EA Sports FC 27 tops Steam sales charts despite mixed user reviews

EA Sports FC 27 has opened strongly on Steam, but its early user reviews tell a very different story. EA's latest football game has climbed to the top of Steam's sales rankings in some regions and remains among the platform's global best sellers, while player reviews remain mixed.

As of September 28, only around 56% of English-language Steam reviews were positive. The negative feedback covers gameplay changes, technical problems and complaints that this year's release does not improve enough on EA Sports FC 26.

The volume of negative reviews has been described as review bombing in some coverage. However, Steam's data alone does not show that the reviews are part of a coordinated campaign.

Some of the most common complaints focus on passing, manual defending and the general pace of matches. Players have also questioned whether the changes are substantial enough to justify another full-price annual release.

PC-specific problems are adding to the criticism. Steam reviews and community discussions include reports of stuttering, delayed inputs and controller disconnects. Some players also say the game fails to launch after EA's anti-cheat software starts.

EA released version 1.0.1 shortly before the worldwide launch. The update addressed several issues across Ultimate Team and The Grounds, including unexpectedly high ping in some league matches and problems joining matches through Hot Join. The game's Steam page also confirms that the PC version uses EA Javelin Anticheat, Denuvo Anti-Tamper and the EA app.

The mixed reception has not stopped EA Sports FC 27 from attracting a large PC audience. SteamDB recorded an all-time peak of 91,542 concurrent players on September 25, the day of the worldwide launch.

The game also reached second place on Steam's global weekly top-seller chart for September 15 to 22, before its Standard Edition had fully launched. It has since continued appearing near the top of Steam's sales rankings.

Those numbers measure Steam activity rather than the game's complete audience. EA Sports FC 27 is also available on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo platforms, meaning the Steam peak represents only part of its launch player base.

EA positioned The Grounds as one of the major new features for this year's game. The online social football mode lets players create an avatar, join smaller-scale matches and earn customization items.

Career Mode and Ultimate Team have also received changes. Manager Career now includes new negotiation options and dynamic player ratings. Ultimate Team has also added a Gallery system where players can display collected items and earn rewards.

Some Steam reviewers have criticized The Grounds for its limited playable space and its use of cosmetic purchases, while others have focused more heavily on the core football gameplay. EA Sports FC 27 launched worldwide on September 25. EA has said player feedback will continue to shape updates throughout the season, making the next patches particularly important for the PC issues now appearing in early Steam reviews.