FIFA 21

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Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 68

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FIFA 21 fixes some on-the-pitch issues and the moment-to-moment action is better than last year, but this is a glorified roster update, failing to add much substance over FIFA 19.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 68

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 68

FIFA 21 fixes some on-the-pitch issues and the moment-to-moment action is better than last year, but this is a glorified roster update, failing to add much substance over FIFA 19.

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Critic Reviews for FIFA 21

Reviews

High Score - 90/100

Low Score - 20/100

Simon Cardy (IGN)

7/10

“All in all, FIFA 21 is a year of small improvements with much to enjoy, but little to shout about.”

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Wesley Yin-Poole (Eurogamer)

Not Recommended

“Fun football with plenty of goals, but the grubby business of selling loot boxes lets the side down.”

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Ford James (GamesRadar+)

3/5 stars

“The moment-to-moment action may be better than last year’s game, but this is nothing more than a glorified roster update. Only Career Mode fans have reason to celebrate.”

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**Read all 68 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (68 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
Atomix	Rodolfo León	70 / 100	10-09-2020	FIFA 21 does little no nothing in terms of innovation, and some of the previous elements in the game even feel like a step behind.	Read review
AusGamers	Toby Berger	8.5 / 10	10-06-2020	It just needs something more to it, whether that’s an expanded career-type mode (like	Read review
Cerealkillerz	Gabriel Bogdan	7.2 / 10	10-21-2020	The big step forward remains missing but Fans of FIFA Ultimate Team will find a lot to love in this game. If you have waited for relevant new gameplay features, in Volta or the carreer mode, you should stick with the last two games.	Read review
COGconnected	Jaz Sagoo	83 / 100	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 is a complete package that will keep football fans hooked for the entire season. Although there are only a few small improvements, the tactical possibilities that these unlock are vast. With Dual Entitlement, meaning you can transfer your progress to next-gen consoles and the fact that it’s packed to the goalposts with content, FIFA 21 comfortably takes the golden boot for 2021.	Read review
Critical Hit	Jarred Milner	8.5 / 10	10-06-2020	It all comes down to the online gameplay which for many is the be all of FIFA, but for now FIFA 21 over-delivers on its promises of making an overall better footballing experience. Its beautiful presentation coupled with gameplay improvements and the constant stream of content makes FIFA 21 a great experience.	Read review
Cubed3	Neil Flynn	7 / 10	11-14-2020	FIFA 21 provides enough new content and changes to set itself apart from FIFA 20 but ultimately this feels like an entry that plays it safe. This is totally understandable; we are on the cusp of a new generation of consoles that will allow EA to take this series to the next level. Truly, it needs exactly that	Read review
Cultured Vultures	Nathan Gibson	5 / 10	10-15-2020	FIFA 21 does little to innovate and has almost no meaningful gameplay changes, making it little more than a roster update to FIFA 20 that most players could happily miss.	Read review
Daily Mirror	Nathan Bliss	3.5 / 5 stars	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 is an evolution of FIFA 20, rather than a revolution. With next-gen consoles being released in November, it’s probably fair to say that FIFA fans will probably first see a true next-gen FIFA gaming title next year. But we’ll wait and see what FIFA 21 feels like on next-gen consoles before rushing to conclusions.	Read review
DASHGAMER.com	Dan Rizzo	7.5 / 10	10-19-2020	Everything that is delivered in this year’s release is a decent offering for those looking to essentially make the ‘upgrade’ from FIFA 20. A updated roster, with new features and some contextual upgrades applied makes FIFA 21, a valuable Football title for 2020.	Read review
DualShockers	Ricky Frech	6.5 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 continues the recent trend of mediocre gameplay being held up by shiny features, new modes, and an overreliance on the Ultimate Team cash cow.	Read review
Eurogamer	Wesley Yin-Poole	Not Recommended	10-06-2020	Fun football with plenty of goals, but the grubby business of selling loot boxes lets the side down.	Read review
