The close of the fall sports video game season is always marked with EA Sports FC, waiting a few weeks into the European seasons to get all the summer transfers before releasing their game. It shows unique restraint, which capitalizes less on anticipation for the season and more on delivering an up-to-date experience for fans out of the box. This year’s iteration, FC 27 is full of iterative improvements which are noticeable both in the on-pitch gameplay and a newly created hub, but we’ve reached the point in the series’ development cycle where iterative improvement is favored over reinventing the wheel.

This idea of “refinement” is often conflated with “roster update” in the minds of fans, and genuinely looked upon poorly. It assumes a lack of care or effort, simply trotting out the same game again without considerable attention. While it’s true that FC 27 is more iteration than reinvention, smart changes have been made throughout the experience to make the game feel like a significant upgrade over its predecessor.

Marketing behind FC 27 is strongly focused on “The Grounds,” which serves as a kind of open-world hub for online play, borrowing heavily from the city in the NBA 2K series. This isn’t wholly a bad thing, as it’s generally fun to run around the three-distinct regions representing football culture in the U.K., France, and Argentina. Here you can create a player and bring them into the ground to find pick-up street soccer games, larger organized competitions, or a variety of open-world challenges which include kicking a ball at targets spread around the regions to unlock clothing and accessories for your avatar.

The Grounds feels more grounded and realistic than the city featured in NBA 2K, pushing aside the oft-oppressive neon and hologram motif for streets that feel more true-to-life. However, in running around the city it also feels more lifeless. In my time with the game there were fewer player characters running around making it feel like a communal space, and more NPC characters taking up real estate. This is hurt by the fact that there’s no interaction between the player character and denizens of the city, who won’t react to basic things like getting a ball kicked at their face full speed while having a conversation. It’s a small gripe, but definitely makes the The Ground feel less lived in. That said, it’s a welcome addition over a quick-play menu, and it’s genuinely easy to get lost running around to explore the nooks and crannies of the city for another out of place target to hit.

Defensive changes lead to a lot more fun

The biggest overhaul present in FC 27 is the reworked defense, which relies less on the A.I. abuse present in FC 26, and rewards players who are solid tacklers. The A.I. will never be better than a good defensive player, meaning that switching off the ball and only controlling the CDM is never advantageous over actively playing the game.

Tackles are more forceful in this year’s iteration, and the interaction between the on-ball player and the defender means there’s less canned animation for tackling. Players will jostle for possession more when in direct contact, meaning there’s better reason as the ball carried to play more purposefully, deliberately, and actually use the oft-ignored “protect ball” dribbling mechanic.

One of the most welcome additions to FC 27 is a quality I saw in both College Football 27 and Madden NFL 27, which is opening up the A.I. defense to making mistakes. This has added a layer of realism to the experience in both American football games, and the same can be said for the world’s football. It’s not overdone, but you will see poorer defensive players take bad angles on the ball, allowing for a longer run, they might make an ill-advised tackle out of position, allowing for a nifty breakaway, and more aggressive defensive players will commit stupid fouls worthy or cards from the ref. As a result there are fewer rote, manufactured opportunities that come from understanding A.I. spacing, and more reward on offense from passing the ball, breaking a defense’s shape, and capitalizing on errors. It makes FC 27 feels more reactive, and weirdly more interactive as a result — with new tactics being rewarded that simply wouldn’t have worked in past games.

A focus on player uniqueness

This year’s game features more of an emphasis on player uniqueness than in past iterations, which makes for a game that feels much more like its real-world counterpart. FC 27 rewards players willing to put the effort into playing like actual players, with numerous gameplay tweaks that make athletes feel like more than a collection of stats.

There is a definitive difference between playing as a box threat like Erling Haaland who can use his size and power to dominate competition to create goals, and Kylian Mbappe, who is best used as an elite distributor as much as a goal scorer. Sure, you can make a parallel run with Lamine Yamal and have success, but unlocking his full potential in FC 27 is about making those long, signature diagonal runs up the right side, before firing in a shot or finding a teammate with a through ball.

It’s a small, but noticable difference which really impacts how the game plays. If you just like to boot up the game and play the same way you always have, then you’ll find it still works — but when you adjust to the true strengths of the players it unlocks a whole new level of complexity and reward that just feels special.

Peerless presentation returns

I know die-hard players of the EA Sports FC series are growing weary of some of the presentation and commentary elements, but it’s important to reflect on how good fans of this series have it. There are no sports games with the same attention to detail and commentary in every phase of the game. Whether it’s showing a local pub in the pregame before discussing the importance to the match, to capturing the heightened emotion of a big-time rivalry game, nothing tops how FC 27 looks and sounds.

Fan chants are more dynamic and well-placed than past iterations. The home fans will be quiet, and stands empty on the back of a 3-0 deficit, while a close game will be a raucous cacophony. If you play as a top-flight club against a lesser opponent you’ll notice the away fans droning out the locals, erasing the home pitch advantage and taking over the game. Tifos will fly, signs will be held aloft, and fans will be spotted in the crowd wearing not just the club’s current kit, but those from past years — accurately representing the tradition of fanhood.

It’s the little things that combine together to make FC 27 just feel really, really good.

There’s no single thing in isolation which makes FC 27 a must-buy game. The addition of “The Grounds” is fun, but largely irrelevant unless you enjoy playing online. Similarly, there haven’t been any major overhauls that make this feel completely different that past iterations of the game.

That said, it is a better, more refined experience from top to bottom, and during my time I had a lot more fun with it than FC 26, which I already thought was a solid experience. If you are deep in the yearly grind of FUT, then you have no option but to get the newest game — but if you’ve taken a year of two off from the FC series there’s never been a better place to dive in.