EA FC 27 is out now. The EA FC 27 release date was Friday 25 September 2026. On PC (EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store) it unlocked at 23:00 UTC on Thursday 24 September; on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 it unlocks at midnight local time on 25 September, so the Americas are the last to get it on consoles. Launch prices did not change: $69.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition. Title Update 1.0.1 is already live, and the free FC 27 Lite preview follows at 16:00 UTC on 25 September.
The unlock times come from EA’s own FC 27 Launch Update, published on 14 September. We sell no FC 27 keys ourselves, so this page is about when you can play, what each edition gets you and what changed at launch. If you plan to pay with store credit, the useful cards are an Xbox $100 gift card or a $100 Steam Wallet code. Each covers the $99.99 Ultimate Edition on its own storefront.
EA FC 27 release date and unlock time
EA revealed FC 27 on 23 July 2026 for a worldwide release on 25 September, with up to seven days of early access for the Ultimate Edition, and the launch landed on schedule. The split between PC and consoles is the part people missed. On PC, EA used one global moment, 23:00 UTC. On consoles, each store opens at midnight in your own time zone, so New Zealand got it first and the US West Coast gets it last. We opened the Steam page at about 09:10 UTC on 24 September, when it read “Coming Sep 24, 2026” with the game set to unlock “in approximately 13 hours”. When we reloaded it at 02:06 UTC on 25 September, the countdown was gone: both editions had plain “Add to Cart” buttons at $69.99 and $99.99, and the US store page gave the release date as Sep 25, 2026.
FC 27 release time in your time zone
| Where | PC (EA app / Steam / Epic) | PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PDT) | 16:00 Thu 24 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| New York (EDT) | 19:00 Thu 24 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| London (BST) | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| Paris / Berlin / Warsaw (CEST) | 01:00 Fri 25 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| Dubai (GST) | 03:00 Fri 25 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| New Delhi (IST) | 04:30 Fri 25 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| Tokyo (JST) | 08:00 Fri 25 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
| Sydney (AEST) | 09:00 Fri 25 Sep | 00:00 Fri 25 Sep |
In short: in the Americas, PC players got in several hours before console players. In the UK, both unlock at the same midnight. East of the UK, consoles get there first. The exception is South Korea and a few other markets, which do not get the 25 September date at all: Wikipedia lists 2 October for South Korea (published there by Nexon), 9 October for Vietnam and 23 October for China. Steam’s legal text also says the Ultimate Edition and FC Points cannot be bought in Belgium or South Korea.
What is live now, and what is still to come
- The Web App, live since 16 September at 17:00 UTC.
- The Companion App refresh, live since 17 September at 17:00 UTC.
- Ultimate Edition early access, live since 17 September at 23:00 UTC on PC and since midnight local time on 18 September on consoles.
- EA Play Pro (PC): the full game since 17 September at 23:00 UTC.
- The EA Play 10-hour trial, live since 18 September at 04:00 UTC.
- Ultimate Team Season 1, “Ones to Watch”, which EA dates 17 September to 22 October 2026.
- The full game, Standard and Ultimate, on PC since 23:00 UTC on 24 September and on consoles from midnight local time on 25 September.
- Title Update 1.0.1, the first patch, which went live before launch (details below).
- Still to come: FC 27 Lite at 16:00 UTC on 25 September, Season 2 on 22 October, and the 1 November deadline for Club Membership (see the editions section).
FC 27 day-one patch: Title Update 1.0.1
You will not need a separate day-one patch at launch. FC 27’s first patch, Title Update 1.0.1, went live on 23 September during early access, so a fresh Standard Edition install already includes it. EA posted the notes on the official FC Discord, and Insider Gaming reproduced them in full. It is a small, fixes-only patch. EA left competitive gameplay tuning alone, so early-access players and launch-day players start from the same balance.
- Gameplay: faster default Jockey and Sprint Jockey speeds, but only in Authentic Gameplay (Career and Kick-Off), plus a fix for custom controller presets.
- The Grounds: 5-star skill moves now work for players with the right skill rating, Hot Join no longer blocks you from matches, high ping in league matches is fixed, and fatigue now weighs more over 11v11 matches.
- Ultimate Team: a fix for the UI freezing when a player did not meet the Filter Evolutions requirements.
- Platform fixes: a PS5 main-menu visual bug, DLC commentary languages on Switch, and general stability.