Expansive	Jay Jones	Recommended	10-24-2020	FIFA, to no one’s surprise, remains the kingpin of sports and FIFA 21 is the best this generation has seen. Providing you’re not playing on Switch, of course.	Read review
FingerGuns	Rossko Keniston	5 / 10	10-20-2020	There’s so much work to be done to make FIFA a viable contender again as a genuinely great sports game. The sad part is, I don’t think EA Sports really care anymore.	Read review
Forbes	Brian Mazique	8.25 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 delivers most of what I’m looking for in a world football title, which tends to be the story every year. It features solid-to-strong gameplay, attractive visuals, and a good variety of options. However, flawed execution in VOLTA, a lack of customization and no traditional franchise mode for EPL or La Liga keeps it from being a classic.	Read review
Game Informer	Jason Guisao	7.8 / 10	10-06-2020	The Volta and Career modes are fun and engrossing for a time, but they don’t add much substance for players familiar with last year’s installment	Read review
Game Revolution	Paul Tamburro	4.5 / 5 stars	10-09-2020	FIFA 21 may not contain any brand new modes or major new features, but by providing substantial changes to gameplay and introducing key improvements, it has easily positioned itself as the best FIFA yet. Combining challenging yet satisfying defending with ludicrous goal-scoring opportunities takes its on-the-pitch action to new levels, while additions to its Career, Ultimate Team, and Pro Clubs modes make this an essential purchase for football fans.	Read review
Gameblog	Rami Bououd	6 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 is not bad but it does not innovate at all the recipe initiated by FIFA 20. Very focused on the attack, the defense suffers from a significant imbalance, leaving the open door to matches filled with goals. It is a transitional opus, leaving known bases so as not to upset the players and thus draw great novelties for FIFA 22.	Read review
GameMAG	Azamat Tegaev	7 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 marks another update to the formula without major innovations. But it’s still a fun game.	Read review
GamePro	Dennis Michel	70 / 100	10-13-2020	FIFA 21 is an overpriced full price update that should be considered very carefully.	Read review
Gamersky	金闪闪老里	7.5 / 10	10-13-2020	Apart from lacking in innovation, FIFA 21 still is a football game that could keep you be engaged for hundreds of hours just like its predecessors do.	Read review
GameSkinny	LloydCoombes	7 / 10	10-12-2020	On the pitch, FIFA 21 remains the best it’s ever been, but it’s arguably not changed enough for longtime fans in almost any other way.	Read review
GameSpew	Richard Seagrave	8 / 10	10-13-2020	So, FIFA 21 doesn’t have any ground-breaking new modes or revolutionary gameplay innovations, but it doesn’t need them to impress. The plentiful tweaks to gameplay and AI, along with worthwhile new features spread across all primary modes, accumulate to make FIFA 21 a must-have for football fans. And if they’re planning on picking up a next-gen console in the near-future, there’s possibly even more for them to look forward to.	Read review
GameSpot	Richard Wakeling	8 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 offers a comprehensive package with new features that encourage creativity and attacking dynamism.	Read review
GamesRadar+	Ford James	3 / 5 stars	10-06-2020	The moment-to-moment action may be better than last year’s game, but this is nothing more than a glorified roster update. Only Career Mode fans have reason to celebrate.	Read review
Gaming Nexus	Sean Cahill	6.5 / 10	11-30-2020	The few positives do not outweigh the negatives. EA Sports continues to phone it in with the FIFA series while single-player gamers cry out for better options.	Read review
GamingBolt	Shubhankar Parijat	7 / 10	10-10-2020	FIFA 21 is solid and still immensely playable, but very stale, and rather unnecessary.	Read review
GamingTrend	Timothy McVicar	90 / 100	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 has something for everyone, from casual gamers to passionate soccer fans. Sure, FIFA games can sometimes feel repetitive, and there are some things that need to be addressed, but when you play you can tell that the developers are keyed-in on the same things that make real soccer fans passionate. Make no mistake: this is the best soccer video game ever made. The beautiful game has truly never been so beautiful.	Read review
Generación Xbox	Juan Lorente	8.5 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 is back with small changes and good ideas but with the need to make the leap to the next generation of consoles.	Read review
