EA FC 26 Gameplay Changes That Fix Everything Wrong With FC 25

EA FC 26 is bringing some huge changes that will totally make your gameplay feel different. After hearing all the complaints about EA FC 25, the developers finally fixed a bunch of annoying issues and added some cool new features to the game. Let’s break down everything you need to know about these EA FC 26 gameplay changes.

Table of Contents

1. Competitive and Authentic Preset

The biggest change in EA FC 26? You now get to pick between two different ways to play. This is awesome because it finally splits up the fast Ultimate Team action from the more realistic Career Mode gameplay.

Competitive Preset

Do you love Ultimate Team and want faster gameplay? Then this one is for you. Here’s what makes it special:

Goalkeepers actually push shots away from danger instead of just handing rebounds to your opponent.
When you tackle or block, you actually keep the ball more often instead of it bouncing to the other team.
Computer defending is toned down, so defensive lines aren’t as tight.
Less AI doing tackles and blocks for you.
They completely redid the fatigue system.
Players move smoothly when switching between different moves.
Passing is quicker and responds better.
Dribbling feels better with faster speed, plus skill moves are quicker too.
Crossing is more varied and rewards skill over doing the same thing over and over.
Headers aren’t as accurate compared to Authentic mode.
Corner kicks are less predictable, with fewer players jamming up the box.
Players don’t dodge balls as realistically to keep things moving fast.
Quick recovery after tackles.
No flinch animations when balls smack into players.

Authentic Preset

This mode is perfect if you want realistic football in Career Mode. You will get:

Realistic player reactions and recovery.
Real game settings that feel like actual football.
Weather effects like wind, rain, and snow all affect how you play.
Slower dribbling and skill moves for realism.
Goalkeepers react naturally with realistic physics.
Tackling that works like it does in real life.
Smarter AI defending with realistic positioning.
Proper midfield spacing like real football teams use.
Realistic heading for both passes and shots.
Corner kicks and crosses work like they do on TV
Sometimes players get hit by balls they’re trying to avoid, just like real life.
Natural movement between different actions.

2. Major Gameplay Improvements

These are some major gameplay improvements coming to EA FC 26:

Movement Feels Way Better

One of the biggest complaints about FC 25 was how clunky everything felt. EA FC 26 fixes this with:

Explosive Sprint – Players now speed up quickly in all directions, not just straight ahead.
Natural Running – Movement looks and feels more like real football.
Better Speed Balance – Attackers and defenders now have proper speed differences.

The game brings back three main speed types, too:

Type	Requirements
Explosive	– Agility ≥ 65 – (Agility – Strength) ≥ 10 – Acceleration ≥ 80 – Height (Male): ≤ 182 cm (~6’0”) – Height (Female): ≤ 162 cm (~5’4”)
Lengthy	– Strength ≥ 65 – (Strength – Agility) ≥ 4 – Acceleration ≥ 40 – Height (Male): ≥ 183 cm (~6’1”) – Height (Female): ≥ 164 cm (~5’5”)

Any player who does not meet the requirements for the Explosive or Lengthy types will have the Controlled speed type. All three now feel way more responsive when starting and stopping.

Goalkeepers Actually Work Now

Goalkeepers were terrible in FC 25, constantly giving the ball away. Here’s how they’re fixed:

Smart Save Direction – Goalkeepers now direct their saves away from opponents. Most saves go out of bounds, to teammates, or into safe areas instead of creating dangerous rebounds.
Better Shot Reading – Keepers can now predict where shots are going much better, so they make more realistic saves and position themselves better.
Overall Improvements – Better ball handling, more consistent saves, and smarter decisions during one-on-one situations.

FC 26 also uses AI learning for goalkeeper positioning. The computer studies thousands of real situations to help goalkeepers position themselves like real pros. Plus, you can now control the goalkeeper in Rush mode.

Defending Makes Sense Again

No more crazy ball bounces! EA made sure that when you time your tackles right or read passes correctly, you actually win the ball and keep it. Tackling, blocking, and interceptions all work much better now. Spam tackling gets penalised harder, too. Miss a tackle, and you’ll wait longer before trying again.

3. Shooting and Passing Changes

Here are the changes to shooting and passing in EA FC 26:

Passing Feels Responsive Again

Passing was way too slow in FC 25. Now you get:

You can now pass in more directions without weird animation limits.
Quicker Pass Animations.
You can now make 135° and 180° passes more easily, including backheel passes.
Quick and low-power passes now use rapid animations with minimal wind-up time.

Shooting Gets Major Changes

EA removed Timed Finishing completely, which many players found annoying. Instead, you get:

A special Low Driven shot is done by double-tapping the shoot button.
Trivela shots are now only for players with the new Gamechanger ability.
Overall, shooting is more balanced without overpowered shot types.

4. Better Physicality

The Shield button actually works properly now, thanks to a complete makeover:

Shield Trapping

You can now stand still when shielding instead of moving around all the time. The game focuses on blocking your opponent rather than controlling the ball perfectly.

Shield Dribbling

EA rebuilt the whole shielding system so it actually listens to what you’re doing. Players position themselves better with the ball, and switching from shielding to running feels smooth. When players get tired, they can’t shield as long, plus there are new animations that look more natural.

Physical Challenges

EA added Contested Box Outs, a new move where you can use the shield button when in front of opponents. This creates a strong physical contest that gives you more space for ball control or heading.

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5. New Player Features

PlayStyles available in FC 25 were not balanced, so EA acted on that feedback:

PlayStyles

EA redesigned all PlayStyles and added five completely new ones:

Playstyle	Description
Aerial Fortress	Defensive players who jump higher and dominate physical battles in the air.
Precision Header	Attacking players who are great at controlled, powerful headers.
Inventive	Creative players who can pull off fancy passes and trivela passes with accuracy.
Gamechanger	Players known for spectacular, unusual goals (replaces Flair and Trivela styles).
Enforcer	Physical attackers who are great at shoulder challenges and ball shielding.

The old Power Header, Aerial, Trivela, and Flair abilities have been removed and merged into these new categories.

Player Roles

Player roles are now more flexible with a Versatile Focus system. EA will add more roles throughout the year, but here are the four new ones at launch:

Playstyle	Description
Wide Back	Center backs who move wide to cover for fullbacks. Ideal for three-at-the-back formations to fill in for attacking fullbacks.
Inverted Wingback	Fullbacks who move into central attacking positions in possession, acting as creators or midfielders.
Box Crasher	Defensive midfielders who make late runs into the box during attacks but are slow to recover on defense.
Ball-Playing Keeper	Goalkeepers who contribute to passing and build-up play but stay on their line during defense.

6. Accessibility Improvements

EA FC 26 introduces High Contrast Mode, a new accessibility option that makes players, the field, and other important stuff much easier to see and tell apart from each other. This helps players with vision problems or anyone who struggles to follow fast-moving gameplay. You can adjust color settings to customize the visuals exactly how you need them.

Those are all of EA FC 26 gameplay changes coming this year. With smarter goalkeepers, responsive movement, better controls, and completely rebuilt physical play, EA FC 26 could be EA’s best football game in years.

The new abilities and player roles give you more tactical options than ever before. Hopefully, EA FC 26 delivers on its promises, rather than just giving us the same unchanged features and tiny updates from the past three years.

EA FC 26