FC 27 early access, EA Play and FC 27 Lite
Before launch there were four ways to play FC 27, and they were not the same thing. The Ultimate Edition gave the full game from 18 September, and everything done in early access carried straight into launch. EA Play Pro, EA’s top PC subscription, had the full game from the same moment. A basic EA Play membership gets a 10-hour trial, which still works now. FC 27 Lite is a free preview with some modes cut, and it arrives after launch. With the game out, early access is over: buying the Ultimate Edition today no longer gets you in any sooner, so the only question is whether you want its FC Points and Premium Pass.
The EA Play 10-hour trial
EA Play members have had a 10-hour trial since 18 September at 04:00 UTC. Xbox Wire confirmed it on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Xbox on PC for anyone with Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, because both include EA Play. Your progress carries over if you buy the game. The Steam page has an EA Play panel offering “up to 10-hours” with the trial, and the PlayStation Store listing we opened includes an EA Play game-trial entry as well.
If you already have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the trial costs you nothing extra. Our guide to redeeming and stacking Game Pass codes explains how a new month adds onto an existing one. EA Play also takes 10% off EA digital purchases, including the game and FC Points packs, according to EA’s store page. Xbox Wire gives the member pre-order prices as $62.99 for Standard and $89.99 for Ultimate. The full game is not in the Game Pass or EA Play library, and neither EA nor Xbox has said when it will be.
FC 27 Lite, the free preview
FC 27 Lite is a free download that EA calls a preview, with select modes such as Kick-Off. It arrives on 25 September 2026 at 16:00 UTC, so it comes after the full launch, not before. EA lists it for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the EA app, Steam and Epic Games Store. Nintendo platforms are not on the list. Lite is a way to try the game without paying, not a way to get in early.
FC 27 Ultimate Edition vs Standard Edition: prices and what’s included
| Edition | Price | When you can play | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $69.99 / £59.99 / €69.99 | Out now (released 25 Sep) | The full game. Pre-orders placed before 23:00 UTC on 24 September also got Pre-Order Challenges, 3 ICONs/Heroes for Career, a 5-star Coach and Youth Scout, The Grounds Signature Sweatsuit, a Tier 3 Amp inspired by Mbappé, 2 Double AXP consumables and an FC 26 ICON item. |
| Ultimate | $99.99 / £89.99 / €99.99 | Out now (early access ran from 18 Sep) | Everything above, plus 6,000 FC Points in three monthly drops, the Season 1 Premium Pass, an extra Player Evolution slot, a 5-star Senior Scout and 5 extra Manager Live Challenge slots. Pre-orders also got FC 26 items. |
| Ultimate Plus | No longer sold | Was early access from 18 Sep | Sold only between 23 July and 31 August: 10,000 FC Points over five months, Premium Passes for Seasons 1–5, an 85+ International ICON and a Hall of FUT player pick. It was never sold on Nintendo or the Epic Games Store. |
All three editions contain the same football game. The extra money pays for early access, FC Points and Ultimate Team items. None of it adds a mode. EA’s editions FAQ also confirms a free upgrade within a console family: a PS4 copy upgrades to PS5, and an Xbox One copy to Xbox Series X|S. The PlayStation Store sells the Ultimate Edition as a single “PS4 & PS5” product, which is the listing we checked. Upgrading from Ultimate to Ultimate Plus was never offered. Every edition also counts toward Club Membership: EA says you keep or earn it by playing both FC 26 and FC 27 on the same EA account before 1 November 2026.
How the 6,000 FC Points arrive
The Ultimate Edition does not give you 6,000 FC Points all at once. According to the Steam legal text, they come in three equal drops of 2,000. The first arrives when you first log in to Ultimate Team, and the next two by the 15th of each of the following two months. To get all three, you have to claim the first drop by 1 August 2027. If you redeem after 26 September 2027, you get no FC Points at all. To put a value on them, here are the FC Points bundles on the US PlayStation Store as we found them on 24 September:
| Bundle | Price (US) | Cents per 100 points |
|---|---|---|
| 500 FC Points | $4.99 | 99.8¢ |
| 1,050 FC Points | $9.99 | 95.1¢ |
| 1,600 FC Points | $14.99 | 93.7¢ |
| 2,800 FC Points | $24.99 | 89.3¢ |
| 5,900 FC Points | $49.99 | 84.7¢ |
| 12,000 FC Points | $99.99 | 83.3¢ |
| 18,500 FC Points | $149.99 | 81.1¢ |
The closest bundle to the Ultimate Edition’s 6,000 points is 5,900 FC Points at $49.99. The Ultimate Edition costs $30 more than the Standard Edition, so the FC Points alone are worth more than the difference, if you would have bought points anyway. If you never open packs, that argument does not apply to you. The points are also locked to the platform you buy on, so they do not follow you from PlayStation to PC. Our guide to buying FC Points covers that platform-lock rule in detail.
