EA FC 27 Beta Review: Is It Really Better Than FC 26, or Just a Big Patch?
EA FC 27 Beta has been available for some time, and some players have received beta invitations and begun experiencing Ultimate Team, Career Mode, and the new The Grounds. Many players initially hoped the developers would address the long-standing gameplay and AI issues of FC 26, but current community feedback suggests that this expectation is gradually waning.
One of the most pointed criticisms is that EA FC 27 feels more like a large patch for FC 26 than a truly new title. Especially in terms of gameplay, FC 27 hasn't shown any significant changes.
While EA emphasized improvements in manual defending, attacking AI, and AI runs, beta players' actual experiences are clearly divided. The current state of FIFA 27 Beta has led many veteran players to reconsider whether this new title can truly escape the shadow of FC 26.
Bruiser PlayStyle
One of the most discussed issues in EA FC community is currently Bruiser PlayStyle. Based on Beta players' experiences, even without a basic Bruiser, players can easily use their physicality to overcome other players.
Gold Geyoro frequently uses his body to push aside Inform Haaland while defending, a performance that feels highly unreasonable to players. Bruiser Meta issues already caused headaches for many players in EA FC 26.
Now, FC 27 Beta doesn't seem to have truly resolved this issue, and the situation may even be worse. For players willing to invest FC 27 Coins to build their lineups, this disparity in physical strength will further affect their assessment of player value.
AI Performance
In EA FC 27 Beta, AI interception and AI defending remain the most controversial aspects for players. Although EA previously heavily promoted manual defending, the experience hasn't fully met our expectations.
Even when actively controlling the defending player, you can still be affected by AI's automatic interceptions, tackle animation direction, and body model judgments, sometimes resulting in passes going directly through a player's legs or tackles being triggered in the wrong direction.
However, some FUT 27 Beta players believe that manual defending has indeed improved compared to FC 26. Especially after the significant nerf to R1 defending, actively controlling defensive players yields greater rewards.
The previous method of relying on R1 to let AI automatically handle most defensive tasks is no longer as effective. Therefore, the current defensive experience emphasizes player skill and judgment.
In contrast, Attacking AI and AI Runs are more complex. EA has indeed improved offensive positioning; for example, teammates are more proactive in filling space during fast counter-attacks, and wingers can execute more effective diagonal runs.
In 2v1 situations in the penalty area, AI attacking players will even proactively adjust their positioning to avoid offside, making the offensive process appear more natural.
However, the problem is that these improvements are not consistently present in all situations. In complex offensive scenarios, teammates may still directly charge towards the opponent's back line, failing to provide timely and effective passing options. Therefore, some players believe that the overall improvement in attacking AI is still limited.
This also reminds many veteran players of EA FC 26 Beta. Attacking AI and AI Runs were considered significant improvements at the time, but their actual performance in FIFA 26 didn't fully live up to expectations during Beta. We can't draw conclusions about the current AI improvements in FIFA 27; the final effect will depend on whether EA continues to adjust based on feedback.
Feel
The player feel in EA FC 27 Beta is also highly controversial. Some players feel that most players still feel clunky with the ball, with simple passes and turns exhibiting delays or unnatural movements. Only players with specific body types and high dribbling stats provide a smoother ball control experience.
However, other players believe the actual feel is improved compared to FC 26. R1 dribbling can now perform quick, minor changes of direction, and tapping R2 when changing direction allows players to accelerate more naturally.
Furthermore, Left Stick Dribbling remains very strong; even with Darwin Nunez and Haaland, continuous changes of direction can be performed inside the penalty area. Therefore, whether the player feels in FC 27 has improved or regressed likely still depends on player attributes, card types, and server status.
Menu
The menu navigation in FUT 27 Beta is easily frustrating for players. Many beta players have reported that the menu controls are still cumbersome, even making it difficult to build a squad properly. Changing lineups or finishing a match can even result in being kicked back to the menu.
Bugs are not unexpected in Beta stage, but frequent squad errors, connection problems, or even requiring a game restart to continue significantly affect the overall experience.
The Grounds
Besides Ultimate Team and Career Mode, The Grounds is another noteworthy new feature in EA FC 27. 1v1 gameplay has gained some player approval. While occasional clunky moments still occur, the overall pace is relatively fast, providing a unique experience from traditional football simulation.
However, some players believe The Grounds is more like a 2015 arcade game, significantly different from traditional EA FC gameplay. This has led to discussions among players about whether EA will continue to strengthen Football Simulation or try to develop EA FC into a more diversified sports entertainment game through content like The Grounds.
Currently, The Grounds may be one of the few features in FIFA 27 that offers a noticeably fresh experience, but whether it can become a core gameplay element that attracts players in the long term remains to be seen after the official release.
For EA FC 27, the real importance of this beta isn't proving the game is complete, but allowing players to see in advance whether EA can use the remaining time to address the issues left by FC 26. If the official version can truly improve these long-standing problems, then the controversies surrounding the beta phase still have a chance to be reversed.
