EA Sports FC 25 gameplay: FC IQ, Player Roles, Smart Tactics & what's new in the game

In EA Sports FC 25, FC IQ is about finding the best combinations of three key components: Team Tactics, Player Roles and Smart Tactics.

"Success in FC is no longer just about putting the best player in a position, it's about putting in the right player for the system you want to run," says EA Sports FC 25 Gameplay Producer, Paul Parsons.

FC IQ has modernised tactics in FC 25, with your team-mates showing greater intelligence on the pitch, and it will allow you to emulate the tactical approaches of coaches such as Carlo Ancelotti or Pep Guardiola.

This means that tactics are now much more fluid, allowing you to alternate between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1, say, depending on the context of the game. Player Roles are a crucial aspect of this fluidity, while Smart Tactics will help you switch up as needed during a match.

This aspect of in-game management will be a foundational feature of FC 25 across game modes and indeed the key parts of Career Mode, such as transfers, scouting and youth development.

EA Sports built an out-of-game AI model to help identify which Player Roles best suit the players in the game.

Similar to that which exists in the Football Manager series, different Player Roles can be applied to specific players to maximise their impact within a particular tactical system.

So, for example, if Vinicius Jr is playing wide left in a 4-2-3-1 system, he can be designated as a winger or an inside forward, with the various roles resulting in different focuses in the game.

In order to help you figure out which role suits a player best, there is a rating system, with a plus (+) or plus-plus (++) signifying that a player is world-class in their role.

A striker, for example, might have the skills that suit being a poacher forward (strong movement and finishing, perhaps) or they might be better used as a target forward (attributes like strength, good heading ability and awareness)

Helpfully, FC IQ's Smart Tactics means that the game will now make suggestions to players regarding potential tactical shifts during games, depending on the situation, whether you are chasing an equaliser at the end of the game or looking to close a game out - an FC assistant manager of sorts.

You will be able to toggle between the different options using the directional pad and if you find tactics that you are a fan of, you can save and share with your friends by using a tactic-specific code.

EA Sports has used HyperMotion volumetric capture to ensure that there are even more real-world movements, goals and styles of play present in the game, with unique celebrations naturally a part of that too.

Various breathtaking moments from last season - whether it's an outside of the boot pass into space, a bit of outrageous skill or a funny new celebration - will now be a natural part of the gameplay.

PlayStyles were added to FC 24 last time out and they have extended this to goalkeepers in FC 25, with a host of new Goalkeeper PlayStyles present in the game.

As well as that, there will be more realistic behaviours, including the maligned professional foul and fresh skill moves.

There will be even more visual enhancements too, with better overlays, increasingly realistic movements and full-body AI mimicry forming part of the simulation.