EA FC 27 players are praising the game’s launch gameplay and urging EA Sports not to make major changes with its first patches, particularly when it comes to defending and AI assistance.

The discussion is already gaining traction across the EA Sports FC community, with many players arguing that defending currently rewards manual input rather than relying heavily on AI-controlled teammates.

It’s a familiar conversation for the series. EA FC 26 also received positive feedback for its gameplay at launch before subsequent updates changed the experience significantly, leaving some players concerned that FC 27 could follow the same path.

Players Want EA FC 27’s Defending Left Alone

One popular discussion on the EA FC subreddit describes the current gameplay as “excellent” and specifically praises the fact that defending is difficult while defensive AI provides relatively little assistance.

That’s not to say players believe everything is perfect. Some have already highlighted aggressive left-stick dribbling and the so-called “fidget spinning” style of attacking as areas that could become problematic.

However, much of the early discussion is focused on avoiding sweeping gameplay changes simply because defending requires more manual involvement.

FC content creator Jake_FutTrading described FC 27 as having one of the strongest launches in recent years.

“I’m just being honest FC 27 has one of the best launches in the past 7 years. Please for the love of God no patch.”

Manual Defending Is Receiving Praise

Another prominent discussion comes from FutPoliceLeaks, which praised the reduced effectiveness of AI defending, second-man pressing and repeated tackling.

The account argued that good manual interceptions and properly timed tackles are being rewarded while players who repeatedly spam defensive actions are punished.

“DO NOT PATCH IT, EA. LET THEM LEARN HOW TO DEFEND. IT SHOULD BE HARD.”

That sentiment reflects a broader concern surrounding recent EA Sports FC games: how much work defensive AI should perform compared to the player controlling the team.

For at least part of the FC 27 community, the current balance appears to be much closer to what they want.

The First Major Patch Will Be Closely Watched

The biggest question is now what EA Sports does with the feedback.

Launch gameplay in annual football games rarely remains completely unchanged, and patches will inevitably be needed to address bugs and balance issues. The concern among players is whether those updates will also significantly alter the fundamental pace and defensive balance of FC 27.

For now, the message from a vocal section of the community is unusually straightforward: fix what needs fixing, but don’t overhaul the gameplay that is already working.