FIFA 22 bans over 30,000 players for using a 'free-win' exploit

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It's only a temporary ban, and the cheaters get to keep their ill-gotten gains

FIFA 22
(Image credit: EA)

Over 30,000 FIFA 22 players have been hit with a seven-day ban for participating in a new exploit in the game's Ultimate Team mode. 

As reported by Eurogamer, EA announced it would be banning upwards of 30,000 active FIFA 22 players for their recent infringements in Ultimate Team. Specifically, the 30,000 FIFA 22 players have now been banned from the game entirely, and will be unable to play the sports sim again until October 27.

The recent Ultimate Team exploit basically guaranteed players a win if they quit the game in the correct fashion. In Ultimate Team's Champion's mode specifically, players would exit FIFA 22 entirely back to their console's home screen, and reboot the game. Doing so wouldn't register as a loss, allowing players to progress through the mode without appearing to lose a single match.

EA was quickly aware of the situation, as you can probably imagine. What's interesting here is that there's no mention of EA reclaiming the ill-gotten gains from players with this method, meaning anyone who got some snazzy rewards from the exploit can keep them. 

Still, the seven-day ban is now in effect, meaning those affected will miss out on participating in this weekend's Ultimate Team Champions Finals. As per EA's own Positive Play Charter outlines, which the original announcement points to, there are rules against a player giving themselves an "unfair advantage."

If you want to get your hands on some pretty nifty rewards as quickly as possible, head over to our FIFA 22 RTTK guide to see how to get Son and Rodrygo.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.