With only days away from the release of the next-gen consoles, Electronic Arts have revealed upgrade plans for the majority of its games on PS5 and Xbox Series X, explaining how current generation games will work on them. It's been announced that there will be many upgrades for some of their most popular games.
Fan-favorites such as FIFA 21, Madden NFL 21, Star Wars: Squadrons, Apex Legends, and more will be available to play on the upcoming PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Whether it's new updates or simply quicker loading times, there's a next-gen upgrade coming for almost every current big EA game.
These upgrades also means backwards compatibility for PS5 and Xbox Series X, meaning anyone who had previously bought these EA games will have their progress saved and ready for them on their new console. Many upgrades will also include cross-play, so players on the next-gen consoles can play with their friends who may have not upgraded yet. EA also seems to be working hard on visual enhancements for their games by utilizing the next-gen consoles' advanced technology and graphical capabilities.
PS5 & Xbox Series X Versions of FIFA, Madden, NHL, & UFC
FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 are both getting full upgrades for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and will be available on the consoles on December 4. Players will be able to upgrade the games for free as long as they had them on their previous console. Madden NFL 21 players will be able to continue with progress from the Ultimate Team and The Yard modes. FIFA 21 players can back up their progress from the Ultimate Team and Volta Football modes. However, no exact specifications have been given on upgraded frame rates or loading times.
NHL 21 and EA Sports UFC 4 will also be backwards compatible, allowing anyone who had previously owned the games to have them for free on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. EA stated that the games will run just like they did on previous consoles, with Xbox Series X gameplay being similar to Xbox One X, PS5 to PS4 Pro, and Xbox Series S to the Xbox One S. It is confirmed that these games will have slightly better loading times and frame rate upgrades.
Star Wars: Squadrons On PS5 & Xbox Series X
Star Wars: Squadrons will be getting the most significant upgrade out of all EA games, coming with two modes on Xbox Series X. Xbox players can choose between better visuals or better performance, with dynamic 4k resolution and 60 FPS on the Xbox Series X, and 1440p resolution with 60 FPS on the Xbox Series S. If playing on performance mode, it will run at dynamic 4K at 120 FPs on the Xbox Series X, and 1440p resolution with 120 FPS on the Xbox Series S.
Unfortunately for PS5 Star Wars: Squadrons players, they will not receive any significant upgrades such as what the Xbox Series X gets, and instead will feature improved lighting while running at 1440p and 60 FPS. They'll be stuck under the Xbox Series X's possible 120 FPS. The only other upside for PS5 players is the cross-play feature, which is for all consoles. Players will be able to experience the new Star Wars game with others no matter what platform they are on, including different generation consoles.
Star Wars: Squadrons will also be coming with a VR upgrade, which will vary the refresh rate and lower the amount of frame rate drops that players will experience. This will make for a much smoother and faster experience than players already have, as it fully takes advantage of the next-gen technology. EA seems to want players to have a seamlessly fast gameplay experience, and is accomplishing just that with these types of upgrades.
Apex Legends on PS5 & Xbox Series X
EA claims that Apex Legends will be receiving a "performance boost" which is likely a frame-rate upgrade. It will also be running on 1440p on both next-gen consoles. EA does say that the battle royale will receive more upgrades and improvements during next year. Similar to Star Wars: Squadrons, Apex Legends will feature cross-play between Xbox Series X and PS5, but PC players will stay playing against other PC players. According to what EA says, players will most likely see more significant upgrades to Apex Legends sometime into the future.
The Sims 4
The Sims 4 will directly transfer over to both next-gen consoles, along with all DLC and expansion packs the game has, including the newest Sims expansion, Snowy Escape. The game will also come with performance updates, which include faster loading times and smoother frame rates. There's not much other information revealed, so players don't yet know if there will be any resolution upgrades or new content coming soon for the PS5 and Xbox Series X releases of The Sims 4.
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered On PS5 & XSX
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, EA's newest remaster, will be available on the next-gen consoles with backwards compatibility. This game will be coming out on November 16, so it will run pretty similarly on the PS5 and Xbox Series X compared to how it does on the current PS4 and Xbox One X, and EA has yet to mention an upgrade in loading times or frame rate. On current-gen consoles, it runs at 4k graphics and 30 FPS, or 1080p and 60 FPS, which is likely how the game will play on next-gen.
As the release of the next-gen consoles rapidly approach players, more and more publishers are announcing their plans for upgrading their games or including backwards compatibility. EA is focusing on backwards compatibility improvements, as their only games with new, free version upgrades are FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21, so that they can use the Xbox Series X and PS5's advanced technology to its fullest potential.
Until the next-gen consoles come out, players can still progress in EA's newest games and are later continue on their next console. Players can play Apex Legends, FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 on their current-gen machines and use their backwards compatibility when they obtain the Xbox Series X or PS5. EA clearly wants the gaming experience to feel upgraded on these next-gen consoles, and with the many upgrades that are put into the games above, that seems to be getting accomplished.