FIFA 22: Release Date, Gameplay Reveal, Cover Star, Ultimate Team, Early Access, Demo, Beta, Features & Everything You Need To Know
Latest News - Gameplay Reveal
The FIFA 22 hype is really starting to grow now, especially given this evening's in depth look at gameplay on the upcoming title.
Those who have been lucky enough to get their hands on a next-gen console will be able to look forward to some huge changes, primarily the introduction of the HyperMotion engines.
There will be plenty more to come regarding FIFA 22 when EA host thier annual EA Play Live event later this week, but until then, you can catch up with everything we learnt in tonight's gameplay reveal by rewatching the event below.
FIFA 22 Cover Star Reveale
The wait is over, the FIFA 22 cover star has been revealed!
EA has confirmed that France and PSG star Kylian Mbappe will be the man donned across the cover of this years edition of the footballing sim.
It is the second year in succession that Mbappe has been the chosen one, having replaced Eden Hazard as the cover star for FIFA 21.
Release Date
We're expecting FIFA 22 to release on the 24th of September 2021 for Standard Edition owners.
Meaning that Early-Access will release on the 21st of September 2021 for Champions and Ultimate Edition owners.
EA Play access is usually granted up to 1 week before release.
Last year, the game fully released on the 9th of October.
Platforms
FIFA 22 will hit PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC and Stadia.
If you buy the game on PS4 or Xbox One, you'll need to buy the Ultimate Edition to earn the next-gen upgrade.
It'll also come to Switch, as a Legacy Edition.
Trailer
Check out the reveal trailer below:
Gameplay
We've rounded up all the key gameplay tweaks here, but the key focus this year is on motion capture from 22 professional footballers which EA is calling "HyperMotion" technology.
Using Xsens suits, EA has been able to obtain an "unprecedented volume of high-quality, real-human movement data" which in turn, will make the players on the virtual pitch appear more realistic than ever before.
Players also feel more human off-the-ball, speaking to each other and reacting to different tactical situations, while AI will be smarter - able to make six times more decisions per second.
Head here to visit our FIFA 22 hands-on where we talk about the changes that HyperMotion has brought to the game.
Features
FUT Heroes
New FUT Heroes are coming to Ultimate Team, and will work similarly to icons - except they'll have a league attached to them to inform their chemistry links.
For example, Mario Gomez is a FUT Hero for the Bundesliga, while Robbie Keane is a FUT Hero for the Premier League.
Check out all the players added here.
Ultimate Team
It's likely we'll receive up to 10 new Icons - last year 11 new additions were added including Eric Cantona, Petr Čech, Ashley Cole, Samuel Eto'o, Philipp Lahm, Ferenc Puskás, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Davor Šuker, Fernando Torres, Nemanja Vidić, and Xavi.
Early Access And EA Play
Players can get their hands on the full game through EA Play's Early Access programme.
We're expecting it to go live on the 16th September 2021.
Last year, early access was granted on the 1st of October 2020.
EA Play is available as a monthly, or yearly subscription to members, with the following plans available.
- EA Play (PS4/Xbox/PC)
- Monthly: £3.99 / $4.99
- Yearly: £19.99 / $29.99
- EA Play Pro (PC)
- Monthly: £14.99 / $14.99
- Yearly: £89.99 / $99.99
Demo
The demo is the first chance for fans to get their hands on the new game.
The demo for FIFA 20 was available to download on September 10th, a whole 17 days prior to the release of the full game.
Last year, FIFA 21 did not receive a demo - a mistake EA will want to avoid.
As always with a demo, fans can expect at least 6 partnered EA teams to feature.
Beta
Before the demo is released, there is another way of getting a sneak peek at what the next FIFA game will be like.
Invites for the closed beta are expected to be sent out to those lucky few anytime between July 25th and August 7th so don’t forget to check your emails!
The beta for FIFA 20 was available for 13 days in August, allowing players to test game modes such as FUT, Volta Football and Career Mode.
It is likely that the beta will be available for players around this time this year for access to the FIFA 21 beta.
Web App
Ahead of the release of any FIFA game, fans often anticipate the release of the Web App in order to begin making those all-important FUT coins as early as humanly possible.
Typically, the web app for FIFA released a few days before the release of the game.
We're anticipating the App to release on the 17th September and the Mobile App one day after.
Last year, the App released on the 30th September 2020.
FUT 21 Mobile Companion App released on Thursday 1st October 2020 at 6PM BST.
It's almost time!
FIFA 22 is the next instalment in the fabled sports franchise, and it will be arriving soon.
EA have already delivered a host of insight into their upcoming release, including a first look at gameplay and an the impressive new mechanics that come with it.
We'll learn more about the title as we approach the October 1st release date, but for now, here is everything that we know about FIFA 22.