FIFA (video game series)
Best-selling sports video game franchise, 1993–2022.
FIFA was a series of association football simulation video games. From 1993 to 2022, it was created by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and released by EA Sports. Following a four-year break, the franchise came back in 2026 with two titles: *FIFA Heroes*, made and published by ENVER, and *FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition*, which came out on Netflix. By 2011, the series had been translated into 18 languages and was sold in 51 countries. The Guinness World Records lists it as the best-selling sports video game franchise ever, with over 325 million copies sold by 2021. On 10 May 2022, EA and FIFA announced that their 30-year partnership would end when their licensing deal expired, making *FIFA 23* the last game under the FIFA name. EA then launched the EA Sports FC series as its successor, starting with *EA Sports FC 24*.
Football video games like *Tehkan World Cup*, *Sensible Soccer*, *Kick Off*, and *Match Day* had been around since the late 1980s and were already competing in the market when EA Sports decided to add a football game to its label. The series began with *FIFA International Soccer* on the Mega Drive in late 1993, notable as the first game to get an official license from FIFA, the global governing body of football. The main series was joined by spin-offs focused on single tournaments, such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA European Football Championship, plus a line of football management games. Since the 1990s, its main rival has been Konami’s eFootball series (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer, or PES).
*FIFA 12* holds the record for the "fastest selling sports game ever," moving more than 3.2 million copies and generating over $186 million at retail in its first week. The franchise’s final EA Sports release, *FIFA 23*, came out worldwide on 27 September 2022 and was available on systems like the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
**History**
*FIFA 95* added little beyond the ability to play with club teams, but *FIFA 96* pushed things forward. It was the first to use real player names, thanks to a FIFPro license, and on PlayStation, PC, 32X, and Sega Saturn, it used EA’s "Virtual Stadium" engine, with 2D sprite players moving in a real-time 3D stadium. *FIFA 97* improved this with polygonal player models and added an indoor soccer mode.
Quick Facts
- Title
- FIFA
- Genre
- Sports simulation (football)
- Developer
- Extended Play Productions (1993–1997) · EA Vancouver (1997–2022) · EA Romania (2016–2022) · ENVER (2026) · Refactor Games (2026)
- Publisher
- EA Sports (1993–2023) / ENVER (2026) / Delphi Interactive (2026)
- Released
- Annually, 1993–2022
- First Release Version
- FIFA International Soccer
- First Release Date
- 15 December 1993
- Latest Release Version
- FIFA Heroes
- Latest Release Date
- June 24, 2026
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The FIFA series began with FIFA International Soccer on the Mega Drive in late 1993, notable for being the first football game to have an official license from FIFA, the world governing body of football. Early installments evolved from 2D sprites on a 3D stadium in FIFA 96 to polygonal player models in FIFA 97, with a pinnacle reached in FIFA: Road to World Cup 98. The series featured commentators including John Motson, Martin Tyler, and Alan Smith, and introduced female national teams in FIFA 16 after a petition. Its main competitor has been Konami's eFootball series (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer).
Reader's Guide
The FIFA franchise was the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, with FIFA 12 holding the record for fastest-selling sports game ever at 3.2 million copies in its first week. The series sold more than 100 million copies by 2010 and more than 325 million by 2021. After a 30-year partnership, EA and FIFA ended their licensing agreement in 2022, making FIFA 23 the last EA-developed entry. EA launched the EA Sports FC franchise as a successor. FIFA later partnered with Konami for FIFAe World Cup editions in eFootball, and in October 2025 announced FIFA Heroes, its first non-EA game, followed by FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition on Netflix in 2026.
Did You Know?
- FIFA 12 sold more than 3.2 million copies in its first week, the fastest-selling sports game ever.
- The series was localised into 18 languages and available in 51 countries as of 2011.
- FIFA 16, released in 2015, was the first in the series to include female national teams.
- After a four-year hiatus, the franchise returned in 2026 with two games: FIFA Heroes and FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition.
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