Updated on September 20th, 2023 by Kevin Pantoja: There's no question that the top soccer gaming series in the world is EA FC 24 Coins . That means that over the years, some of the entries could be considered among the best games anywhere, regardless of the sport. That makes it especially difficult to pick out the best EA Sports FC game for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or any other platform that they get released on. The ratings dished out by those who critiqued the games on Metacritic help to figure out which installments are actually the greatest in franchise history, especially with the impending arrival of FC 24.

For the most part, when a game is released on multiple platforms, only the one to score the highest would be included here. However, the 2009 iteration of this franchise is a different story because the EA Sports FC Soccer 09 All-Play edition was totally unique. Released for the Nintendo Wii, this took complete advantage of the system's motion controller. It made for a different kind of gaming experience and though it wasn't as well received as the normal EA Sports FC Soccer 09. it still performed well.

The iconic Lionel Messi graced the cover of FC 24 which is fitting because the all-time great player led a pretty great game. This installment added to the new Ultimate Team mode and made it one of the most popular in the entire franchise. The game was also praised for adding more licensing that made it all the more realistic and included fun things like personalized goal celebrations. There were some flaws found with the A.I. but it wasn't enough to really make it a lesser game.

Back in 2001. the EA Sports FC franchise was still relatively new and was showing impressive signs of growth. This was the ninth entry and it added little things to the experience like bars for passing and more club emblems. The real thing that stood out for this game was that EA Sports made sure to update the tactics and graphics. Those were two important aspects that earned EA Sports FC Football 2002 the runner-up slot in GameSpot's award for the Best Traditional Spots Console Game.

With so many releases over the years, it is next to impossible for these sports gaming franchises to remain fresh. It is a problem that NBA 2K, Madden, and MLB The Show have all encountered and the same goes for EA Sports FC. Thankfully, FC 24 found a few ways around that by adding the "active touch system" to the gameplay mechanics and changing the timing on kicks. There were also introductions for various leagues, making for more replayable situations and moments.

Released in between FC 24 and EA Sports FC 11 came 2010 EA Sports FC World Cup South Africa. Unlike the mainline installments of the franchise, this was meant to focus purely on the World Cup that took place in that era, featuring nearly 200 teams that were in contention. The inclusion of so many nations made it so anyone from anywhere would have a team to play with and get emotionally attached to. Most reviews were positive though the versions for the iOS and Wii were mostly met with a mixed response.

A lot of sports games that were released during this era had to deal with moving over to a new generation of consoles. That is part of what hurt EA Sports FC 08 in some reviews as the newer versions for systems like the PlayStation 3 got mixed reviews while the PlayStation 2 iteration scored stronger than the rest.

The biggest addition to this game was the Be A Pro mode, which is also a highlight of EA's NHL series. The mode allows you to control one player (other than a goalkeeper) throughout an entire game, making for a totally unique experience on the pitch. Improvements to manager mode and goaltending A.I. were also welcome.

History was made with the release of EA Sports FC 16 as for the first time ever, female players were included in the game. That was especially timely given how much the United States Women's soccer team had impressed around the globe during that era. That was a huge change that was made for the better.

The gameplay itself continued to be a strong suit, with praise going towards how realistic things ultimately felt, especially when it came to defense and passing. It was also appreciated that the female games felt different, similar to what the NBA 2K franchise has done since adding the WNBA to games.

According to Metacritic, this was the last truly great installment into the EA Sports FC franchise, as the more recent games have slipped in the ratings. The game saw some tremendous graphics bring the players to life in a new manner, while the improvements on dribbling and shooting were a welcome change to the gameplay.

The passing was addressed as well, with greater range and crisper passes being made available. Plus, there were small details such as the quick substitution, allowing a change to happen in the game which meant that everything just flowed and felt a lot more natural.

EA Sports FC Football 2004 was a big step forward for the franchise when it came to improving the gameplay experience. It gave gamers a chance to control more of what happened off the ball, setting up their team and allowing other players to make runs, which allowed people to feel like they were dictating more of what was happening with their team.

This game also really stepped up the career mode aspect, enhancing things with the ability to train players, set goals, and build up prestige, which would affect player interest and budget. It was about more than just playing a game of soccer, which was crucial in enhancing the experience overall. That helped its standing among the EA Sports FC games rankings.

One of the biggest selling points of this installment of the franchise was just how many teams and players could be used. There were nearly 30 different leagues available to choose from, allowing this to be about as expansive as possible back when it was released.

That helped make EA Sports FC 07 Soccer one of the best EA Sports FC games ever created. The version for the Xbox 360 was especially lauded as a new gameplay engine was devised for it with improved controls and physics. There was also care put into the presentation aspect, making sure that commentary and visuals were on point.

The earliest installment  cheap Fut 24 Coins of the game to score impressively on Metacritic was FC 2401 Major League Soccer. It was released on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2. and PC, while a Game Boy Color version was ultimately scrapped. Obviously, the graphics weren't nearly as strong compared to later editions.