One thing that has consistently stuck in EA Sports FC’s craw is that the gameplay in the hyper-competitive world of Ultimate Team was the same as the more lifelike Career Mode. If the developers wanted to up the pace of a match online to keep fans happy, Career Mode fans would feel like they were missing out on the experience they wanted. Players can always adjust with sliders, but that only goes so far. With EA Sports FC 26, the team at EA Sports is finally decoupling the two fan-favorite modes by introducing separate gameplay styles.
The new Competitive and Authentic gameplay experiences aren’t simple offshoots of each other. At a code level, the two experiences are different. That means experience-specific mechanics. Most importantly, it means that changes made to one experience won’t affect the other. Career Mode and Online players have different wants and needs. Now, EA Sports will finally be able to address both groups without affecting the other.
While there are countless changes to gameplay in FC 26, this seems like the standout feature that will impact everyone who picks the game up later this year. With that in mind, I spent most of my hands-on preview trying to gauge the differences between the two modes. Now, it’s impossible to get the full picture from a few hours, but I think it’s safe to say that Authentic and Competitive are totally different ways of playing EA FC.
If you’re looking for classic EA Sports FC gameplay with a few new bells and whistles, Competitive is perfect for you. I played my first game in Authentic mode, and when I booted up a game in Competitive, my first thought was, “Oh, this is EA FC.”
My exclamation shouldn’t be read as a putdown on Authentic mode. Competitive felt like putting on a warm blanket and eating my grandma’s meatloaf. It’s what I’m used to when I sit down to play FC. As I played, I started to notice small differences. The new Goalkeeper deflections make random bounce-back goals happen less frequently. AI defenders aren’t as helpful, making manual defending much more important. Players turn on a dime, leading to fluid, free-flowing gameplay. However, from a macro level, Competitive is the gameplay you’ve come to expect from EA Sports FC.
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And the good news for fans of that gameplay style is that you can use Competitive across every mode. It’s built for online play, but Career Mode players can switch to Competitive if they want. On the other hand, you can not use Authentic in Ultimate Team, even in Squad Battles. From talking with the developers, it seems like they might be open to bringing that change over. If players want it enough, we might see it patched in down the line, but that’s far from a guarantee.
Authentic mode is where things change dramatically. The first word that came to mind during my first game with the gameplay style was “methodical.” You cannot bomb down the wing and cut back for quick goals. In Authentic mode, the game slows way down. It doesn’t necessarily feel sluggish, but it does make build-up play and strategy matter much more.
At first, I wasn’t quite sure about the new mode. It plays so differently from EA Sports FC 25 that I thought the preview event might be the last time I use it. Then, something small happened that sold me on this as a great start for authentic soccer.
It wasn’t a major switch that flipped. It was a small animation that made me start paying attention. I passed the ball out to Vini Jr on the wing. Liverpool fullback Andrew Robertson was giving me space, so I quickly sprinted past him into what would be open space in Competitive mode. Then, Robertson did something I haven’t seen before. He reached out and pulled my shirt, giving him just enough time to catch up and slow down my attack.
That might sound frustrating, but as someone who loves to watch physical soccer, I was excited. Sure, I can’t speed boost past a defender for an easy score, but I can use the new Enforcer PlayStyle to shield the ball, giving me time to set up an attack. Or use improved headers to make crosses and set pieces more dangerous. The gameplay is slower, but that gives you time to think. Time to strategize. Time to play soccer.
Competitive mode is a 40-yard dash. There are minute details and specific strategies that you need to know to be successful, but everything is happening so fast, it’s more about reacting than planning once the whistle blows. On the other hand, Authentic is kind of like running a marathon. You aren’t moving with the same pace, but you’re still moving. You need to know when to push, when to hold off, and when to refuel. All that extra time on the course gives you more room to strategize and try things out.
And look, I only played four or five matches of each gameplay style, so it’s impossible to judge how successful they will be. That said, the fact that EA Sports can tweak one without changing the other makes FC 26 a very exciting prospect. The developers still might not please both teams, but now they at least have a chance.
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