EA Sports FC 27 launches globally on Friday, September 25, following a week of early access that included several technical issues. The free 10-hour trial for EA Play subscribers also gave players a chance to try the game before committing to a purchase. Now, the full release is hours away, bringing in everyone who did not pre-order a special edition or use the trial.
EA FC 27 countdown to global launch date and time
EA Sports has confirmed that EA FC 27 becomes available on PC at 11pm UTC today (Thursday, September 24) and at 12am tomorrow local time. This means some players could get up to an 11-hour head start on UK gamers depending on their region.
Xbox owners can use their console's settings to change their location to New Zealand, which grants EA FC 27 access from 1pm BST today. Everyone else in the UK will need to wait until midnight to start playing. A pre-load is available through each platform's storefront.
The Grounds, FUT Gallery and more new features
The Grounds is EA FC 27's biggest new feature, serving as a fresh social mode and a new home for Clubs. It includes mini games, small-sided matches and new player customisation, divided into three districts inspired by Paris, northern England and South America. The mode is only available on current-gen consoles, meaning PS4 and Xbox One players miss out on Clubs action.
FUT Gallery, available on all platforms, is a stickerbook collection mode within Ultimate Team. Players submit sets of player items for grading and earn Gallery Tokens, which can be spent on rewards like the new Hall of FUT player items. Career Mode also receives an overhaul, especially around transfers, alongside gameplay changes.
EA FC 27 Ultimate Edition - can I still pre-order it?
The Ultimate Edition of EA FC 27 is still available to pre-order before launch, but not after today, according to EA Sports. The Ultimate Plus edition was a limited-time deal that ended in August.
The Ultimate Edition includes a Premium Pass for Season 1, up to 6,000 FC Points delivered across three monthly drops, an additional Ultimate Team player Evolution Slot, Career Mode challenges and pre-season boosts, three Icons/Heroes for Career Mode, a five-star coach, youth scout and senior scout, five additional Manager Live Challenge Creation Slots, The Grounds Signature Sweatsuit, Mbappe Tier 3 AMP for The Grounds, and 2x AXP for 10 matches in The Grounds.
EA FC 27 Xbox New Zealand Trick explained
To access EA FC 27 early on Xbox, open Settings, go to System → Language & Location, change location to New Zealand, restart the console, launch the game after reboot, and revert to the home region after midnight BST.
