What is FC IQ in EA FC 25? Tactics overhaul explained

The EA FC 25 gameplay deep dive offered a ton of information about the new FC IQ feature. The term refers to an overhaul of player AI and the game’s tactical foundations.

The feature is integrated into the core gameplay, so you’ll get to experience it during Ultimate Team, Clubs, Career Mode, and the new 5v5 Rush.

With this in mind, here’s everything you need to know about FC IQ in EA FC 25.

EA FC 25 FC IQ explained

FC IQ is an overhaul to tactics, positioning, and roles. Just like HypermotionV and PlayStyles, it’s a pillar of EA FC 25’s gameplay. While the other two are responsible for player animations and their abilities, FC IQ gives you more tactical control.

The goal is to give players more strategic control over how their side moves on the pitch through new customization options going beyond picking a formation or adjusting bars like in previous titles.

FC IQ is built on three foundations:

• Player Roles
• Team Tactics
• Smart Tactics

All Player Roles in EA FC 25

Player Roles make use of the new AI system we mentioned earlier and define how every player moves and thinks on the pitch. These Roles dictate how players behave off the ball, which zones of the pitch they head into, and the intent behind their actions.

For instance, a defensive midfielder with the ‘Deep-Lying Playmaker’ Player Role will stick to their position and look to receive the ball to facilitate their team’s build-up. If you choose to give your CDM, the ‘Center Half’ Role instead, they’ll drop between your CBs adding another layer of defense.

The game features 31 Player Roles in total at launch:

• GK (GK): Goalkeeper / Sweeper Keeper
• Full-Back (RB-LB): Fullback / Falseback / Wingback / Attacking Wingback
• Centre-Back (CB): Defender / Stopper / Ball-Playing Defender
• Defensive Midfielder (CDM): Holding / Centre Half / Deep-Lying Playmaker
• Centre Midfielder (CM): Box-to-Box / Holding / Deep-Lying Playmaker / Playmaker / Half-Winger
• Wide Midfielder (RM-LM): Winger / Wide Midfielder / Wide Playmaker / Inside Forward
• Attacking Midfielder (CAM): Playmaker / Shadow Striker / Half-Winger
• Winger (RW-LW): Winger / Inside Forward / Wide Playmaker
• Striker (ST): Advance Forward / Poacher / False 9 / Target Forward

Every Role has between 1-3 focuses that make it more attacking or defending-based, and you can also give players the license to roam. How much success they’ll have with these instructions depends on their familiarity with the Role. In total, a player can have one of four levels of familiarity with a Player Role:

• Base
• Role+
• Role++
• Out of Position

Base Player Roles are tied to all the preferred positions of a player item while cards with a plus sign next to a specific Player Role will perform better in those positions. Having two plus signs means that they’re world-class in that role. Players with a yellow exclamation mark are Out of Position in that Player Role and will perform less effectively.

The system is designed to let you control your players’ AI off the ball. To help find the right tactical mix, the game comes with an Activity Map displaying which zones of the pitch your players will occupy along with a detailed explanation of each role.

Team Tactics in FC 25

The Team Tactics screen gets a new visual layout replacing the old attacking, balanced, defensive tactics system in EA FC 25. The new layout has been streamlined to make it easier for new players, and it’s broken down into three parts:

• Formation
• Build-up style
• Defensive Approach

The new menu provides a clear picture of how your team is set up out of possession. It comes with a summary giving you dynamic feedback and listing the pros and cons of your decisions. This feedback will tell you the state of your build-up play, how quickly your players tire, and tactical vulnerabilities.

Right beside Team Tactics is the Player Roles menu, where you edit the roles for each player and view descriptions for all of them. The aforementioned activity map can be found here.

If you want to use something tried and tested, you can access tactical presets that mimic those of real-life teams. You’ll also be able to save up to five different sets of custom tactics and even share them with other players across all platforms using a unique code.

Smart Tactics

Smart Tactics refer to the on-the-fly tactical changes you can make during matches using the D-Pad. You’ll be able to access any custom presets you’ve cooked up or choose popular quick tactics. The Smart Tactics system will also give you suggestions by analyzing the match state.

These can range from changes to the formation or to a more defensive approach.

If you end up making tactical changes, you’ll receive new visuals and commentaries reflecting the new approach.

That was everything you need to know about FC IQ in EA FC 25. If the new system has piqued your interest, check out how you can play the game early and all of its pre-order editions.