How the PS5 hardware will enhance FIFA 21 graphics and more

FIFA 21 has unsurprisingly been confirmed to be coming out this year, albeit a bit later than normal.

One of the things that makes this year's entry different though is the fact that it will be releasing around the same time as the next generation of consoles.

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As such, you might be wondering what the PS5 means for FIFA 21, what kind of effects will it have, and just how much better can a game be on the next wave of consoles.

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How will the PS5 improve FIFA 21?

We actually know a fair bit about what the PS5 is capable of just based on the small bits of information that Sony has already put out.

We know that it will be capable of supporting 8k gameplay thanks to a powerful AMD chip and the eight cores. Though, that one will really depend on your TV as well.

We also know that there is a custom version of Radeon's Navi line of graphics cards, one that will be capable of supporting ray-tracing.

Ray-tracing is a new technique that helps to replicate more realistic lighting effects, which, in turn, really makes things look almost life-like.

READ MORE:FIFA 21 PS5 Gameplay: How Can PlayStation 5's Graphics Enhance The Next FIFA?

Finally, we know that there will be an SSD, which stands for Solid-State Drive. These are a special kind of storage device that allows for substantially faster access thanks to using flash-based memory.

It does this because instead of having moving parts like a traditional hard drive, it instead has a single memory chip which makes for much better loading times and general performance.

All of this stuff sounds great, but what does it mean for FIFA 21 on PS5?

Well, let's start at the top. The graphical improvements thanks to the new graphics card and the more powerful processing power mean that players will look more life-like than ever.

That allows for more impressive cutscenes, in-game action, and even things like weather effects as well. This all makes for the best looking version of FIFA to date, but by a larger margin than what we're used to.

The processing power also means that we could see a massive leap in in-game physics and more detailed movements. This could allow for more realistic ball movements, a more in-depth injury system, and even things like an improved AI system for the players you aren't controlling.

This allows for things like more modular difficulty settings as well as things like weather actively affecting how the ball acts and how quickly your players get injured.

READ MORE: 10 player faces that NEED updating on FIFA 21 for PS5

On top of that, and this is perhaps the most important, but also least immediately impressive change, the SSD means that loading times will be borderline instantaneous.

Back when the PS5 was first announced, we saw the loading times regarding Spider-Man. The PS4 load times were around 8.10 seconds, while the same loading times on PS5 were reduced to a mere 0.8 seconds.

That's not even enough time to check Twitter or repost a meme your saw on Facebook.

These improvements could easily make for the most impressive football game to date, and certainly the best FIFA we've ever seen, at least in terms of the technical potential of the game.

Is FIFA 21 on the PS5 worth it?

In a word, yes.

EA has announced through their Dual Entitlement program that you won't need to double-dip and buy FIFA 21 for the PS5 if you already own it on the PS4, as long as you do this before FIFA 22 releases.

However, players will NOT be able to upgrade for free from the PS4 to the Series X, or from the Xbox One to PS5. The only other people excluded from this deal will be those who buy the physical disk of FIFA 21 and then upgrade to a discless console.

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How much will FIFA 21 on the PS5 cost?

If you're an Xbox One user committed to jumping over to PlayStation, you won't be eligible for the Dual Entitlement scheme. If you want to buy a second copy of FIFA 21 for the next-gen, then it looks probable that it will be more expensive than your current-gen copy.

If we go off the prices from NBA 2K21, another annual sports game with similar monetisation to FIFA, then however much FIFA 21 costs on the PS4, it will likely be £5 more on the PS5.

Is this upgrade worth it? Given all the upgrades mentioned above, there are likely extra development costs for FIFA 21, and with loot boxes potentially on the way out, EA will be hoping for as much money as they can get.

READ MORE: NBA 2K21 will cost MORE on next-gen consoles: Will the price of PS5 and Xbox Series X games generally be more expensive than PS4 and Xbox One prices?