EA has officially revealed EA FC 27 pre-order details across multiple editions, and the big takeaway is that players who commit early get significant in-game currency bonuses, early access days, and Ultimate Team packs that can shape their squads from day one. The Standard Edition starts at $69.99, while the Ultimate Edition runs $99.99 and includes the headline perk of three days of early access starting September 24, 2025.
Three Editions, Three Price Points
EA is offering three versions of EA FC 27 this year: Standard, Ultimate, and a new "Ultimate+ Edition" that adds extra seasonal content. The Standard Edition ($69.99 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC) includes the base game plus a pre-order bonus of 4,600 FC Points and one rare gold pack per week for four weeks. The Ultimate Edition ($99.99) bumps that to 7,600 FC Points, adds a Team of the Week pack, and unlocks the game on September 24 instead of the global September 27 release date.
The Ultimate+ Edition ($129.99) is new for EA FC 27 and includes everything from the Ultimate Edition plus an additional 2,000 FC Points, a Season Pass XP boost, and exclusive cosmetic kits. It's clearly aimed at the hardcore Ultimate Team crowd who want every possible advantage in the first month.
Early Access and Ultimate Team Bonuses
The three-day early access window is the biggest practical difference between editions. Anyone who buys the Ultimate or Ultimate+ Edition gets to start building their club on September 24, while Standard Edition buyers wait until the 27th. In EA Sports FC games, those three days matter — the transfer market moves fast, and early access players can snag in-form cards and cheap investments before the player base explodes.
All pre-orders include a "Cover Star Loan Player" item, letting you try a high-rated card for five matches before committing to buy it on the market. EA is also offering a loyalty bonus for returning players who owned EA FC 26: an extra 500 FC Points and a guaranteed rare player pack.
Pre-ordering the Ultimate Edition nets you 7,600 FC Points — roughly $60 worth of in-game currency — plus a Team of the Week pack that guarantees at least one player from the current weekly squad.
What You Actually Get Per Edition
Here's the full breakdown of what each EA FC 27 edition includes:
- Standard Edition ($69.99): Base game, 4,600 FC Points, 4 rare gold packs (one per week), Cover Star Loan Player
- Ultimate Edition ($99.99): Base game, 7,600 FC Points, Team of the Week 1 pack, 4 rare gold packs, Cover Star Loan Player, 3-day early access (Sept 24)
- Ultimate+ Edition ($129.99): Everything from Ultimate, plus 2,000 bonus FC Points, Season Pass XP boost, exclusive cosmetic kit, and a guaranteed 83+ OVR player pick
Physical copies of the Standard and Ultimate Editions are available at retailers like GameStop and Best Buy, but the Ultimate+ Edition is digital-only through the EA app and console storefronts.
Why the Pricing Shift This Year
EA is following the industry trend of adding a third, premium tier to its sports titles — Madden NFL did the same with its "MVP Edition" last year. The Ultimate+ Edition at $129.99 is a notable jump, but it's designed to capture the segment of players who spend heavily on Ultimate Team packs anyway. For those players, the included FC Points and packs represent a better value than buying currency separately.
The company is also leaning harder into early access as a differentiator. With EA FC 26, early access was limited to the Ultimate Edition, and EA saw strong conversion rates from pre-orders. This year, the messaging is clear: if you want to play with friends on launch day, you're paying for the privilege.
Cross-Platform and Pre-Load Details
All editions support cross-play across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Pre-loading begins on September 22 for Ultimate Edition buyers and September 25 for Standard Edition. EA has confirmed that progress carries over between console generations if you upgrade mid-cycle, which is relevant for anyone still on PS4 or Xbox One — though those versions lack the full feature set of the current-gen editions.
One wrinkle: the Nintendo Switch version is once again the "Legacy Edition," meaning it runs on last year's engine with updated kits and rosters but no gameplay changes. It's priced at $59.99 and doesn't qualify for the same pre-order bonuses as the main versions.
The Catch With Pre-Order Bonuses
Here's the thing about those FC Points and packs: they're tied to Ultimate Team, which means they're essentially gambling currency in a mode that EA has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny over. The UK government and several EU member states have been investigating loot boxes in sports games, and EA FC 27 continues to rely heavily on randomized pack openings as a revenue driver.
Players who only play Career Mode, Pro Clubs, or Volta get almost nothing from these pre-order bonuses. The packs, points, and loan players are all UT-exclusive. If you're a single-player or co-op fan, the Standard Edition is the only sensible buy, and even then you're paying for content you won't use.
What Comes Next
EA typically runs a pre-order beta in August for anyone who commits early, and we expect that to return for EA FC 27. The full game launches September 27 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch. If history holds, the Ultimate Edition will be discounted by $10-15 during Black Friday, but by then the early access window and first month of Ultimate Team promos will be long gone.
For the competitive FC esports crowd, the Ultimate Edition is essentially mandatory if you want to compete in the first weekend league. For everyone else, the Standard Edition still gets you the full game — just three days later and without the head start on the transfer market.
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