The 5 Best FIFA Series Video Games of All Time
FIFA remains one of the most profitable franchises in the history of sports gaming. Tens of millions of people around the world rush to buy the new edition each year which have been available to consoles, handhelds, PCs, and smartphones.
For three decades, the FIFA series has been delighting football fans across the world, having been localized into dozens of languages and available in over 50 countries. This has easily made it the top selling sports video game franchise in history, having sold well over 325 million units in total across all its 31 editions.
FIFA 18 alone sold over 26 million copies, making it the best selling FIFA game of all time. Sadly, this year marks the final chapter in the FIFA series, with FIFA 23 being the final entry. The editions have featured a range of football legends on its covers including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Wayne Rooney.
Before we highlight some of the more notable editions of the FIFA series over the years which each saw major enhancements, we should note that today’s players invest in valuable in-game currency known as FIFA Coins.
Gamers use the Skycoach service to buy cheap fifa coins in order to purchase top players, create an ultimate team, and be as competitive as possible. It has been the golden ticket to enjoying success while playing FIFA.
FIFA 12
It’s hard to believe now, but one of the most progressive editions of the football series came out over a decade ago with FIFA 12. It was so popular that it sold over 3 million copies in its debut week, making it history’s fastest selling sports game.
FIFA 12 was a real revolution in the foot sim genre. It was then that truly realistic clashes between football players appeared with many defensive options that are still used today. It was a breath of fresh air against the backdrop of a three-year stagnation of the franchise.
It was made available for consoles like PlayStation 2 &3, Xbox 360, and Wii as well as handhelds like Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Portable. It was also popular to play on both Android and iOS as well as Windows and Macs.
Gamers saw advancements like Impact Engine, Tactical Defending, and Precision Dribbling. There was also a pronounced improvement in its AI system known as Pro Player Intelligence. Dates, transfers, and events became more accessible and you could tailor teams to compete against European nations.
There were well over 50 different stadiums and more than 40 national teams within the international division.
FIFA 14
The next big step came with FIFA 14. On the new generation of consoles such as Xbox One and PS4, it was a very beautiful game with many new animations, realistic ball physics, and new types of shots on goal.
The modified Ultimate Team mode appeared for the first time in the franchise, with a transfer market and an internal economy. Improved graphics saw lifelike weather conditions added which could shift throughout matches. AI improvements also made players appear more lifelike as well, behaving as though you were watching them during a real match on TV.
We also saw the addition of the Co-op Seasons online mode which allowed 2 players to play a season for the same team. It also featured South American leagues outside of Brazil for the first time such as Colombia, Chile, and Argentina.
Players had fun with new added signature goal celebrations from greats like Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The in-game crowds and their reactions also saw improvements.
FIFA 15
FIFA 15 saw the addition of cleat marks on the field for the first time. PC versions also finally caught up with PS4 and Xbox On in terms of quality.
In FIFA 15, we saw a partnership deal with the Premier League bringing the addition of 20 Premier League stadiums. Fans loved the live TV graphics, real-life refs, and official scoreboard.
A new feature allowed gamers to sign players for a set numbers of matches and the ability to create a dream squad. Once again, new goal celebrations were added.
It was the final chapter in the series for Nintendo 3DS and Wii and along with its improvements it also had some hiccups in terms of lighting issues and a tendency to lag a bit and suffer from audio looping.
FIFA 17
FIFA 17 was the first game in the series to run on the Frostbite engine, which was used to create titles from other EA franchises. Many wondered why the publisher needed to transfer the game to a new engine, but everything fell into place pretty quickly. It saw new attacking techniques added.
The game has a story mode for Alex Hunter, a fictional English football player, the prototype of which was the Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
Thanks to Frostbite, the developers were able to show realistic features, facial animation, and movements of the players so that they were not ashamed to show them close-up. The game also added even better weather effects and once again increased the quality of spectators in the stands.
In addition to capturing player likenesses, FIFA 17 also featured the likenesses of many Premier League managers. J1 League and J.League Cup were also featured for the first time.
FIFA 23
And finally, we come to FIFA 23. In what will be the final chapter in this long series, FIFA 23 is the most advanced yet. It features HyperMotion2 which uses AI to create thousands of in-game animations based on real-life matches. This new technology has made FIFA 23 excel in producing incredibly life-like player movements.
With FIFA 23, it feels like the game has completely redesigned the scripts. The game has a lot more unexpected situations, incredible passes, and gorgeous long-range shots. Yes, goalkeepers can once again miss a crazy goal, but in general they have become much more reliable.
It is also hard to believe that FIFA 23 is the first to introduce women’s club football, with Chelsea Women forward Sam Kerr actually appearing on the cover of the Ultimate Edition of the game alongside Kylian Mbappé.
FIFA 23 was made available for PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Windows. Cross-platform was made available among the same generation consoles and the World Cup mode includes both men’s and women’s tournaments.
