FIFA 22 is getting its first major patch — labelled Title Update #1 — that comes with a bunch of gameplay changes, chiefly in the goalkeeping department. As you might have read in FIFA 22 reviews, including ours, goalkeepers are really powerful in EA Sports’ new football sim. But they also seem to be broken in parts, with some hilarious and frustrating bugs resulting in keepers being dumbfounded around the simplest of shots. The new patch addresses their effectiveness, and seemingly fixes the latter too though we won’t know for sure until we’ve had a run with it.
Title Update #1 is already live for those playing FIFA 22 on Stadia, and PC users on either Origin or Steam. It will be rolled out “at a later date” for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X versions, EA Sports said in the official FIFA forums.
FIFA 22 Review: More Arcade Than Ever
Goalkeeper effectiveness has been reduced when keepers dive for top corner shots taken from inside of the penalty box — especially for shots taken within 37 feet/ 11.27 meters of the goalkeeper. On the other hand, goalkeeper effectiveness has been “very slightly” increased for high finesse shots. EA Sports has added new goalkeeper animations to make it happen. Keepers will now react more authentically, the FIFA 22 devs claim. Lastly, EA has fixed an incorrect saving animation that keepers performed at times when saving headers.
On paper, that last bit sounds like it might address the problems we have faced personally. As you can see in the videos below, FIFA 22 goalkeepers tend to be completely clueless at times when it comes to the simplest of headers. It’s both frustrating and hilarious honestly, though admittedly a lot more so of the former when it happens online.
Aside from that, FIFA 22 Title Update #1 also brings some defensive gameplay changes. The frequency of players making contact with a travelling ball when attempting a sliding block has been improved. Additionally, during counterattacks that emerge from a corner, defenders marking opponents near the halfway line will now do a better job of it.
The first big FIFA 22 patch will also improve refereeing. High-velocity tackles will now cause more fouls. As will when players purposefully collide with a goalkeeper holding the ball. Meanwhile, soft physical contact across the pitch will lead to fewer fouls. And lastly, reasonably-timed slide tackles will result in fewer penalty kicks.
For FIFA 22 PS5 gamers, FIFA 22 Title Update #1 also brings a new controller setting that allows you to tweak the amount of Adaptive Trigger Resistance you want. Hopefully, this will also alleviate concerns around the DualSense’s trigger springs that have been prone to failure and breaking down.