FIFA games have been around for as long as we can remember. During this run, there have been some hit-or-miss games, but they’ve consistently always been a big part of gaming. EA FC 26 looks to be no different. For most of us, as football fans, these games were a part of our childhood. Over this time, EA has also given us some fun modes, such as Ultimate Team and the Manager Career Mode.
These games not only gave us a platform to form rivalries but also sparked interest in most of us for the beautiful game of football. Over the years, EA has given us some of the best football games, whether it was the original FIFA games or the renamed FC franchise. So let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the best FIFA and FC games ever made.
2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
This game really needs no introduction. Whether you were a diehard FIFA fan or just someone who played casually with friends, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil was impossible to ignore. Released just before the actual tournament kicked off, the game served as EA’s official tribute to one of the most colorful and memorable World Cups in recent history. It featured all 203 national teams that took part in the qualifying rounds.
This was an impressive touch that made it feel like a celebration of international football itself. Standout features of the game were that it featured all the official stadiums that were used in the 2014 Brazil tournament, which gave the game a realistic feel. You could use your favorite team and take them to World Cup glory.
Compared to the base FIFA 14, World Cup Brazil was more of a specialized, limited-edition spin-off than a full sequel. It ran on a slightly modified version of FIFA 14’s engine but leaned heavily into the energy of the tournament.
FIFA 17
This game has been looked at as a standout entry in the franchise and marks a turning point for EA. FIFA 17 was the first FIFA game to use the Frostbite engine, which allowed for the game to have better lighting, more realistic player faces, and redesigned stadium atmosphere. All of this set the base for the game to be one for the books. The game introduced the three-part storyline called The Journey. In this mode, you took a young player by the name of Alex Hunter from the streets of England to the top stage of football.
Fans connected with this storyline, and it soon became a fan favorite, making it a memorable emotional experience. FIFA 17 brought back players who had previously left the game with its new engine and story mode. Its predecessor, FIFA 16, in comparison to FIFA 17, felt like the end of an era. It was a solid game, but it started showing its age very early on. FIFA 18 was an improved version of FIFA 17, with better presentation and content, but it didn’t feel as groundbreaking.
FIFA Street 2
The sequel to the original FIFA Street is widely considered the better game. That is mainly because of its improvement in graphics, gameplay, and quality. It was a football game like no game before, as it switched the dynamic from the traditional 11v11 to a 4v4 system. This was more relevant to how most of us grew up playing football in the streets. It gave you a whole new skillset to master and creative ways to baffle opponents.
Although a similar mode, VOLTA, was introduced in later FIFA games, this game remains unbeaten in the street football game category. When this was released, it revolutionised the world of street football games, and few games have been able to capture its magic since. Dominating the industry for a while, the FIFA Street franchise is now discontinued, but fans would love to see a comeback and reminisce about the long-lost memories.
FIFA 06
FIFA 06 might be the oldest game on this list, but it’s also one of the most revolutionary. EA completely overhauled the gameplay engine that year, marking a fresh start for the series after several predictable installments. This was one of the first games where FIFA started getting close to the movement in real football.
Dribbling was more fluid, off-the-ball runs mattered more, and matches had a pace and intensity that was missing from previous titles. Many of the systems introduced here became the backbone of FIFA titles for years to come. The game even had a Retro Memorable Moments section that let you unlock legendary content, classic player biographies, old-school video clips from earlier FIFA editions, and even the first-ever Classic XI squad.
FIFA 21
An iconic release now, but it was looked at as a controversial one when it first hit the market, mainly because of Ultimate Team. Fans were furious about how the mode had become a pay-to-win model. FIFA points were banned in Belgium, as they believed it promoted gambling to the younger generations. Based on that, you might think the game was a flop, but that’s not the case.
It was a major improvement from FIFA 20. The game saw the arrival of 11 new icons and even the ability to fully customise a stadium. It also had faster load times and fixed the overpowered AI defending that was experienced in FIFA 20. Although the game was not a huge leap from the previous one, it was a better and more refined version, and it’s aging surprisingly well.
It’s one of the best games to come out of the franchise in the last five years, and while FC 26 is certainly fun and arguably a much better game, we can’t rank it here just yet because of recency bias.
