EA Sports has not always had the best reputation on the Nintendo Switch, and that comes down to the FIFA games. Year after year, FIFA received a 'Legacy Edition' that embodied the criticism often aimed at the sports franchise: a reskin of the previous year's game, in outdated technology. With EA Sports losing the FIFA license and rebranding as EA Sports FC, this was an opportunity for a fresh start altogether.

EA Sports had promised that EA Sports FC 24 would provide a significant upgrade on the Legacy Editions of the past, and it's long overdue. The game has moved over to the Frostbite Engine and brings the gameplay options that have long been provided on other platforms. However, there are some glaring issues that do need to be addressed for it to reach the solid foundations seen on other devices.

At Last, A Full Squad

Thankfully, EA Sports FC 24 does provide a parity in terms of gameplay options with other platforms. At long last, it showcases the same gameplay modes across Ultimate Team, Clubs, Volta, and Career Mode. It will be a huge relief to Switch players that the archaic modes previously seen have been replaced.

Although this is a huge win in some ways, it's worth remembering that this is the bare minimum that EA Sports should have been delivering to FIFA players previously. The Legacy Edition FIFA games were literally worthless, and buying a copy of FIFA 18 would give players essentially the same experience as any of the later annual entries.

As such, this should be viewed in context both of where it stands on the Nintendo Switch, and where it stands in the realm of the wider franchise. Although achieving some level of parity is important - and Switch owners who don't have access to another platform will be glad to see these upgrades - in a way this is essentially just getting the bar off the floor. Meanwhile, there are some other issues that still need to be addressed.

Slow Build-Up Play

When it comes to actual gameplay, EA Sports FC 24 is a step above the Legacy Editions that have come before. Moving to the Frostbite engine does mean that the fluidity and the spontaneity of its moment to moment football is a big improvement on the older model. It's far more enjoyable to play, and feels a lot more like football than the old FIFA games.

That said, there are some issues, namely that the game is stuck at 30FPS instead of 60FPS. Although EA Sports FC 24 isn't something that requires precision to the same level as an action game or racing game, it does still mean that things can feel a little sluggish, which is a shame. Players may want to tweak some of the visual settings within the options menu, too, to minimize any impact that this can have.

As such, this isn't the best platform to choose, and those who have another home console available to them or a PC would be better placed taking that option. If players solely want to play the game in handheld mode, however, this may still be the best option given how EA titles can be a little tetchy on other portable platforms like the Steam Deck. In itself, that's something of a disappointment, but especially when other issues are taken into consideration.

Optimization Issues

EA Sports FC 24 does have quite a few issues with optimization, and these are matters that desperately need to be addressed to improve stability and overall quality for Switch players. These problems are most noticeable when used in handheld mode, but do also turn up when docked. Interestingly enough, it's also often outside of direct gameplay and instead within other sections of the game such as cutscenes and menus.

What this means is that players may find frustrating slowdown when moving through menus, such as working out their team sheets or even checking their emails in Career Mode. Cutscenes are also a big issue, acting as slow-moving slideshows in handheld mode. For a quick and enjoyable experience players will most likely want to skip things like post-match interviews or as many negotiations as possible.

These kind of performance issues desperately need to be patched, and they need to be resolved as soon as possible. Given that they often occur in menus or very basic cut scenes, there's no good reason why this should be happening whatsoever; this isn't a case of the Switch struggling with Frostbite so much as failing to handle the most basic of tasks.

Our Review Score & Final Thoughts

Overall, EA Sports FC 24 on Switch still feels behind the game on other platforms. For players who have another platform available, the Switch version is definitely to be avoided, but for those who specifically want to play this soccer sim on the go, it's still likely the best option available right now. As such, it might be just escaping relegation in comparison to its predecessors, but EA Sports still owes more to Switch players than what this delivers.

Source: EA Sports FC / YouTube

EA Sports FC 24 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch.