2023 marks the first year in more than three and a half decades that no new FIFA games have been released. However, just as one dynasty comes to an end, another one begins, with EA Sports FC 24 presumably being the first annual release of many for EA's brand-new football franchise. To say that some fans are excited would be a bit of an understatement.
By all accounts though, not too much has changed other than the series' name, with the game still boasting licenses for every major league and the same game modes and match types that franchise fans have come to know and love. Even so, many of those fans are eager to learn the exact release time of EA Sports FC 24 so that they can confirm all of this for themselves.
Updated September 28, 2023, by Tom Bowen: Those with early access may have already been playing the game for around a week at this point, but for everybody else, the EA Sports FC 24 release date still looms large on the horizon. Players who have pre-ordered the standard edition will find that there's actually a little variation when it comes to the EA Sports FC 24 release time, as, like many games, it is determined by the player's local time zone. The following guide has been updated to make it easier for players to find out what time they can start playing depending on where in the world they are.
EA Sports FC 24 Release Time (Standard Edition)
For most people, the EA Sports FC 24 release time is midnight local time on September 29. There's some slight variation from region to region though, with American countries getting access to the game at midnight EDT; European, African, and Middle-Eastern countries able to play from midnight CEST; and Asian and Oceanic countries kicking off at midnight JST. Preloads for the game have already begun in all regions, which bodes well given the game's 47.8 GB file size on PC and next-gen consoles. The Switch version is around half that size at just 26.9 GB, though it includes significantly less content.
EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Edition Release Time (Early Access)
Anyone who purchases the Ultimate Edition will be able to start playing EA Sports FC 24 up to seven days early. This means that for Early Access players, EA Sports FC 24 will unlock at midnight EDT on September 22. This works out to be 05:00 BST, 06:00 CST, and 14:00 AEST. Those living to the west of New York and Toronto will actually be able to start playing on September 21, as the game will be available from 21:00 PDT and 22:00 CST respectively. It's unclear why EA opted for a fixed release time for Early Access, though this does explain why the Ultimate Edition offers "up to" seven days of early access rather than seven days exactly.
EA Sports FC 24 be available on PC, PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.