Another year, another FIFA. The football game franchise has been around over 20 years and still most of us feel the need to buy the latest version.
For the last few years, FIFA has been dominating the football game side and has firmly cemented itself above PES in recent times. FIFA 18 is out now and we know you’re as excited to get your hands on it as us. But let’s not forget how we got here.
To celebrate FIFA 18’s release, here is a countdown of the 10 best FIFA games ever released (not including the new game which hasn’t been out long enough for a ranking):
FIFA 18 is out now! To celebrate, we countdown the top 10 FIFA games ever made by EA Sports
10. FIFA 17
Just squeezing in at the number 10 spot is FIFA 17. Some of you may be surprised to see such a recent game this low on the list.
Last year’s game deserves major props for adding FIFA’s first ever story mode, The Journey as you help Alex Hunter follow his dream of becoming a professional football player.
And on top of that, it was also the first FIFA game to make use of EA’s monstrous Frostbite engine, giving a nice overhaul to the graphics and performance of the game.
However, what holds this game down was the AI. Playing career and other offline modes were horrendous AI defenders rarely made mistakes and would sit deep, meaning it was incredibly difficult to score. This also affected online as it meant it was a lot easier to defend than other versions of the game.
FIFA 17 was last year’s release and would be higher on the list if not for defenders’ AI reliance
FIFA 17 saw the debut of the thrilling and addictive Journey Mode, adding story to FIFA games
9. FIFA Football 2005
FIFA 2005 was the first game I ever played and is the oldest FIFA game to make the list
The graphics don’t look good now but they were great for the time, plus it’s all about gameplay
An admittedly nostalgic choice from me, FIFA 2005 was the first ever FIFA game I really got into.
The game was back on PlayStation 2 and Xbox plus it was the last FIFA game to ever be released on the original PlayStation.
The game was a lot of fun with a completely rejuvenated, 15-season long career mode and the create your own player feature. The latter was the real star, you were able to create an entire team and enter then into some of the world’s top leagues.
8. 2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa was surprisingly good for a tournament spin-off
The game saw big innovations to the game including a new penalty system that lasted years
It’s rare that a spin off game for a major football tournament was done well but the 2010 World Cup was the exception.
Game had an incredible selection of teams with 199 national teams being made playable.
It also brought some big changes to the FIFA series. It improved drastically on the graphics of the crowds to the point where you could actually see them up close in cut scenes and also introduced a new penalty system that was used in FIFA games for years to come.
7. FIFA 14
FIFA 14 was the first FIFA game on the new generation consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
The new generation of consoles allowed improvements to stadiums and dynamic weather
FIFA 14 brought the FIFA franchise onto the latest generation of consoles, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.
The upgraded console allowed for some aesthetically pleasing changes for hardcore FIFA fans including dynamic weather environments and improved player animations.
It was the first game to ever include Ultimate Team legends and chemistry styles.
It also later on saw the release of the FIFA Ultimate Team World Cup mode, an international based FUT spin-off which helped fans get hyped for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with special packs that only cost 5,000 coins.
6. FIFA 15
FIFA 15 built upon FIFA 14 and was the first to really make good use of next generation console
The new generation of consoles allowed improved graphics, stadiums and player animations
FIFA 15 pushed on from FIFA 14 and was the first of the series to truly take advantage of the next gen capabilities.
The game saw a fantastic change to animations and stadiums, improving on the outside view of grounds that was initially introduced in 14.
It was also the first which featured EA Sport’s special deal with the Premier League, including scanned faces and stadiums of all 20 teams in the top flight.
5. FIFA Street 2
This may be a shock to some on this list, but the FIFA Street 2 games were undeniably fun
It was welcome a change of pace to the FIFA games, allowing players to score crazy goals
Different to most FIFA games, the FIFA Street spin offs put focus on small four-a-side matches with incredibly complex skills and fancy passes.
It was welcome a change of pace to the regular FIFA games, allowing players to score crazy goals in cool, street settings.
The game would also lead to hilarious moments through the ‘gamebreaker’ which allowed you to hit the ball so hard, any goalkeeper who got in the way would also be slammed into the back of the net.
4. FIFA 13
FIFA 13 is high on our list, it was the last FIFA game to be released before PS4 and Xbox One
Huge upgrades to the dribbling and players’ ball control revolutionised the FIFA gameplay
FIFA 13 didn’t bring the flashiest changes, but the updates it did bring have been crucial in all of the following titles.
The huge updates to the gameplay are what have helped the latest FIFA games feel so smooth. First touch and complete dribbling helped the game feel more realistic and players feel more mobile with 360 degree dribbling.
The introduction of attacking intelligence meant AI players would make a lot more attacking runs, opening a wealth of new options when attacking.
3. FIFA 09
FIFA 2009 makes the cut for our top three on this because it wasn’t afraid to make big changes
The game saw the debut of modes Ultimate Team and Pro Clubs which are still fan favourites
Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, FIFA 09 saw the debut of two of the most popular modes of all time, Ultimate Team and Pro Clubs.
It’s predecessor saw the debut of the ‘Be a Pro’ career mode but 09 built on that and took it online – allowing you to create yourself and play online in a team with all your friends.
Ultimate Team is the juggernaut of FIFA which earns EA a lot of money. It is by far the most popular mode on FIFA as players open packs to try and create super teams.
Both modes are still going strong today and are firm favourite among fans, online play has revolutionised the FIFA franchise.
2. FIFA 11
FIFA 11 is a close second on our list and with good reason, it received phenomenal reviews
The gameplay was incredibly smooth and improved goalkeeper AI was a fantastic addition
FIFA 11 is one of the funnest and most critically acclaimed FIFA games of all time including a perfect 10/10 rating from PlayStation magazine.
The gameplay had a wonderfully smooth flow to it with improved passing and dribbling physics which made a huge difference to the gameplay.
It also saw improved goalkeeper AI and highly anticipated player celebrations which allowed you to choose your celebration rather than the camera automatically snapping away to a cut scene.
1. FIFA 12
The top of our list, FIFA 12 was a masterpiece with revolutionary changes and fun gameplay
Big changes to defending and the game physics resulted in enjoyable and realistic gameplay
The king of our list, FIFA 12 was a masterpiece that revolutionised the series, was incredibly fun to play and cemented FIFA’s place above PES in the football game rankings.
Tactical defending added a whole new layer of skill to defending, meaning players had multiple options for jockeying and tackling while off the ball, rather than just holding down one button and hoping.
It also introduced the impact engine which changed the physics of FIFA forever. The technological advancement brought FIFA into the new age with collisions and momentum feeling more realistic than ever before.
And finally the precision dribbling meant players could run with the ball while under pressure and as the name suggests, make quick changes of direction to lose defenders.
Some may remember that most finesse shots were scored which was a little bit unbalanced but the game was so fun and had so many incredible features, that it was only a slight hindrance to what was otherwise a phenomenal game.