EA cancels FIFA 21 demo to focus on delivering "the best full game experience"

News
By published

The trail will still be open to EA Play subscribers October 1

FIFA 21 preview
(Image credit: EA Sports)

EA has announced that FIFA 21 isn't getting a demo ahead of its October 9 release date. The publisher says it's bucking tradition this year to focus on "delivering the best full game experience for current and next-gen consoles."

EA Play subscribers will still be able to access the 10-hour trial starting October 1, and progress will carry over to the full game when it launches on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. EA has yet to reveal when FIFA 21 launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X, so it's possible there's still some work to be done optimizing the game for next-gen hardware.

We spent some time with EA's cross-gen sports title for our recent FIFA 21 preview, and basically, it's FIFA through and through. Whether that's a good thing or not will depend entirely on how much you enjoyed last year's FIFA release.

"FIFA 21 is a very minor upgrade over FIFA 20," our preview of the beta reads. "This won't come as a surprise to many, although it may disappoint. The Frostbite engine is still the foundation for the annual best-selling football game and as a result, unless you played last year's instalment to death, you're not going to instantly spot any big changes. In fact, the FIFA 21 beta feels like the smallest development jump year-on-year that the series has seen in a long time, which is saying something when it's a series known for seemingly incremental changes as it is."

For a more comprehensive breakdown of everything new, don't miss our guide to FIFA 21 features.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.