FC 24 marks the beginning of a new era for fans of the FIFA franchise, and that new era comes with multiple significant changes.
One such change is the addition of playstyles to the game. A large number of players now have playstyles attached to their virtual copies based on how they play in real life.
According to EA, these playstyles have been developed after gathering and analyzing tons of data from various players in various games and implementing the required animations to try and recreate certain motions in-game.
But, you’re not here for the technical talk. How exactly do playstyles work in FC 24, and what does it mean for the meta in Ultimate Team?
What are Playstyles?
By all indications, playstyles are a more enhanced version of what we’ve become accustomed to as the traits system.
In FIFA 23, traits such as “Outside Foot Shot” were overpowered and formed a crucial part of the meta.
Now, there is a broader selection of playstyles that make players feel even more unique on the ball. This selection is even split into specific categories that address specific parts of the game. The categories include:
- Goalkeeping
- Physical
- Defending
- Passing
- Ball Control
- Scoring
Without discussing what each specific playstyle is, these categories already offer an idea of the types of playstyles that would be most suitable for certain positions. For example, a playstyle in the “Scoring” category should be well-suited to a striker.
Speaking of uniqueness, here’s an example of a key difference between playstyles and the old traits system.
Vinicius Jr. has the “Trickster” playstyle to reflect his dribble-heavy style of play in real life. Possession of this playstyle in the game gives him more unique dribbling animations that other players without the playstyle do not have. This applies even if they have 5-star skill ratings just like him.
Playstyles vs Playstyles+
Playstyles+ is an indicator that a player has an enhanced ability to use a certain playstyle.
For instance, a player with the “Chip Shot” playstyle+ would have even greater accuracy and power on chip shots compared to one that only has the regular playstyle.
However, a player with the regular “Chip Shot” playstyle will also be better at executing them compared to one that does not have the playstyle at all.
According to EA, Playstyles+ are reserved for the very best players in the game.
Playstyles and the META
So, what does this mean for the META in FC 24 Ultimate Team?
On paper, it certainly suggests that there should be a bit more variety in the selection of players and styles of play that people use in the game.
For instance, a gamer who relies heavily on skill moves will certainly prioritize using attackers that have the “Trickster” playstyle compared to a gamer who focuses heavily on build-up and passing.
In previous years of FIFA, the only thing that mattered in this area was the skill move rating on a card. 5-star skills was the best thing you could get but now, playstyles can offer an extra advantage.
Additionally, a gamer who plays through the flanks very often will fancy using a card that has the “Whipped Pass” playstyle more compared to someone who builds up through the middle more often.
It may take a bit of time, but that variety in style should shine through in competitive game modes, especially with the inclusion of female cards as well.
Every Playstyle in FC 24
So, now that you know what playstyles are and how they affect the gameplay, let’s take a look at every playstyle in FC 24, broken down into the appropriate sub-categories.
Goalkeeper
| Playstyle | Description | Playstyle+ Description |
|---|---|---|
| Far Throw | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have increased reach and better handling closer to the end of the match. | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have greatly increased reach and better handling closer to the end of the match. |
| Footwork | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have better reactions and speed in 1v1s. | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have greatly increased reactions and speed in 1v1s. |
| Cross Claimer | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have increased reflexes and reactions when defending set-pieces | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have greatly increased reflexes and reactions when defending set-pieces |
| Rush Out | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have increased speed when running off the line | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have greatly increased speed when running off the line |
| Far Reach | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have an increased chance of saving shots from outside of the box with better reach and jumping | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have a greatly increased chance of saving shots from outside of the box with better reach and jumping |
| Quick Reflexes | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have an increased chance of saving shots from inside the box with better reflexes and reactions | “Be a Goalkeeper” players will have a greatly increased chance of saving shots from inside the box with better reflexes and reactions |
Physical
| Playstyle | Description | Playstyle+ Description |
|---|---|---|
