EA SPORTS FC 27 title update 1.2.0 targets kickoffs, Career Mode and FUT bugs

EA SPORTS FC 27 version 1.2.0 is now live, and EA SPORTS has pushed changes across gameplay, Ultimate Team, Career Mode, The Grounds and platform-specific technical issues. The update also includes a Live Tuning Update for gameplay, with several of the biggest adjustments aimed at defending, kickoffs and AI positioning.

The publisher’s patch notes focus first on match flow. Defenders with extreme defensive line heights will now drop off sooner while still keeping a higher line than other tactics, while fullbacks should be less likely to sink too deep when defending. EA SPORTS also said the defensive line will not retreat as far into the penalty box immediately after a kickoff, with one defender lined up more centrally, a change designed to reduce the effectiveness of scoring straight after the restart. Other gameplay changes include improved AI teammate offside behaviour, slight attacking AI improvements inside the box during some counter-attacking situations, and a stronger effect from the Defending Aggression CPU Slider.

Gameplay and match fixes

Street Football also gets attention in this update, with goalkeepers improved against low driven shots. Across the broader match experience, EA SPORTS addressed several bugs that could interrupt possession or player movement, including cases where control did not switch properly after a header pass, teammates failing to chase loose balls after a missed shot or slide tackle, and teammates stopping their runs while waiting for a pass to complete.

Other fixes cover defensive positioning after deep free kicks, a rare freeze during seal outs, and a Clubs issue that could leave teams with more than one goalkeeper after a mid-game tactic switch. EA SPORTS also corrected incorrect Amp attribute boosts, and said the Team Positioning Marking slider in Kick Off, Career Mode and Tournaments was not always affecting gameplay as intended. In rainy conditions, passes in those same modes could also feel heavier than intended.

On PC, high-end systems could in some cases run into freezing, stuttering or FPS drops during gameplay.

Ultimate Team and Club systems

Ultimate Team receives a long list of fixes, led by several Evolution and SBC issues. Players were not always able to continue through the Evolution preview flow when re-previewing a chain, while some users saw the Ultimate Team menu fail to load after claiming a Pathway Evolution upgrade. EA SPORTS also fixed a final-reward screen issue in Pathway Evolutions, objective progress errors after some Rivals matches, and a storage-tab problem that could show club items instead of SBC Storage items.

The studio said a Streamlined SBC bug could incorrectly add an unselected Player Item into submission, and noted that affected items will be returned and affected players will be contacted in-game. EA SPORTS also fixed incorrect score notifications in Gallery Sets, visual issues with Evolution reward upgrades, tactics that saved incorrectly, and badges that did not always appear in Tournament trees for PvE Live Events.

One of the few issues with an explicit note on player impact involved Streamlined SBCs, where the studio said:

“Player Items impacted by this issue will be returned and affected players will be contacted in-game.”

Career Mode and The Grounds updates

Career Mode gets a broad pass of fixes and smaller feature additions. Manager Career now has an Energy Recovery setting, while contract negotiations now take a different squad role into account when calculating a player’s wage demands. EA SPORTS also added a Scenario Objectives tile to the Office tab for Manager Career Live Challenges, and the press conference UI will now show how responses affected player morale in the club.

Other Career Mode fixes include players being recalled from loan outside the transfer window, issues with loan-to-buy clauses, scout and youth-player sorting bugs, and several UI problems across negotiation and development-plan screens. EA SPORTS also removed the Season Pass level-up screen after Career Mode matches, and said it improved stability across Career Mode flows.

The Grounds receives its own long list of fixes, particularly on PC and in Clubs and Rush-related flows. PC players get two new settings for The Grounds camera mouse sensitivity, while the update also addresses emote-wheel navigation, archetype display problems, party invite failures, queue issues, invisible arms on avatars, overlapping UI in the Grounds Store and several match-intro and spectator bugs. EA SPORTS also said Clubs Friendlies end-of-match AXP generation has been updated to match Clubs League Match.

For a broader look at how EA SPORTS has been adjusting FC 27 systems this season, see our earlier coverage of FC 27 title update v1.2.0 and the publisher’s separate FUT-focused changes.

Platform-specific fixes and general updates

EA SPORTS also bundled in a wide set of general art, audio, visual and stability updates, from hair, kits and stadium elements to UI, commentary and scoreboard assets. The patch notes mention EA Connect fixes, new report options for disruptive behaviour, and platform-specific corrections for Switch, Switch 2, PC and PS5.

Among the notable platform fixes, Switch and Switch 2 players were told pre-order content could fail to arrive on first launch, PC users saw fixes for some Bluetooth DualShock and multiple-controller vibration issues, and PS5 players had a controller-audio issue addressed after reconnecting a DualSense wireless controller. EA SPORTS also notes that the update includes various stability fixes and that it will continue to provide more information throughout the EA SPORTS FC 27 season.