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FC 25's Rush Format Is EA's Latest Attempt to Replicate FIFA Street

By Brian Allen

'Futebol Solidário' Match In Support Of The Rio Grande do Sul Rains Victims
'Futebol Solidário' Match In Support Of The Rio Grande do Sul Rains Victims / Buda Mendes/GettyImages
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EA Sports FC is sending Volta Football, its FIFA Street-ish mode, to the bench. It debuted in FIFA 20 and after four years, this player hasn't worked out like the team had hoped. Taking its place in FC 25 is Rush, a 5vs5 creation EA describes as a "gameplay experience" rather than a separate format.

Unlike Volta, Rush will connect to multiple game modes including Career Mode, Clubs and of course, Ultimate Team. It has its own currency (because games need more separate currencies) that will interact with player ranks and unlock Club rewards. I'll admit I dropped FC 24's Volta after playing a couple of games, but it had nothing to do with not unlocking enough rewards in other modes.

As a 5vs5 game, Rush is fast-paced and all about attacking. It even has a different standard for calling players offsides: they must be in the final third of the pitch near the opposition goal. The pitch is also more than double the size of Volta's.

Squads will consist of four players online with the AI controlling the goalkeeper. FC 25 will matchmake if you aren't already running in a full squad. Penalty kicks are a 1vs1 against the goalkeeper, and the game will select a player to control them for that showdown. A foul takes a player off for one full minute, with more egregious violations resulting in yellow or red cards. Red takes your player completely out of the game as it would in a normal contest. If three players get sent off, it's an automatic forfeit of the game.

As somebody who loved all the "Street" versions of EA's sports games, it pains me to tell you that arcade sports titles haven't been hitting lately. Saber Interactive's Wild Card Football, for example, was the latest game to play in an NFL blitz-style sandbox. It wouldn't surprise me to learn you're hearing it about for the first time right now. Since arcade titles are mostly failing, EA and 2K have just placed Street-ier modes in their simulation titles to mixed results. Volta Football was the latest, but likely not the last, to burn out. Here's hoping Rush fares better.