EA has shared more details on EA Sports FC Tactical, its previously announced free-to-play turn-based football spin-off, confirming it'll launch for iOS and Android "early 2024".

EA Sports FC Tactical was first mentioned during EA's grand unveiling for its new-look football series back in July. At the time, information on the game was limited, but the publisher has now shared a little more as pre-registration opens via the iOS App Store and Google Play.

EA says Tactical is all about "in-game strategies, such as stamina and power-play management", and it reimagines EA Sports FC's usual match action as a turn-based experience, with opponents taking it in turns to defend, attack, perform skill moves, and attempt to score goals.

Before hitting the pitch, however, players will need to build and strengthen their team, assembling their squad by collecting and training the likes of Erling Haaland, Son Heung-min, Jude Bellingham, Federico Chiesa, and Virgil van Djik. In total, more than 5,000 real footballers will be represented in EA Sports FC Tactical from across more than ten leagues, including the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A.

"Train players to master high-skill moves," EA explains, "unlock perfect traits for deeper progression, and customise your team with various items like stadium designs, kits, and balls."

EA Sports FC Tactical features a range of different modes, including online friendly matches and "intense" online competitions, and there's support for Rank matches, Leagues, and Guilds. All of which adds up to what EA is calling "authentic football action like never before".

While EA's press release doesn't explicitly mention "free-to-play", its App Store listing confirms that'll be the case (and narrows EA's "early 2024" release window down to a far more specific 18th January 2024). It also details the game's raft of in-app purchases, including bundles of Tactical Points ranging from 99p to £30.99, a £12.99 Premium Pass and £18.99 Premium Pass Plus, and the first of presumably multiple Training Support Packs, which'll cost £5.99.

EA Sports FC Tactical's launch follows what's been a successful start to EA's newly named football franchise after it ditched the FIFA license. The publisher recently trumpeted 11m players in EA Sports FC 24's first week of release on PC and consoles - that's 1m more than FIFA 23 saw in the same period - touting a "20% year over year" increase in new players for the series.

Eurogamer gave EA Sports FC 24 three out of five stars when it released at the end of September. "There are improvements, and there are problems, business as usual," contributor Josh Wise wrote in his review. "The era of EA Sports' FIFA may be over, but the game goes on."