When does FIFA 18 come out? How much does it cost? Your top questions answered

Oliver Platt

When does FIFA 18 come out? How much does it cost? Your top questions answered image

It may still be a few months away, but the countdown to FIFA 18 is on - and there are plenty of details about EA Sports' latest football game still to be revealed.

FIFA 18: The complete guide

To help provide the information you want to know about this year's title, Goal answers the most common FIFA 18-related questions being asked and searched for according to Google Trends data.


1. WHEN DOES FIFA 18 COME OUT?


FIFA18 SCREENSHOT

FIFA 18 will be released worldwide on Friday, September 29. There are two ways, however, to get your hands on the game early.

The first is to pre-order the 'Ronaldo Edition' or 'Icon Edition', which are priced at £79.99 ($79.99) and £89.99 ($99.99) respectively and packed with bonus Ultimate Team content. They will be available to play on Tuesday, September 26, which is in line with EA's knack for going live on a late Tuesday in September.

If that's not soon enough you'll need to sign up to EA Access (Xbox One) or Origin Access (PC), both of which cost either £3.99 ($4.99) a month or £19.99 ($29.99) a year. That will get you 10 hours of trial play time from Thursday, September 21.

If you're a PlayStation 4 player, the September 26 date is the earliest you will be able to play.


2. WHEN DOES THE FIFA 18 DEMO COME OUT?


The FIFA 17 demo was released approximately two weeks before the full game came out, so you can expect to be getting your first taste of FIFA 18 sometime in early to mid-September.

According to Dream Team FC, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG, Juventus, Gamba Osaka, Lyon, Inter, the Seattle Sounders and Tigres are likely to be playable demo teams, and you can also expect a glimpse of The Journey.

Can't wait that long? If you're really lucky, you might be able to sneak in on the beta testing, which usually takes place in August, to get an even earlier hands-on.

That privilege will mostly be reserved for professional gamers and well-known YouTubers, but there's a chance a limited number of spots could be circulated around to those with an EA account if extra numbers are needed.

Sign up, make sure you're set up to receive promotional emails and keep your eyes peeled.


3. HOW MUCH DOES FIFA 18 COST?


Icons FIFA 18

There are three versions of FIFA 18 at different price points: the standard edition, the Ronaldo edition and the Icon edition.

The special Ronaldo and Icon editions cost £79.99 ($79.99) and £89.99 ($99.99) respectively. The standard version, meanwhile, will be priced at £54.99 ($59.99), which is a £5 increase compared to FIFA 17.

It's likely those prices will drop, though, as the game nears release and retailers compete for sales.


4. WILL FIFA 18 BE ON XBOX 360?


Yes, FIFA 18 will be released on Xbox 360 as well as PS3.

There was some doubt as to whether EA would bother with the older consoles this year. That's because the new Frostbite engine that was adopted for FIFA 17 is too powerful for the older consoles to run, resulting in watered-down versions of the game missing some key features such as The Journey.

Once again, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will not match up to their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts and will not include The Journey, but they will, at least, exist.


5. HOW CAN I GET FIFA 18 EARLY?


FIFA18 SCREENSHOT

As mentioned above, there are two ways to get the game early.

The first is to pre-order the 'Ronaldo Edition' or 'Icon Edition', which are priced at £79.99 ($79.99) and £89.99 ($99.99) respectively and packed with bonus Ultimate Team content. They will be available to play on Tuesday, September 26, three days before the official worldwide release.

If that's not soon enough you'll need to sign up to EA Access (Xbox One) or Origin Access (PC), both of which cost either £3.99 ($4.99) a month or £19.99 ($29.99) a year. That will get you 10 hours of trial play time from Thursday, September 21, but isn't available on PS4.

The demo is expected to be released sometime in early to mid-September.


6. WILL FIFA 18 BE 4K?


Yes, FIFA 18 will be available to play in 4K resolution on both the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X. Those are upgraded systems that play selected games in ultra high-definition.

Bet on the new Premier League season

You can buy a PS4 Pro now - though it'll cost you more than a normal PS4 - but the Xbox One X, which Microsoft claim will be the most powerful console ever, will not be released until November 7.


7. WILL FIFA 18 BE ON PS3?


Yes, FIFA 18 will be on the PS3. It's the same deal as the Xbox 360 - see question four above.


8. WILL CELTIC PARK BE IN FIFA 18?


Celtic Park

No, Celtic Park will not be in FIFA 18. In fact, no Scottish stadiums will be true-to-life on this year's game.

For a full list of available stadiums, see our complete FIFA 18 venue guide.


9. WHAT DO YOU GET IN THE FIFA 18 ICON EDITION?


Per EA Sports, here's what you get in each different version of the game...

Icon Edition (£89.99)

FIFA 18 Icon Edition

  • Play from September 26 with three days of Early Access
  • Up to 40 FIFA Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs (two per week over 20 weeks)
  • One three-match FUT Team of the Week loan player for 20 weeks
  • Cristiano Ronaldo FUT loan player for five matches
  • Ronaldo Nazario FUT Icon loan player for five matches
  • Eight special edition FUT kits designed by FIFA soundtrack artists

Ronaldo Edition (£79.99)

FIFA 18 Ronaldo Edition

  • Play from September 26 with three days of Early Access
  • Up to 20 FIFA Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs (one per week for 20 weeks)
  • Cristiano Ronaldo FUT loan player for five matches
  • Eight special edition FUT kits designed by FIFA soundtrack artists

Standard Edition (£54.99)

FIFA 18 Standard Edition

  • Up to five FIFA Ultimate Team Jumbo Premium Gold Packs (one per week for five weeks)
  • Cristiano Ronaldo FUT loan player for five matches
  • Eight special edition FUT kits designed by FIFA soundtrack artists

10. WILL FIFA 18 BE ON EA ACCESS?


Yes, FIFA 18 can be played early by those with an EA Access subscription.

That costs £3.99 a month or £19.99 a year and will get you 10 hours of play time from Thursday, September 21 - five days before the Icon and Ronaldo editions are released and eight days prior to the official worldwide release date.

You will be playing the official game, not the demo, so whatever you do in those 10 hours will carry over to when the game becomes fully available.

EA Access members also get 10% off EA digital purchases, including Ultimate Team packs.

EA Access is only for Xbox One, but Origin Access on PC offers the same thing. PS4 players, on the other hand, will have wait for the Icon and Ronaldo editions to drop.

Oliver Platt