FIFA 21 arrived on 9 October 2020 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. EA Vancouver built it, EA Sports published it, and the pitch was simple: more ways to team up on the street or in the stadium, with 17,000+ players, over 700 teams, 90+ stadiums and more than 30 leagues.
What Shipped, and When
The roll-out was not one launch but three. EA staggered the platforms, so the game’s audience arrived in waves.
| Date | Platform |
|---|---|
| 9 October 2020 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| 3 December 2020 | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S |
| March 2021 | Google Stadia |
That schedule shaped who could play what and when. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S owners waited nearly two months for the version built for their hardware. Google Stadia players waited until March 2021.
17,000 Players, 700 Teams
The scale is the selling point, and it holds up. FIFA 21 carries:
- 17,000+ players
- Over 700 teams
- 90+ stadiums
- More than 30 leagues
If your team plays in a top-flight league somewhere, it is probably here, under its own name at its own ground.
Street Football and the Stadium
The modes cover single player, multiplayer, co-operative and split screen. The camera sits third person or pulls back to a bird’s-eye isometric view. The genre labels are simulator, sport, non-fiction. This is not a fantasy take on football. It is football, reconstructed.
The Servers Are Gone
Here is the fact that decides how you should think about FIFA 21 now. The online servers for Stadia shut down on 18 January 2023. The online servers for every other platform shut down on 6 November 2023.
Multiplayer, co-operative play and every mode that leans on a connection are finished. What remains is what shipped on the disc or the drive.
For a game whose pitch was teaming up with friends, losing those servers is not a footnote. It is the removal of the headline feature.
Should You Play It Now
FIFA 21 still does what it set out to do. The roster is enormous, the leagues are deep, and the football is competent on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Google Stadia. As a single-player and local split-screen game, it holds up.
The 7.2 out of 10 from the IGDB critic aggregate, across eight outlets, reflects a game that was broad, solid and slightly uneven.
Judge it as it stands, not as it launched. A football sim that can no longer connect you to anyone is a museum piece with a very good squad list.
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