FIFA 20 update 1.22 patch notes: "performance and stability improvements"

The Premier League is back underway – and with it comes FIFA 20 update 1.22, AKA Title Update 18. However, there's nothing specific to the English big boys' return in the latest FIFA 20 patch. Instead it's all about fine-tuning, which is hardly a surprise with FIFA 21 around the corner. Read on to find out exactly what FIFA 20 update 1.22 changes, and some of the other tweaks made in recent patches.

FIFA 20 update 1.22: bug fixes

FIFA 20 update 1.22 is a relative tiddler in terms of wholesale changes – so much so that the patch notes issued by EA are uncharacteristically vague. The most intriguing info is that the patch "contains upgrades to the tools that game devs use to further drive gameplay responsiveness investigations". Whether that makes the action itself more responsive is down to user interpretation – I play Ultimate Team daily and have noticed little change.

Also included in this patch according to EA are fixes for "FIFA crashing bugs" and freezing issues, some "performance and stability improvements", and "other minor fixes".

FIFA 20 update 1.22: fan feedback

"Early impressions… an improvement!" writes Erik The Blue on the official FIFA forums in response. "BUT nowhere near where I'd expect a AAA game that's had 21,000 patches to be. Passing's better, in that it doesn't just trickle off my boot and it goes further than 2 inches. And I don't feel quite as harassed by pitbulls of the AI defence so it definitely feels slightly better than the low it had hit in the last month. No longer feels like there's a force field or that players are deliberately avoiding the ball. Still feels very slow, not as in connection just the game speed."

Retro_G is much more dismissive: "Trash update, feels even less unresponsive, just played against a high ping Portuguese opponent, my players felt a good two seconds behind the play. Maybe if you're playing on dial-up internet, you'll enjoy this patch."

FIFA 20 update 1.17: the last big patch

While patches have been regular throughout the life of FIFA 20, there hasn't been a significant one since March's Title Update 13, AKA patch 1.17. Here's the official EA word on what changed with that one:

Gameplay changes and fixes:

Players will no longer perform contextual grabbing animations while in a Jockey state.
Slightly increased precision of magnitude of analog stick inputs and triggers in online matches.
Players will no longer perform contextual grabbing animations while in a Jockey state.
Slightly increased precision of magnitude of analog stick inputs and triggers in online matches.
Following a Skill Move and while still in possession of the ball, players would sometimes perform a tackle instead of a requested shot.
Addressed rare instances of a ball boy taking a long time to return the ball for a throw in

FUT changes and fixes:

Players will no longer perform contextual grabbing animations while in a Jockey state.
Slightly increased precision of magnitude of analog stick inputs and triggers in online matches.
Following a Skill Move and while still in possession of the ball, players would sometimes perform a tackle instead of a requested shot.
Addressed rare instances of a ball boy taking a long time to return the ball for a throw in.
Added a numerical ping indicator measured in milliseconds to online match lobbies in modes that use data centers.
The ping bars remain on the lobby screen and represent the following values:
5 bars indicate 30 milliseconds or less.
4 bars indicate 31 - 76 milliseconds.
3 bars indicate 77 - 100 milliseconds.
2 bars indicate 101 - 150 milliseconds.
1 bar indicates 150 milliseconds or more.
Added a Traits tab to the Player Details pop up, detailing all of the Traits that the selected Player Item has.
Level 30 Seasonal Objective Player Item rewards were incorrectly displaying an out of contracts icon, this was a visual issue only.

FIFA 20 update 1.16: new player faces

The early March update was a decent one too – FIFA 20 player faces just keep on coming. According to the ever-reliable FIFA 20 Starheads thread, where the community tracks such updates throughout the season, these were the 17 new inclusions - 18 if you include West Ham manager David Moyes:

Juan Roman Riquelme (Icon)
Miguel Fraga (UNAM)
Alfredo Saldivar (UNAM)
Oscar Jimenez (Club America)
Juan Pablo Vigon (UNAM)
Luis Quintana (UNAM)
Ruben Gonzalez (Club America)
Martin Rodriguez (UNAM)
Miguel Herrera (Club Leon)
Leonel Lopez (UNAM)
Henry Martin (UNAM)
Pablo Jaquez (UNAM)
Bruno Valdez (Club America)
Nicolas Benedetti (Club America)
Jorge Sanchez (Club America)
Sebastian Cordova (Club America)
Antonio Lopez (Club America)
David Moyes (West Ham United, manager)