Amid the many updates making their way into FC 25, one of the biggest additions is Rush. EA Sports stressed that it isn’t, strictly speaking, a mode—it’s something you can access through all of the game’s real modes.
Rush is a 5v5 “gameplay experience” that effectively replaces Volta, the earlier 5v5 option that never quite received the attention it deserved. Senior producer Sam Rivera explained: “The feedback we received from the community regarding Volta indicated that they felt they were missing out on Ultimate Team and Clubs while playing Volta.” He added: “People were not engaged as much as we initially anticipated, so we undertook an extensive analysis: what’s happening with Volta, what do the numbers reveal, and what is the community expressing to us?”
The result is Rush, and EA’s wording—calling it a “gameplay experience” rather than a separate mode—matters. Rush shows up in different places across Career Mode, Ultimate Team, Clubs (formerly Pro Clubs), and Kick Off, instead of existing as a self-contained feature. In Career Mode, it functions mainly as a practice ground for younger players, as we set out in our earlier, detailed FC 25 preview. In Ultimate Team, it provides another route to earn rewards while still relying on the FUT squad players you’ve built. In Clubs, it offers an additional option to play alongside the usual 11v11 matches—crucially, it doesn’t remove your ability to take part in full-sized games.
To jump in, you’ll need a squad of four human players. The goalkeeper is always controlled by AI, except during penalties. Any remaining spots are filled if you’re playing solo or don’t have a complete group. Matchmaking uses a single “pool,” as Clubs associate producer Tim Able noted, but you’ll get a special match briefing when you’re matched against a full opposing Club online, letting you know it’s going to be a tougher contest.
Because Clubs is so tightly connected to Rush, it helps to highlight a few of the major changes coming to Clubs before looking at how the gameplay works. First, Clubs has received a broader refresh. It’s now positioned more like a “social hub,” with a “clubhouse” designed in your club’s colours. For the most part, it’s shown as a changing room for your custom player, along with the teammates who join and leave while they’re playing.
Put simply, it’s a polished multiplayer lobby—but there’s also an improved menu setup. Able pointed to EA’s “play more, navigate less” approach, and that should streamline the experience. There are also tweaks aimed at the metagame. Your Club Manager can now set a “budget” for club facility cards, which can create on-pitch advantages. For example, some facilities unlock a third Playstyle for your club’s players—preset boosts to attributes such as a player’s finesse shot ability or better close control during dribbling.
Back to Rush: this is where it connects to Clubs through a new currency. EA likes introducing currencies, and here it’s called RP, short for Rush Points. RP contributes to your player rank, and progressing through those ranks across the season unlocks Club-oriented rewards. Clubs also earn victory points for wins, and each season’s standings place clubs on a worldwide leaderboard that comes with its own rewards—largely cosmetic, and geared toward showing off your position.
So how does Rush work on the pitch? In short: it’s more enjoyable than Volta, but it still doesn’t reach the level of FIFA Street.
The biggest difference versus Volta is that Rush doesn’t strictly follow any particular indoor football rules. Instead, it leans into a slightly more playful style. The pace is faster, the matches feel more open, and the impact of mistakes is felt much earlier.
One example is a new offside system. Players can be flagged for offside, but only if they’re in the final third of the pitch closest to the opposition’s goal. That change creates an interesting mental battle about when a defender should “step up” and when to drop deeper into their own half. The best forwards can time their runs precisely so the pass lands while they’re still in the middle third. Meanwhile, top defenders will need to know exactly when to turn and sprint toward their own goal.
It also means losing the ball in midfield can quickly spiral into trouble if your teammates aren’t paying close attention. It’s a bit like casual five-a-side in real life: if you’re more focused on strategy, it can sometimes become a drawback. You might end up being the only one who drops back to stop a counterattack while the rest of the team surges forward during an attacking phase. On the other hand, squads that communicate well and understand their roles—or know when to reshuffle with others, since there are no fixed positions at all in Rush—will generally outperform groups that rely on improvisation.
A few other entertaining rule changes are also worth noting. There’s a drop-in kick-off, similar to the older FIFA Street style, where you rush toward the ball that starts at the centre of the pitch. Blue Cards are now in play too, acting like a one-minute sin-bin for serious fouls. There are no draws: if the score is level at full time, the match moves into extra time for a golden goal. Penalties have been updated as well. Taking cues from the much-loved US-style penalties from the ’90s, it’s now a one-on-one duel against the goalkeeper, with the captain controlling the goalkeeper for that brief moment.
All of this is enjoyable, and it seems like it’s nudging the series slightly away from the more “simulation” direction it has leaned into for a while. Still, it made me think about the old FIFA Street—an affectionately chaotic arcade favourite from the Ronaldinho and Rooney era in the early 2000s. EA can’t have overlooked that, surely?
“We’re always brainstorming ideas,” Rivera said. “A lot of the features you see in the game aren’t a ‘one-time feature’—in fact, we’re discussing plans three years ahead right now. So we stay open to different possibilities. But at this point, I can only say that Rush is, essentially, our foundation for social play and small-sided games going forward.” That may hint at something subtle: it’s likely been on the table for a while, as with anything else—but don’t expect news on that front immediately.
“We’re quite certain that with Rush, we’re tackling a number of problems, including some of the feedback from players who used to enjoy Clubs or who used to spend time in Volta,” he added. “For example, with Clubs, our data shows that most people prefer playing as a forward or an attacking midfielder—as you’re closer to the ball, it just makes sense. You want to score goals.”
On the flip side, he explained that defending in 11v11 involves fewer risks with the ball, because losing possession can cost you a goal. “So we saw that shift toward being more attack-minded… and in Rush we’re addressing that. Since there are no fixed positions, you just need to rotate, which keeps you close to the action all the time.”
At the same time, EA felt Volta’s pitch was too confined, which led to the need for “a completely different approach to the mechanics of dribbling or shooting.” That kind of change requires substantial time and refinement to make it enjoyable. As Rivera put it, the Rush pitch is 230 percent larger than a Volta pitch, creating “a wholly different experience.”
Having tried it, I broadly agree. Rush plays quicker and feels easier to get into—ideal for a more relaxed match when the focus required for a full-sized game is too much, or when you only have a couple of friends online. It’s far more fluid, you’re involved at every stage of the match, and it also takes itself slightly less seriously than Volta did. Yet it still doesn’t deliver that truly cartoony vibe—because, to be clear, it isn’t FIFA Street.
This preview is based on a visit to EA Sports in Vancouver. EA covered travel and accommodation expenses.