up to 12 Rare Gold Packs, 1 per week for 12 weeks
- Cover Star Loan Item, for 5 FUT matches
- Career Mode Homegrown Talent — A local youth prospect with world-class potential.
- FUT Ambassador Player Pick — Choose 1 of 3 player items for 3 FUT matches.
- Special Edition FUT Kits and stadium items
Ultimate Edition
The Ultimate Edition costs £89.99 / $99.99.
CASUAL – The Ultimate Edition showcases Mbappe as the modern footballer
You’ll of course get your three days of early access. While a pre-order will get you:
- 3 days of early access
- Up to 24 Rare Gold Packs, 2 per week for 12 weeks
- Cover Star Loan Item, for 5 FUT matches
- Career Mode Homegrown Talent — A local youth prospect with world-class potential.
- FUT Ambassador Player Pick — Choose 1 of 3 player items for 3 FUT matches.
- Special Edition FUT Kits and stadium items
Demo
If you are unsure to make a move on FIFA 21, the Demo will give you a strong indication.
Although a release date is yet to be revealed, the Demo has often been dropped silently, around two weeks before the full game release.
UP IN THE AIR – FIFA 21’s new manual heading will be on show in the Demo
So this year we are looking of a Demo release of around Friday, 25 September.
While there is no exact date as of yet for its release, thoughts are also turning to how large the demo will be. Last year, we saw the FIFA 20 demo come in at 7 GB, which is a pretty reasonable size.
Beta
Incredibly, the FIFA 21 Beta has already come and gone!
ON THE UP – Leaks from the Beta has given us an insight into the new Career Mode.
The new Heading mechanic has been the most noticeable aspect, along with the welcome addition of new player star heads.
For our take on the FIFA 21 Beta head here.
Game Modes
With countless trailers, in-depth reveals and the Beta, we now have a fantastic insight on what FIFA 21’s top game modes will offer.
Career Mode
With a pretty big overhaul last year, as well as Nexct Gen consoles on the horizon, you would have forgiven EA for resting on its laurels – but the team has stepped it up once again for FIFA 21!
There’s a lot to take in, so here are the key components:
Interactive Match Sim – when simming matches you can make changes on-the-fly, or “jump-in” and play if you need to rescue a result!
Revamped growth system – players can no acclimatise to different positions to fit your needs.
JUMP IN – Marry speed and success in FIFA 21’s Career Mode
Match sharpness – it’s not all about resting your players, you may need to rotate in your fringe players to keep them sharp.
New ways to sign players – at long last, loan-to-buy offers are back, and other teams will present player swap offers.
Pre-order bonus – Move for the Champions or Ultimate Edition, and you will receive a Career Mode Homegrown Talent – a local youth prospect with world-class potential.
Ultimate Team
EA always save there best for Ultimate Team, and it looks as if FUT 21 will be no different.
We start with the legendary FUT ICONs, with 100 in FIFA 21.
Petr Cech, Samuel Eto’o, and Xavi star –
The all-new FUT Co-Op looks to be the big new addition, allowing you to team up with a friend and compete for rewards in Division Rivals, Squad Battles and grind towards brand new Co-Op Objectives.
FUT Stadiums will allow you to build your fantasy stadium and turn it into the fortress you want it to be with chants, walk-on music and pyrotechnics!
FUT WEB APP
With around amonth to go until release, eyes will be firmly glues
You can access your Ultimate Team through the Companion App on mobile, or head to the official website and start managing your squad.
THUMBS AT THE READY – You can access your Ultimate Team on-the-go
With the Web App updating the day before Early Access becomes available – this is likely to be Wednesday, 31 September.
A version of the app is also available on desktop, known as the FUT Companion App.
VOLTA Football
Volta was a great addition last year, but perhaps EA didn’t quite hit the nail on the head with the street mode.
On 21, we’ll see Volta Squads – new way to join up to three friends or the community and play online; very similar to Pro Clubs.
ELECTRIC – We’re all about the Volta venues
More customisation options for your squad and avatar will be on offer, with official clubs getting involved this time around.
