FC 27 Ultimate Scream vs FC 26 | Why This Year's Halloween Promo Feels Underwhelming?

FC 26's Ultimate Scream was a huge success and could easily be considered one of the best promos of last year. However, Ultimate Scream in FUT 27 has been considerably less impressive.

FC 27 built on FC 26 by introducing a token system that allows players to choose their own rewards. However, this is not what made FC 27 Ultimate Scream feel underwhelming. Let's take a closer look at why players have reacted so differently to the two events.

Similarities

The core gameplay concept behind Ultimate Scream remains the same in both games. Players featured in the promo receive unconventional position changes, such as goalkeepers being converted into strikers, alongside a mechanic that temporarily boosts one of their individual face stats to 99.

In FC 26, the 99-rated boost was tied to specific full moon dates and lasted for seven days. FIFA 27, meanwhile, schedules this boost to begin on November 24, 2026, and also makes it available for one week. Additionally, the upgraded players receive full positional chemistry, making them easier to fit into squads.

FUT 26 tied its upgrades to Beaver Moon (November 5) and Cold Moon (December 4), granting permanent Role+ and Role++ upgrades. FC 27 also uses Beaver Moon as the trigger for its temporary 99 stat boost, retaining this iconic thematic element.

SBCs, Objectives, and Evolutions were the main ways to obtain promo cards and rewards in both games. FC 26 featured six Halloween-themed Puzzle SBCs, along with SBCs such as End of an Era and World Tour.

FUT 27 also retains Puzzle SBCs and Showdown SBCs, while introducing exclusive Evolutions through Token Store.

Differences

Token Rewards

FC 26 offered a relatively straightforward reward structure. Players primarily earned player packs or specific player items by completing Objectives and SBCs, while Ultimate Scream Cards were mainly available through the transfer market.

FIFA 27 appears to have taken inspiration from FC 26's Festival of Football by introducing a unified Scream Token system for redeeming rewards. However, players can still trade promo players using FC 27 coins.

Players earn tokens by completing themed Objectives over two weeks, then use them in Token Store to redeem specific rewards, including exclusive Hero cards, packs, and Evolutions.

Token Store remains open for an additional week after the event ends, giving players extra time to use their remaining tokens. However, token systems are now widely used across different FUT 27 modes, so future promos may adopt a similar approach.

Event Gameplay

FC 26 featured relatively conventional gameplay variations, including the return of Challengers, Ultimate Gauntlet, Champs Excellence Tournament, and a Screamers Tournament-themed live event where goals scored from outside the box counted for double.

FC 27, on the other hand, introduces a dedicated Ghoul Fest mode during the second week of Ultimate Scream. In this mode, offsides and fouls are not penalized. There are also two Flash Rush events every week, providing a reliable way to earn tokens.

Cosmetics and Collection Systems

FC 27 brings back equivalents of the various cosmetic features introduced in FUT 26. However, FC 27 also adds FUT Gallery system, which means Ultimate Scream comes with its own Ghostly Gallery.

Players can complete Objectives using Scream player items to earn themed Vanity Items. They can also submit squads containing five or more players to earn Gallery Tokens.

Why Do Players Have Such Different Opinions About the Two Promos?

FC 26 Ultimate Scream

Many players had a fairly positive impression of FIFA 26 Ultimate Scream. Part of this enthusiasm came from the excitement of seeing the promo return after a six-year absence.

Its dramatic stat boosts and unconventional position changes were also well received. The changes made the event feel fresh and exciting without significantly disrupting the game's balance, making them a particularly well-received design choice.

However, FC 26 was not without its shortcomings. Some SBC players required considerable resources to complete, and not every promo card remained competitive in actual squads. Nevertheless, these were relatively minor issues.

Patch v1.1.0, released alongside the event, significantly weakened R1 Dribbling. Many players felt that the adjustment went too far, shifting the game away from an attack-oriented style and back toward a slower environment where breaking down defensive setups was more difficult. This also had a negative impact on the overall reception of Ultimate Scream.

FC 27 Ultimate Scream

FIFA 27 Ultimate Scream no longer delivers the same sense of surprise as last year's edition, and most players have described it as fairly mediocre.

Token Store is actually one of the main sources of player complaints. Players are not necessarily opposed to this type of reward system, but the current token acquisition rate and the redemption requirements for certain rewards have made the event feel unnecessarily tedious.

Earning event tokens requires a considerable time investment, yet the final rewards have failed to meet expectations. This is particularly true of certain packs and Evolutions, which require relatively high token investments.

Some Evolutions also offer underwhelming stat improvements. Many upgraded players can only reach overall ratings of around 83 to 85, while some lower-rated players remain less effective in actual matches than ordinary players available on the transfer market, even after completing their Evolutions.

Another unfortunate coincidence is that Title Update v1.1.0, released on October 27, also received considerable criticism from players. This time, however, the complaints centered on the patch's failure to deliver any meaningful fixes. Meanwhile, Ultimate Team ecosystem had already become highly repetitive in just one month.

Now that Ultimate Scream has returned to FUT 27, relying solely on conventional rewards is clearly not enough to keep players excited. Otherwise, the promo risks becoming just another forgettable event that loses its unique identity. It needs either new and distinctive gameplay features or substantially better rewards to stand out.