God is a Geek	Chris White	7 / 10	10-19-2020	FIFA 21 is still a solid football game, but it feels far too similar to last year’s entry. With minor improvements to the gameplay, modes, and the visuals, it’s about time the series had an overhaul.	Read review
GRYOnline.pl	Karol Laska	7 / 10	10-12-2020	FIFA 21 is a game with few interesting new features but they’re not so extensive as to require a year of development. This should be a simple content patch. Still, the game itself is very good and satisfying, capable of elevating a house party and thrilling core fans.	Read review
Guardian	Tom Bramwell	4 / 5 stars	10-08-2020	It’s been a tough year for football, but EA Sports’ fast, fluid and updated football game is a thrilling all-round scorer	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Cory Wells	3.5 / 5 stars	10-12-2020	FIFA 21 has thrown a lot of adjustments under the hood to help give players more tools than ever before.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	Rafael Aznar	78 / 100	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 is a very continuist game, and we will have to check what EA Sports can achieve in the next-generation hardware. This entry adds a few little changes to the excellent formula we have seen in the last few years, but it is more of the same. Just as Real Madrid’s roster this season.	Read review
IGN	Simon Cardy	7 / 10	10-06-2020	All in all, FIFA 21 is a year of small improvements with much to enjoy, but little to shout about.	Read review
IGN Italy	Davide Mancini	8.4 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 delivers solid and fun gameplay, introducing a lot of small new features in the structure build in the last two years. Even if FUT is always bigger and louder, the best things this year come from Career mode and plain multiplayer mode, where everything flows with a slower and human tempo.	Read review
Impulsegamer	Jamie Kirk	3.5 / 5 stars	10-23-2020	So FIFA ends its run on this console generation as the undisputed champion of sales, and will probably remain that way for years to come. Whether EA will try to further innovate the actual game, or if they even want to remains unseen. eFootball PES continues to outshine it on a pure gameplay level, but without the flashy licenses and expensive bells and whistles many will be content to keep rolling with EA’s juggernaut. FIFA is still a fun game to play and at times can still be addictive as anything. You just can’t help but wish for those two or three major signings that would take it to the next level.	Read review
INDIANTVCZ	Kuba Staněk	4 / 10	10-26-2020	FIFA 21 is not a bad game, but attitude of it’s developers is bad. They are charging triple A prices for mediocre product, which is almost identical to it’s preductor. Updated labels are just not worthy enough for buying.	Read review
Jump Dash Roll	Ant Barlow	8 / 10	10-22-2020	A victory lap for the FIFA franchise on current generation hardware, FIFA 21 manages to combine every positive addition to the series and triumph. Despite it skewing towards Ultimate Team and microtransactions, the on-pitch gameplay is the best it’s ever been.	Read review
LevelUp	Víctor Rosas	7 / 10	10-20-2020	In the end, as a football fan, I can’t find a better expression that synthesizes FIFA 21 than the shout for a goal that was disallowed by the referee.	Read review
Merlin’in Kazanı	Alparslan Gürlek	74 / 100	10-10-2020	FIFA 21 is a game I can recommend for you if you’ve been playing the series for a long time. But if you’re not very familiar with the FIFA series and your new star is starting to match football games, I’m going to have to suggest cheaper games for you. Because with its high price, you only have to enter this game sold for “FIFA fans” without very high expectations, which is difficult at the current price. Fifa 21 promises you a pleasant long journey if football is an important part of your life. If you’re thinking of playing FUT and moving faster, buy top versions of the game.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	Jay Jaffa	7 / 10	10-07-2020	Probably the most innovative FIFA in years, that leaves the door open for further improvement in the next gen – even if the grim shadow of Ultimate Team is never likely to leave.	Read review
New Game Network	Alex Varankou	76 / 100	10-18-2020	FIFA 21 offers a wealth of content and authenticity, and the new gameplay tweaks make a positive difference. However, this year’s game is uncharacteristically bogged down by AI issues and technical hiccups.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Chris Scullion	2 / 10	10-12-2020	FIFA 21 is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. After initially impressing us with FIFA 18 (despite it being based on the previous year’s outing, FIFA 17), EA has completely shut up shop and made no effort whatsoever to improve the series on Switch. By now giving us a second Legacy Edition in a row, while also removing the previous games from the eShop to ensure this is the only option that remains, EA has inadvertently created another, more realistic option: ignore this game entirely, and don’t give out your hard-earned cash in return for being insulted.	Read review
