It’s one of the most popular video games around, where millions of players put their football skills to the test every day.
But while FIFA costs just £40, the game reels in big-bucks, thanks to a range of in-game purchase options.
This week, one parent was in for a shock after his four children racked up a £550 bill on FIFA in just three weeks.
Thomas Carter, from Hampshire, bought his children a single player pack, costing around £8, to play FIFA on the family’s Nintendo Switch console.
Player packs contain special players, although their contents remain a mystery until a payment is made.
Amazingly, despite all being under the age of 10, the children worked out how to buy player packs themselves, resulting in a huge bill.
Speaking to the BBC , Mr Carter said: “You pay £40 for the game, which is a lot of money in itself, but then the only way to get a great team is essentially by gambling.
"They spent £550 and they still never got their favourite player, Lionel Messi.”
After finding the bill, Mr Carter contacted Nintendo, who agreed to provide a full refund.
How to activate spending controls on your console
If you have a family gaming console, Mr Carter’s experience may fill you with dread.
But thankfully, there are several ways to control spending on your account, whether you have a Nintendo Switch, Xbox One or PlayStation 4.
PlayStation
The PlayStation network has a simple way to set monthly spending limits for your children:
1. Go to Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management
2. Select the user you want to set a spending limit for
3. Under the Parental Controls section, select Applications/Devices/Network Feature
4. Select ‘Monthly Spending Limit’ and press X
Xbox One
If your family uses an Xbox One, you can set up your child’s account to require adult approval for purchases from the Microsoft Store:
1. Sign in to account.microsoft.com/family with an adult's Microsoft account
2. Find your child's name and select Content restrictions
3. Under Ask a parent, switch Needs adult approval to buy things to On
4. If you want to approve or deny their purchasing requests through email or on account.microsoft.com/family, switch Email me when my child gets stuff to On
Nintendo Switch
Finally, Nintendo also has a fairly easy way to restrict spending on its Switch console:
1. Sign into your Nintendo Account
2. Select ‘Family group’
3. Select the account you’d like to set limits on
4. Select ‘Spending/purchases on Nintendo Switch eShop and nintendo.com’
5. Check the box next to ‘"To restrict this user's spending/purchases on Nintendo Switch eShop and nintendo.com, check the box and then select 'Save changes.'"
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