FIFA 20 is making many changes, taking the franchise in a more inclusive and interesting direction with FIFA VOLTA: its new street soccer mode.

It captures new styles of soccer with a few mode-exclusive skill moves like jumping off walls alongside more traditional ones.  It even has four distinct modes within the VOLTA mode itself – World, Story Mode, League, and kick-off. There are also five different match configurations: 3v3 Rush, 4v4 Rush (No Goalies), 4v4, 5v5, and Professional Futsal. But all of that is just the beginning.

The character customization, varied locations, and the fact that men and women can share the pitch for the first time in franchise history makes FIFA VOLTA a pivotal addition to the game and a push towards celebrating the inherent diversity of soccer.

The popularity of soccer is unparalleled with an estimated 4 billion people who follow the sport. There are even professional teams that have players from every continent and confederation in the world on their roster. Suffice it to say, soccer touches every corner and every country.

FIFA VOLTA takes this into account by celebrating soccer history on an individual level, taking players back to their own beginnings with soccer.

“When our users first picked up the [soccer] ball it was not in an 11v11 professional game,” said Prior, “even the professionals do not [initially] connect with FIFA on a professional level or even just a regular 11v11 [match].”

And it’s true. To this day, I’ve never even played an 11v11 soccer game on an actual field. But I remember moving trash cans to make two sides of a goal post and running around in gym class trying to get one past the goalie, who stood between two safety cones.

So when I saw the FIFA VOLTA trailer taking us through an underpass in Amersterdam, a cage in London, and a rooftop in Tokyo I couldn’t help but feel I was getting a window into other people’s lived experiences.

I instantly thought of the beach my family used as a soccer field once, the day my dad broke his toe playing goalie barefoot in the sand. The possibilities for this mode to grow feel endless. FIFA VOLTA is an unexpected nostalgia trip I didn’t know I was missing.

Progress has been made over the years, with women finally being playable starting with FIFA 16, but we still have a long way to go. For instance, we’ve been able to play the men’s world cup but not the women’s. And the absence of women from FIFA Ultimate team is one of the most notable gaps for the franchise.

But FIFA VOLTA is shaking things up. “It’s much more of a blank canvas in creativity,” said Prior, “it’s the most accessible, customizable and, inclusive mode we’ve ever put in FIFA.”

Rest assured, the overwhelming amount of content in FIFA VOLTA isn’t taking away anything from the classic 11v11 gameplay.

“We have added members of the team to bring this mode to it,” clarified FIFA 20 producer Matthew Prior, “we didn’t take away members of the team from the regular game.” In fact, the same core mechanics are in place along with some of the same skill moves so players can flip between standard play and VOLTA comfortably.

“VOLTA means ‘the return’ in Portuguese,” as stated in EA’s official press release, “and [FIFA VOLTA] is all about returning football back to its roots in an authentic, cultural and creative way.”

I’ve been playing FIFA for years and now I can actually put myself into the game I’ve been engrossed with for so long. FIFA VOLTA is more than a fun and surprisingly expansive addition, it’s a homecoming and I’ve never felt so welcome in the franchise.

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