Ranking the 5 best FIFA games of all time

It’s impossible to think of the best gaming franchises of all time without the FIFA series coming to mind. The revolutionary series, first released in 1993 by EA, has been a part of football fans lives for over 20 years and has truly impacted their lives for the better.However, with a total of 23 games in the series, choosing the best from the rest promises to be a herculean and unenviable task. But somebody’s got to do it, right? With that in mind, let’s have a go at ranking the 5 best FIFA games of all time.

#5 FIFA 10

The 2010’s certainly brought in some massive improvements to the FIFA series and FIFA 10 is the game that ushered these improvements in.

True to its tagline of ‘How big can football get’, some of the changes that FIFA 10 brought are: a change in gameplay which included a total football experience, the addition of an assistant manager, pre-season friendlies for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, realistic team performances and results, an improved transfer system, as well as a revamped player growth system.

All these changes made FIFA 10 one of the series’ more memorable games.

#4 FIFA 13

Undoubtedly one of the best FIFA’s in recent times, FIFA 13 and the impact it had on gamers is still being felt today. Changes that FIFA 13 brought with it include: a revamped career mode where players can manage a country as well as a club, newly included international teams, newly introduced football leagues, critically acclaimed touch-based features as well as the phenomenally received Ultimate Team.

FIFA 13 was universally appreciated, with critics calling the iOS version ‘the best sports game available’ as well as praising it across other platforms.

The game still holds its status as one of the best in recent history.

#3 FIFA 12

EA weren’t kidding back in 2011 when they announced that the year would be a revolutionary one for FIFA, with the gameplay receiving the most attention. The result was a beautiful masterpiece called FIFA 12.

Massive improvements in the games AI, excellent graphics, unique player characterises as well as keen attention to detail are some of the revolutionary changes FIFA 12 brought with it. Needless to say, the reception of FIFA 12 was fantastic, with eminent gaming website IGN giving it a phenomenal 9.5 rating.

Apart from outdoing themselves when it came to developing FIFA 12, EA also raised the bar for future titles in the series.

#2 FIFA 11

The number 11 is a special one in football as well as in the FIFA series, which experienced massive fortune with that number. Dynamic improvements that EA made to FIFA 11 include: the merged Career Mode, Pro passing, 360-degree dribbling, excellent improvements to the goalkeeper AI, as well as the highly anticipated player celebrations.

Critical acclaim soon followed and FIFA 11 ended up with a 9.5 rating from IGN, a phenomenal 10 out of 10 rating from the Official Playstation Magazine as well as the ‘Sports Game of the Year Award’, bestowed on them at the prestigious Golden Joystick Awards.

FIFA 11 is truly a gem in the series.

#1 FIFA International Soccer

FIFA International Soccer 1993 — FIFA International Soccer

The iMac wouldn’t have come into existence without the inception of the Macintosh; AI that’s available in all our smartphones today wouldn’t have been possible without Alan Turing and the FIFA series wouldn’t have come into existence without the inception of FIFA International Soccer.

It may not boast of the same features or the remarkable graphics we associate the FIFA series with today, but it’s the game that started a revolution and deserves to be saluted. Years will come and go, newer versions of FIFA will continue to be made by EA, but the game that started it all will never be forgotten, which is why it gets the top spot when it comes to ranking the 5 best FIFA games of all time.