What happened to the Ultimate Plus Edition
FC 27 added a third tier, Ultimate Plus, for early-bird buyers only. It was sold from 23 July to 31 August and cannot be bought now. EA’s editions page says Ultimate Plus owners get their FC Points in five monthly drops instead of three. On 24 September, the PlayStation Store’s Ultimate Plus product page loaded without a product. Steam and the Xbox store now list only Standard and Ultimate. If a retailer still advertises Ultimate Plus, be careful: officially, that edition is no longer on sale.
FC 27 Web App and Companion App release dates
| What | Date and time | Status on 25 Sep |
|---|---|---|
| FC 27 Web App | 16 Sep 2026, 17:00 UTC | Live |
| FC 27 Companion App refresh | 17 Sep 2026, 17:00 UTC | Live |
| Season 1: Ones to Watch | 17 Sep – 22 Oct 2026 | Running |
| Season 2 | 22 Oct – 3 Dec 2026 | Upcoming |
The Web App came out ahead of early access. That let you claim rewards and trade on the transfer market before you have played a match. There is one gap at launch: EA says the reworked Squad Building Challenges are playable on console and PC from day one, but will only come to the Companion App “later in Season 1”.
EA FC 27 release FAQs
Is FC 27 out yet?
Is there a day-one patch for FC 27?
When did FC 27 early access start?
Is FC 27 on Game Pass?
How much is the FC 27 Ultimate Edition?
Is FC 27 cross-platform?
When does the FC 27 Web App come out?
Platforms, cross-play and the Switch versions
FC 27 is out on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, where you can buy it on the EA app, Steam or the Epic Games Store. The biggest new mode, The Grounds, is not on every version.
“The Grounds is the new home of Clubs.”
— EA SPORTS FC 27 Launch Update, EA, 14 September 2026
That short line matters. EA says The Grounds is available only on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2, and Clubs now sits inside it. So a PS4, Xbox One or original Switch copy is missing both The Grounds and Clubs. If you play Clubs with friends, buy for a current-generation console or PC.
Is FC 27 cross-platform?
Steam lists FC 27 with Cross-Platform Multiplayer. EA’s cross-play help article explains the rules. When we read it on 24 September, it still named FC 24 to FC 26 and had not been updated for FC 27. Under those rules, cross-play is on by default and grouped by console generation: PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC play together, and PS4 and Xbox One play together. Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 have no cross-play. Cross-progression works only within a console family, so a PS4 club moves to PS5 but not to Xbox. You can switch cross-play off in the EA Connect social settings.
Switch and Switch 2
Nintendo sells FC 27 as two separate products. The Switch 2 version costs $69.99 for Standard and $99.99 for Ultimate, is a 66.5 GB download, and includes The Grounds. The original Switch version costs $59.99 or $89.99 and is 29.8 GB, or 32 GB when you run it on a Switch 2. It does not include The Grounds. Both list 25 September as the release date. If you have a Switch 2, buy the Switch 2 version: running the cheaper Switch 1 version on it still leaves you without The Grounds. A $50 Nintendo eShop card covers most of the Switch price.
FC 27 PC requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 64-bit (latest update) | Windows 10/11 64-bit (latest update) |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or Intel Core i5-6600K | AMD Ryzen 7 2700X or Intel Core i7-6700 |
| Memory | 8 GB DDR4 dual channel | 12 GB dual channel |
| Graphics | AMD RX 570 or NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti | AMD RX 5600 XT or NVIDIA GTX 1660 |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 100 GB | 100 GB |
| Network | Broadband internet | Broadband internet |
These requirements are modest. Even the recommended GTX 1660 is several years old, and 8 GB of RAM is enough to start. What catches people out is everything around the specs. You need 100 GB of free space, and the Steam page warns that the game uses EA Javelin, a kernel-level anti-cheat that has to be removed manually after you uninstall. It also uses Denuvo anti-tamper and requires the EA app and an EA account even if you buy on Steam. Steam Deck compatibility showed as “Unknown” when we checked. When we opened the page, the Steam reviews, written by early-access players, were rated “Mixed” across 781 reviews.