Featured Battles is for the finest players, matching up against AI-controlled star players as well as squads from the community.
New venues include Sao Paulo’s Downtown, Milan street pitch and a geodesic dome in Dubai.
Pro Clubs
One for the elite, customisation grows for Pro Clubs in FIFA 21, but the much coveted cross-platform play is still missing.
Gameplay
How good a FIFA is ultimately comes down to its gameplay.
The ability to “create more scoring opportunities” thanks to all new “dynamic attacking systems” will get players excited.
The new Agile Dribbling system will enable you to explode past defenders, and be more precisie with the ball at your feet.
Positioning Personality improves the importance of positional awareness, with world class forwards holding their runs to stay on-side, playmakers dropping into space and defenders identifying danger.
Creative Runs will allow you to actually control off the ball players – we recommended practising this before taking it online!
Lastly, the new Competitor Mode setting has been inspired by the best FIFA players in the world, to really make it feel like you’re facing the best.
Cross-Platform
With some EA titles moving to cross-platform, there was some hope that the same would be said of FIFA 21 and the other sporting titles.
Star Wars: Squadrons has been announced for cross-play, as well as recent update on the already released Need For Speed Heat – but alas, FIFA 21 will not receive the same treatment.
USE THE FORCE – Star Wars: Squadrons was just the second EA game to receive cross-platform play
That said, EA titles are now available on Steam, which could be an early suggestion of cross-platorm play in the future – especially with Next Gen on the horizon.
Graphics
Don’t expect any graphics improvements for FIFA 21 on current gen, but as we get closer to Next Gen, don’t be surprised if we see a full reveal for PS5 and Xbox Series X capabilities.
MORE COME? – Could a full Next Gen reveal still be on the way?
EA has been tight-lipped since the “Feel Next Level” reveal alongside Madden 21 at EA Play live – so you’d think there is more to come.
Licences
After losing the rights to Juventus, with rivals Konami and PES 2020 last year, there was a fear that EA could lose another big licence this year.
Well, AS Roma will be referred to Roma FC on FIFA 21, with the I Giallrossi now signing an exclusive deal with PES 2021.
PIED-MONTE – Juventus did not feature on FIFA 20 due to their deal with EA
Fortunately for the FIFA community, Konami has lost the licence to both AC and Inter Milan. Both Milan clubs are now exclusive to FIFA 21.
Stadiums
One of the most incredible things about football is the atmosphere of the stadium, and EA has done an amazing job of capturing this so well over the years.
KOP STARS – Anfield is the first confirmed stadium for FIFA 21
So far Liverpool’s Anfield and PSG’s Parc des Princes have been confirmed in official FIFA 21 screenshots.
With Leeds United making thier long-awaited return to the Premier League, the White’s Elland Road will appear in the game for the first time.
Any hope for Juventus’ Allianz Stadium, Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and Barcelona’s Nou Camp looks slim due to their partnerships with PES and Konami.
Ratings
As you’d expect there are no confirmed ratings for FIFA 21 yet.
However, we can have a pretty good guess at who the top-ranked players will be – and the Top 100 may not be far away.
Highest Rated Players
No prizes for guessing who is the number one rated player on FIFA 21 – footballing phenomenon that is Lionel Messi.
Messi edges out Cristiano Ronaldo, with both players receiving a one-point drop – is this the last year they lead the ratings?
Ones to Watch
Ones to Watch are players in Ultimate Team who have moved clubs in the transfer window.
Timo Werner and fellow Chelsea new signing Hakim Ziyech are the first two confirmed Ones to Watch players – including their ratings.
Wonderkids
Wonderkids will be a crucial part of FIFA 21 Career Mode, and perhaps the must-have signing will be Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
Nintendo Switch
The good news is that Nintendo Switch owners don’t have to completely miss out on FIFA 21, as FIFA 21 Legacy Edition will be coming to Switch.
This version will have updated menus, audio, players and kits, but not feature any of the new gameplay innovations, that are on other consoles
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