Review: EA Sports 26

I’m somewhat of an occasional football fan, in that I get really hyped during World Cups and have little interest outside of those.

I wasn’t always like this and spent hundreds of hours playing International Superstar Soccer 64 and the various Pro Evolution Soccer games between 1998 and 2010 with Fifa only winning me over with the great Fifa 17 Alex Hunter campaign mode.

Since then, I would wait for the new Fifa to pop up on EA Play or Gamepass and then download it but I hardly ever played outside of social settings or to lose to my nephew as a weird coming of age ritual.

I share this to contexualise my approach to EA Sports FC 26. Let’s dive in… perhaps, not dive, I heard it’s not a positive word in football circles, so let’s head in.

It’s worth clarifying for those unfamiliar that this is Fifa without the license so if I slip up and call it Fifa below instead of EA FC know that my fuddy duddy brain still refers to Durban July Surfing competitions as Gunston (is that still a thing?)

EA Sports 26 Gameplay

For years Nintendo fans have had to make do with watered down EA football games. Legacy editions, missing features, and outdated squads were the norm. With EA Sports FC 26 on Switch 2 that changes.

This is the first time we get the full experience on Nintendo hardware. The result is a big step forward, but also a reminder that compromise is still part of the package.

This year the game offers two distinct presets: Competitive and Authentic. Competitive turns up the pace with quicker passes, sharper dribbling, more reactive defenders, while Authentic slows things, emphasises positioning and tactical play.

I prefer the arcadey competitive and spent most of my time playing like that. However, Career mode benefits from Authentic, as matches feel less chaotic and more structured. It does feel a little laggy and slow at times on the Nintendo Switch 2 compared to EA FC 25 on Xbox Series X but unless you have a multi-platform set-up it’s not a big deal.

Those who play on Switch 2 will experience the best EA Football game and those who also have a PS5 or Xbox Series and don’t have a need for gaming on the go should rather opt for those versions.

The game is packed with modes and 5-a-side seems perfect for on-the-go gaming, especially as you can hand a Joy-Con to someone else and immediately jump in. That’s something you can’t do on the more powerful consoles.

Graphics & Presentation

Visually, this is the most ambitious EA football game on a Nintendo system. Player models look far better than in the past, kits and stadiums are detailed, and pre-match animations add life to the presentation. The lighting and shadows during evening games give matches a broadcast-like feel.

There are trade-offs. Hair looks flat, crowds in the background are simplified, and some cutscene faces lose detail. I was a little disappointed when I read the game was capped at 30 frames.

Strangely this wasn’t a gamebreaker and I had a lot of fun playing it docked, in handheld mode or when thumping my kid 16-nil no mercy Kobra Kai style. That’s the thing about games, fun trumps all.

The game has a healthy amount of licensed teams but I found navigation tough as I tried to find some of the teams I used to play with on the older games.

Value for Money

Coming in at around R1 299 via Nintendo, it’s certainly cheaper than games like Mario Kart and Donkey Kong Bananza and there’s a lot of value for money to be found here.

If you want top-tier visuals and ultra-tight online competition you may feel you’re paying close to full price for a compromised version, so consider your play habits: if most of your time is offline or casual co-op, the Switch 2 version is fine. If online head-to-head matters, other platforms are stronger.

Worth noting that the physical game is a key card, meaning the game isn’t on the cartridge and it’s a hefty download. Space is a premium on the Switch 2 and this takes up about 60GBs. Luckily the console has expandable memory, but it is something to factor in.

Final Verdict

EA Sports FC 26 on Nintendo Switch 2 brings the most content the platform has seen from this franchise – meaningful gameplay tweaks, full feature list, and decent presentation for a hybrid console. But hardware limitations and online performance hold it back from being the definitive version. I’m very optimistic for the next year’s game.