| Acrobatic | Improved accuracy with volleys and access to acrobatic volley animations | Significantly improved accuracy with volleys and access to unique acrobatic volley animations |
| Aerial | Better aerial presence and higher jumps | Greatly improved aerial presence and jumps |
| Trivela | Triggers outside foot shots and passes contextually | Triggers outside foot shots and passes contextually and reduces error on such moves |
| Relentless | Reduces stamina loss and increases recovery after half-time | Significantly reduces the effects of fatigue on attributes, reaction time, and defensive awareness. Also greatly reduces stamina loss and increases recovery after half-time |
| Quick Step | Faster acceleration during explosive sprints | Significantly faster acceleration during explosive sprints |
| Long Throw | Increases the power of throws | Greatly increases the power of throws for maximum distance |
Defending
| Playstyle | Description | Playstyle+ Description |
|---|---|---|
| Block | Increases reach when performing a block and increases the chances of success. | Greater reach and chance of success |
| Bruiser | Increases strength when performing physical tackles | Greater strength for such tackles |
| Intercept | Increases reach and the chances of completing successful interceptions while retaining possession of the ball | Greater reach and even better chances of success |
| Jockey | Increases the maximum speed of speed jockeying and the speed of transition from jockey to sprint | Greatly improved maximum speed for jockeying and transition speed from jockey to sprint. |
| Slide Tackle | Increases the chances of stopping the ball at the player’s feet during a slide tackle | Greatly improved chance of stopping the ball directly at the player’s feet during a slide tackle |
| Anticipate | Increases the chances of stopping the ball at the player’s feet during a standing tackle | Greatly increases the chances of winning a standing tackle and stopping the ball at the player’s feet in the process |
Passing
| Playstyle | Description | Playstyle+ Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pinged Pass | Increases the accuracy of through passes, adds more curve to swerve passes, and increases the speed of precision passes | Greatly increased through pass accuracy, maximum curve on swerve passes, and top speed for precision passes |
| Incisive Pass | Faster ground passes without making trapping harder for the receiver | Much faster ground passes without making trapping harder for the receiver |
| Long Ball Pass | Increases the accuracy, speed, and interception difficulty for lobbed and lofted through passes. | Greatly increases the accuracy, speed, and interception difficulty for lobbed and lofted through passes. |
| Tiki Taka | Increases the accuracy of first-time ground passes and contextually uses backheeled passes | Greatly increases the accuracy of first-time ground passes and contextually uses backheeled passes |
| Whipped Pass | Increases the accuracy, curve, and speed of crosses | Greatly increases the accuracy, curve, and speed of crosses. Driven crosses are significantly more powerful. |
Ball Control
| Playstyle | Description | Playstyle+ Description |
|---|---|---|
| First Touch | Increases the speed and accuracy of trapping the ball first-time and transitioning to dribbling with better control | Faster speed, even better accuracy, and faster transitioning |
| Press Proven | Keeps closer control of the ball when dribbling at moderate speed and protects the ball better from strong opponents | Superb close control control of the ball when dribbling at moderate speed and more effective shielding from strong opponents |
| Flair | Flair passes and shots are more accurate and contextual flair animations are executed | Flair passes and shots are significantly more accurate and contextual flair animations are more frequent |
| Rapid | Increases sprint speed while dribbling and reduces error while sprinting | Greatly increases sprint speed while dribbling and further reduces sprinting or knock-on error |
| Technical | Increases speed during controlled sprints and allows precise wide turns while dribbling | Further increases speed during controlled sprints and allows more precise wide turns while dribbling |
| Trickster | Unique skill move animations | Unique skill move animations and increased agility during strafe dribbling |
Scoring
| Playstyle | Description | Playstyle+ Description |
|---|---|---|
| Power Shot | Faster power shot animations | More powerful power shot and much faster animations |
| Dead Ball | Increased speed, curve, and accuracy on set-pieces. The ball trajectory preview line is extended. | Increased speed, curve, and accuracy on set-pieces. The ball trajectory preview line is at max length. |
| Chip Shot | Faster and more accurate chip shots | Much faster and much more accurate chip shots |
| Finesse Shot | Faster finesse shot animations and more accurate shots | Significantly faster finesse shot animations with great shot accuracy |
Ultimate Team is well-known for its faster-paced gameplay compared to other game modes, so I fully expect the attacking playstyles to be especially popular.
If you’re wondering which players would be most likely to have some of the best playstyles, our guide to the best wingers in FC 24 Ultimate Team is a good place to start.
