Getting into a FIFA 21 game on PS5 is super fast thanks to Activities Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Getting into a FIFA 21 game on PS5 is super fast thanks to Activities In transition. Feature by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 4 Dec 2020 31 comments I've had a kickabout with FIFA 21 on PlayStation 5, and while the gameplay is fundamentally the same as on PlayStation 4, there are some significant improvements. For example, FIFA 21 benefits greatly from the PS5's Activities feature. Here, from the PS5 home screen, you can press a button to jump straight into the various modes within Ultimate Team without having to go through the main FIFA 21 menu first. Brilliantly, FIFA 21 next-gen ditches the annoying language selection when you boot up the game - something that has been a staple of FIFA for years. You have to log into EA's servers - there's no avoiding that - but I was able to go from the PS5 home screen to matchmaking a Division Rivals game in 20 seconds, which is remarkable. It really is quite the thing. And once you've got a match, the game itself loads really fast - so fast in fact that there's not enough time to check out your opponent's team, which flashes on-screen just before kick-off. This is a good thing, I guess! But it is handy to know what you're up against before you start a match. Perhaps the PS5 is running too fast for its own good here. What you'll notice right off the bat is a new isometric camera angle, which makes it look like you're watching a game on telly. It's a bit like the camera you get in PES - and reminds me of football games of old. I'm still working out if I'll stick with it. It does give you more of the pitch to see, which is great for picking out runs downfield. But the perspective does throw me off at times, particularly when I'm trying to track a high pass. It's new and novel! Watch on YouTube Has the PS5 changed the way we play single-player games forever? Elsewhere, the game plays pretty much the same as the last-gen version, with all the same issues present and correct (for more, check out our FIFA 21 review). The AI hasn't been touched, so the defending and off-the-ball running is the same. FIFA 21 next-gen is just as much of a goalfest as the last-gen version. Most of my matches involve 10 or so goals. Occasionally you'll see some new animations, mostly when your player controls a high pass and then lays it off. Is FIFA 21 more responsive on next-gen? Perhaps, but it's really hard to tell the difference. Essentially FIFA 21 plays the same kind of virtual football here. There are visual flourishes on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S that aren't on last-gen, though. Some of the players' hair moves about in an exaggerated fashion. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is a good example of that. Occasionally you spot off-the-ball gestures from players, who'll point to where they want you to pass the ball. Some of the player faces are remarkably lifelike, too. But you only see the bulk of this stuff in replays. During a match, FIFA 21 on next-gen looks a little bit more detailed but I wouldn't say significantly so. There are opening match cutscenes where you see the players getting ready for the game, which are quite nice but after a while you end up skipping them. And there are new dramatic celebrations for things like last-minute winners. Even the managers have their time to shine. Next Gen - New Late Winner Celebration from r/FIFA To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings On next-gen Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has his hug everyone routine at the end of a match, and that fist punch thing he does to the crowd. (There's a lot of Liverpool in FIFA 21.) Watch on YouTube And a note on the DualSense controller. The adaptive triggers mean you get more resistance on the right trigger as you sprint with increasingly exhausted players. The rumble is a little over the top, and if you have your DualSense speaker on, it makes odd noises when you're playing, which I think are an attempt to simulate the crunch of a tackle or the crowd going wild. None of this is for me, so I turned it all off after a few games. I had worried about matchmaking taking longer, or resulting in more Division Rivals mismatches because of EA's decision not to go with cross-gen play - or cross-play at all. But I've been able to get matches pretty quickly on PS5, with only a handful of occasions where I would say the player ratings don't lineup. A decent effort, then, but FIFA 21 next-gen is fundamentally FIFA 21 last-gen. And let's remember Ultimate Team is still the pay-to-win, loot box-riddled gambling sim it always has been. You can just get to all the grubby stuff quicker now. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More Features Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. 11 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Feature What games get wrong about horses And what they could do about it. 34 Feature Shout out to all the Overwatch supports - where would we be without you? Merci. 55 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store