Operation Sports	Kevin Groves	Not Recommended	10-06-2020	A divided community (offline vs. FUT) and those competing priorities leave the future of FIFA in doubt. Will FIFA make strides in the future towards being a simulation or will it be a flashy card game? We might never know, but the FIFA 21 I’m playing today is simply not good enough.	Read review
Oyungezer Online	Oğuz Erdoğan	7 / 10	10-17-2020	If you’re not an Ultimate Team addict, I don’t suggest the game in its current condition. Still, after a few more patches you can give it an another chance.	Read review
PC Gamer	Dave Meikleham	70 / 100	10-15-2020	FIFA 21 fixes some on-pitch issues, though it stops short of giving the series the meaningful overhaul it needs.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Staff Reviewer	7 / 10	10-14-2020	It’s hard to shake the sinking feeling that FIFA 21 has almost been frozen in stasis since last season. While there are the expected seasonal enhancements, nothing stands on its own to make this a “must buy” installment. If you picked up the game in 2019, you’d probably be forgiven for taking a pass this time around. Hopefully they have more innovation in store for next year, because it definitely feels like EA is trying to run out the clock on this generation.	Read review
PowerUp!	David Milner	6.8 / 10	10-06-2020	I love football. And I still love FIFA. But it’s the former carrying the latter here. FIFA 22 will be a crucial game for this franchise.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Bruno Henrique Vinhadel	70 / 100	10-17-2020	FIFA 21 does not do enough to show the power of the franchise. It remains an experience just like the previous ones, but still fun in some points. Gameplay still favors individualism more than the collective, this in a sport where the collective is everything. The career mode is certainly the most benefited in this version, but most players will still invest in the FUT mode, which is unbalanced and prioritizes the microtransaction market.	Read review
Push Square	Robert Ramsey	7 / 10	10-13-2020	Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: FIFA 21 isn’t a huge upgrade on FIFA 20, but a boatload of small improvements do help it rise above its predecessor. The on-pitch action arguably feels more arcadey than it has done in years, but there’s no denying the excitement that comes with playing through a 5-4 thriller. FIFA is still king in delivering a robust and accessible footballing package, but the series needs to step up its game on PS5	Read review
Rapid Reviews UK	Cartergaz	4.5 / 5 stars	10-30-2020	“The beautiful game” is a phrase with a history that runs back to 1958. Football really has, for better or worse, the most passionate fans in the world. Those fans head out in their droves every year to buy the latest iteration of FIFA. Unsurprisingly FIFA holds the title for fastest selling sports franchise game series of all time. Every single year FIFA tends to face some harsh criticism. This is rightfully so when you consider last year’s Nintendo Switch offering reviewed by Harvey Fry here. The question is, do EA Sports really care about the gameplay and immersion into the football experience? Or, are they more focused on their bottom line, Ultimate Team micro-transactions and licenses? Well this year, I’m pleased to say comfortably, they’ve found a perfect balance of commerciality and customer experience.	Read review
Rocket Chainsaw	David Latham	3 / 5 stars	10-18-2020	FIFA 21 comes off as a straightforward update to last year’s game, with quality of life improvements that in any other game would have been implemented via a title update.	Read review
Saudi Gamer	Unknown	8 / 10	10-08-2020	On the surface, FIFA 21 looks like its predecessor, but the more you play the more you appreciate the new game-play elements. And with the added new features to its big library of game modes, this year’s entry marks a successful year for FIFA.	Read review
SECTOR.sk	Michal Korec	8 / 10	10-20-2020	It is entertaining but not very unique Football game. We anticipate more news with new platforms.	Read review