Paying for FC 27 and FC Points with a gift card
We searched our catalogue on 24 September. We do not sell FC 27 keys or FC Points directly, and PlayStation Store cards were not listed when we checked. What we do have covers every other way to buy the game:
- Steam: a $100 Steam Wallet code covers the $99.99 Ultimate Edition. Our Steam gift card guide explains regions and denominations.
- Xbox: an Xbox $100 gift card pays for the Ultimate Edition or FC Points on Xbox. Game Pass Ultimate gets you the trial.
- EA app on PC: EA Gift Cards, listed in our store under their old Origin name, add money to your EA Wallet. EA’s help page says the balance can buy digital games, EA Play memberships and real-money items in EA’s PC games. That includes FC 27 itself and FC Points on the EA app. An Origin $120 card covers the Ultimate Edition, and an Origin $60 card covers most of a Standard copy or several FC Points bundles.
If most of your spending will be on FC Points rather than the game, read our guide to buying FC Points on every platform. It was written for FC 26, but the store routes, the platform lock and the EA Play discount all work the same way in FC 27.
Rayyan covers console and PC gaming wallets for Virtwave, with deep specialism in PlayStation Network, Xbox, Razer Gold and Steam. He has been writing about digital gaming commerce since 2020.
Which edition makes sense now FC 27 is out?
Standard Edition
Early access is over, so the $30 difference now pays only for FC Points, the Season 1 Premium Pass and a few Ultimate Team and Career extras. If you do not want those, buy the Standard Edition.
- Same game and modes as Ultimate
- Patch 1.0.1 already included
- $62.99 with the EA Play discount
- No FC Points or Premium Pass
- Pre-order bonuses ended at launch
Ultimate Edition
The 6,000 FC Points are worth more than the $30 difference if you would buy points anyway. Early access no longer counts for anything, so judge it purely on the points.
- 6,000 FC Points + Season 1 Premium Pass
- Season 1 runs until 22 October
- Extra Evolution slot
- Points arrive over three months
- Early access is over
- Not sold in Belgium or South Korea
EA Play trial / FC 27 Lite
Ten hours through EA Play, or the free Lite preview from 16:00 UTC on 25 September, is enough to decide. With Steam reviews sitting at “Mixed”, trying first is sensible. Trial progress carries over if you buy.
- Free with Game Pass Ultimate
- Progress carries over
- Lite is free
- 10-hour cap
- Lite has select modes only
- Lite is not on Switch
Sources & how we checked this
Every date, time, price and spec on this page was read from EA or from the storefronts on 24 September 2026, with each store set to the United States, and rechecked after the PC unlock on 25 September 2026 (launch status, Steam prices and review counts, patch 1.0.1, Club Membership). UK and eurozone prices come from Steam’s store data for those regions. Two screenshots were taken on 24 September and one on 25 September. We have not played FC 27. Anything about how it plays is EA’s own description. Where sources disagreed, we used the store listing or EA’s legal text over third-party reports.
- EA SPORTS FC 27 Launch Update (Pitch Notes): every unlock time, the EA Play trial and EA Play Pro times, Web App and Companion App dates, SBC timing and The Grounds platforms.
- EA’s FC 27 launch rewards and season dates: the early-access reward timing and the Season 1 and Season 2 dates.
- EA’s FC 27 Club Membership FAQ: the 1 November 2026 deadline and supported platforms.
- Insider Gaming on Title Update 1.0.1: the patch notes EA posted on the official FC Discord.
- EA’s editions FAQ and release dates: edition contents, sale windows, FC Points drops, platform availability, cross-gen upgrades and FC 27 Lite.
- EA SPORTS FC 27 on Steam: US, UK and EU prices, the unlock countdown, the Ultimate Edition legal text, PC requirements, DRM and anti-cheat notes, and the review score.
- PlayStation Store Ultimate Edition listing: the $99.99 PS4 & PS5 bundle, its contents and the FC Points bundle prices.
- Xbox Wire on the EA Play trial: trial length, platforms, Game Pass access and member prices.
- Nintendo eShop (Switch 2) and Nintendo eShop (Switch): prices and download sizes.
- EA Help on cross-play and EA Help on EA Gift Cards.
- Wikipedia: the announcement date and the later dates for South Korea, Vietnam and China.
How we research and update guides is set out in our editorial policy. We will keep updating this page as FC 27 changes, including the next title update and whether the full game joins EA Play.
