FIFA 18 Release Date, Review, And Everything Else You Need To Know

After a long summer still playing last year's football games, you'll be pleased to hear FIFA 18 is almost here. With that in mind, we thought we'd round up everything you need to know about EA's soccer game here, including its release date, some gameplay, our review, and more.

FIFA 18 Release Date And How To Play Right Now

FIFA 18's release date for the UK, US, Europe, and Australia is set for Friday, September 29, 2017. However, some people already have their hands on this year's title, as it was released on EA Access last week and for some pre-order customers earlier this week. If you want to play early, you can buy the Ronaldo or Icon Edition from the PlayStation Store or Xbox Live. The Ronaldo Edition costs US $80 / £80 / AU $120, while the Icon Edition will set you back US $100 / £90 / AU $130. For reference, that's a little more expensive than the standard version, which is currently US $60 / £60 / AU $100.

FIFA 18 Review

In our FIFA 18 review, we awarded the game a 7/10. "It's off the pitch that EA excels," we said. "From the variety of game modes on offer and how everything's presented, to the constant updates in FUT's Team of the Week, Daily Objectives, and discussion of real-world happenings in commentary, FIFA 18 captures the world of football and confidently translates it into a video game. On the pitch, however, EA's soccer series is still lagging far behind PES 2018's more fluid, satisfying football. This year's improvements are welcome, but more needs to be done in the coming years if FIFA is to be a world-beater once again." For more critical opinion, check out our FIFA 18 review roundup.

FIFA 18 Gameplay

Check out some FIFA 18 gameplay at the links below.

• Barcelona Versus Real Madrid In FIFA 18
• Alex Hunter Plays Street Soccer In Rio - FIFA 18 Gameplay

FIFA 18 Demo

FIFA 18's playable demo is out now on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live. It includes 12 teams--including top clubs Manchester United and Bayern Munich--and two modes: Kick Off and The Journey.

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FIFA 18 Player Ratings

With the game out in the wild, all of FIFA 18's player ratings have been revealed. Top of the pile is Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 94 rated. Rounding out the top five highest-rated FIFA 18 players are Lionel Messi (93), Neymar (92), Luis Suarez (92), and Manuel Neuer (92).

FIFA 18 Web App

The FUT 18 Web App is EA's online portal for accessing FIFA 18 Ultimate Team. Check it out here--for a limited time you can even get free rewards just for logging in each day.

FIFA 18 Career Mode's New Features

Career Mode hasn't changed a huge amount since FIFA 17, though there are a few welcome new features in FIFA 18, including interactive transfer negotiations. Rather than submitting an offer for a player and then waiting for an email response, FIFA 18 allows you to conduct transfer negotiations in real-time as part of an interactive cutscene. This involves first meeting with a representative of the selling club and agreeing to a fee for the player in question, before then negotiating personal terms with the star's agent.

The only other new features are "dynamic news clips," imitating those seen in real-world sports coverage when a player or manager gives a press conference. These clips are shown when a player wins a Player of the Month award or when you win a competition, among other events.

FIFA 18 Ultimate Team New Features

FUT 18 also has a number of new features. Squad Battles are new, weekly weekly single-player competitions where you compete against AI-controlled teams built by other human players, before being ranked against other real-world players for the amount of games you win. EA says these offer the best rewards for those who choose not to play online.

Elsewhere, Ultimate Team Legends are no longer exclusive to Xbox and have been renamed Icons. In addition, some Icons will receive Stories cards, in which the player in question actually has three versions available, each corresponding to a different stage in the player's career. As an example, Ronaldinho has one card for his time at PSG in 2002, one for when he played for AC Milan in 2010, and one "prime" card, which highlights his peak in 2004, when he won World Player of the Year while playing for Barcelona. Two of these three cards will be available to obtain in packs and Squad-Building Challenges, though prime Icons will only available on select Thursdays that EA is calling Throwback Thursdays. You'll only be able to get these in limited time packs and Squad-Building Challenges.

FIFA 18 Soundtrack

The full FIFA 18 soundtrack has been revealed, featuring acts like alt-J, The Amazons, and Weezer. Check it out in the Spotify embed below.

FIFA 18 For Nintendo Switch

In addition to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, FIFA 18 is also coming to Nintendo Switch. While our impressions on the final build are coming soon, we enjoyed a pre-release version. EA has already said more FIFA games on Switch are likely following FIFA 18, even if some features--like the Frostbite engine and the Journey mode--are not included in this year's game.