Shacknews	Donovan Erskine	7 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 is about what you’d expect from a new FIFA release. Some quality of life improvements over the previous title though nothing that really signifies a leap in class from past games. That being said, the quality in the FIFA series is fairly high, giving EA Sports a nice cushion to fall back on every year. FUT maintains the same inherent issues as it did last year, despite some shiny new features. FIFA 21 is another serviceable, yet standard entry in EA Sports’ soccer/football simulation series.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Jem Sagcal	8 / 10	10-12-2020	It’s beautiful and a lot of action for all sports lovers out there. As I’ve mentioned in the beginning of this review, FIFA 2021 is a true testament to every fan of the game in the world—and that’s hugely important for a sport well beloved.	Read review
SomHráč.sk	Jozef Moravec	75 / 100	10-19-2020	FIFA 21 is just kind of there. It’s not bad, but don’t expect any major changes from the last installment.	Read review
SpazioGames	Paolo Sirio	8.2 / 10	10-06-2020	FIFA 21 returns to a more arcady gameplay, going all in for speed and instant fun, and leaving behind last year’s (if slight) search for a simulative pace. Though, it’s the most refined and complete game in the series when it comes to modes and functionalities, something PES has been struggling to replicate for years.	Read review
Sports Gamers Online	Michael Straw	7.5 / 10	10-16-2020	Enough has been done to keep players interested until the next-gen consoles arrive, but unless you’ve skipped the last couple releases, there’s nothing that screams must-buy this year.	Read review
Stevivor	Ben Salter	7.5 / 10	10-06-2020	Any new ideas have clearly been held back for when the new consoles are actually obtainable by the masses, but FIFA leaves the Xbox One and PS4 in a pretty good place — and with some extra pace — in 2020/21, still with plenty of scope to go from good to great next-generation.	Read review
Telegraph	Dan Silver	3 / 5 stars	10-06-2020	Global pandemic? What global pandemic?! The beautiful game might be struggling right now but the FIFA juggernaut rolls on	Read review
The Games Machine	Marco Ravetto	8 / 10	10-06-2020	There are no special technical annotations. The game flows smoothly and without any particular hitches, with an audio/video compartment virtually identical to last season.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Aran Suddi	8 / 10	10-07-2020	On the pitch, FIFA 21 is an incremental improvement over FIFA 20, but doesn’t address some of the biggest issues with defending and the high-scoring matches this leads to. With Volta still missing a certain spark and Ultimate Team not really changing much, it’s the Football Manager-inspired Career mode that takes the biggest step forward. It’s still a good football game, but it feels like the real focus is on next-gen.	Read review
TrueGaming	حسين الموسى	8 / 10	10-06-2020	Fifa 21 adds useful improvements for gameplay but some old issues remain like unrealistic faces for some famous stars. still, with this amount of quality content Fifa 21 is the complete package and the essential game to get if you like Football.	Read review
Twinfinite	Tom Hopkins	3 / 5 stars	10-19-2020	Now though, EA Sports’ series really needs to be analyzed in regards to how and where it improves, and FIFA 21 is a mash up of incremental steps forward, baffling design choices, and seemingly ignored issues. It simply doesn’t do enough to make the overall experience significantly more enjoyable than it was last year.	Read review
Unboxholics	Κυριάκος Στεργιάδης	Not Recommended	10-16-2020	EA should think more about the situation with the current gen version of FIFA 21 and be more honest with its audience, as PES 2021 did and succeeded. Essential. Especially when asking for €60 and not €30. Hopes are now being dashed in the next-gen version of FIFA 21, where all development resources appear to have been spent.	Read review
USgamer	Kat Bailey	3.5 / 5 stars	10-10-2020	FIFA 21 closes out a mixed generation with some key gameplay improvements, making for the fastest, most enjoyable experience in FIFA 15. Its modes are more mixed, with career mode being a particular sore point. Ultimately, FIFA 21 may not be the comprehensive update everyone wants, but it’s enough to generate some positive momentum heading into the new console generation.	Read review
Video Games Chronicle	Chris Scullion	4 / 5 stars	10-06-2020	FIFA 21’s numerous small improvements make it the best in the series by default, but compared to recent entries in the series it’s easily the least revolutionary, with no major new modes or features to speak of.	Read review

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About FIFA 21

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Win as One in EA SPORTSFIFA 21, powered by Frostbite. Whether it’s on the streets or in the stadium, FIFA 21 has more ways to play than ever before – including the UEFA Champions League and CONMEBOL Libertadores.

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