EA Is Shutting Down 10 Games Very Soon

An unfortunate reality of modern gaming is that games with live service and online components won’t be around forever. Where games once lived entirely on cartridges and discs to be revisited at our leisure, digital games that require online support tend to get shut down in the long run. Such is the case for Electronic Arts‘ recently updated list of games that will soon have their live service components shut down.

Recently, EA updated its list of games that will be seeing a shutdown of online services, moving up the dates of a few previously announced closures. Though EA hasn’t given specific reasons for ending support for many of these titles, older games tend to shut down as companies shift resources to newer, more popular titles. Now, gamers have a few more popular sports titles to say goodbye to as EA prepares to end online service for several of its PS4 and Xbox One era titles. Here’s the full list of what’s going offline and when, along with what the shutdowns mean for fans.

NHL 21

On October 6th, EA will end online service for NHL 21 on both PS4 and Xbox One. Offline play modes for the hockey simulator will remain available, but gamers will no longer be able to access multiplayer modes. EA has previously shared its intentions to shut down this game, as it typically does with its older sports titles.

Need for Speed: Rivals

The racing game’s servers will shut down on October 7th, meaning you’ve only got a few more weeks to enjoy online races with friends. The game will remain playable on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, but without access to online play. If you’re still hoping to earn all of the achievements, you’ll need to grab those that require online game modes before October 7th.

Madden NFL 22

Another sports simulator game going offline this year will be Madden NFL 22 on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC. EA shut down the game’s in-game Madden Points purchases earlier this year, in preparation to fully disable online services on October 20th. Players will not be able to participate in online football matches or play the Ultimate Team mode. You can still enjoy Franchise and Career Modes, which do not require an online connection to play.

FIFA 23

Rounding out the October server shutdowns from EA is FIFA 23, which will be leaving the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. This is one of the newer sports games on the list, but it’s also a special case as it’s the last FIFA title from EA prior to its EA Sports FC rebrand. Originally slated for shutdown in December, EA is now shuttering FIFA 23 early on October 30th. Online game modes, including online matches, will no longer be playable, but you can still enjoy Career Mode and other offline features.

Dirt 3

Players previously learned that racing game Dirt 3 would shut down online servers in early 2026. However, EA is now taking DiRT 3 offline much earlier, with the title now slated to shut down on November 8th of this year. The game will no longer support online modes for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PC, or Switch. Online multiplayer, custom championships, and career mode progression will no longer be available. However, players will still be able to race in the DiRT Tour campaign mode and other offline features.

Dirt Showdown

Another arcade racing game getting the axe from EA is Dirt: Showdown, previously available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This title from the same series as Dirt 3 will also go offline on November 8th, also moved up from the original plan. While the game does have some offline content, it was largely focused on the multiplayer racing experience. Split-screen multiplayer will still be possible for those who already own the game, but online play is going away.

Grid Autosport

Codemasters’ racing game GRID Autosport will also shut down on November 8th. This game was available for mobile, alongside PS3, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox 360. It was already delisted, but will now fully shut down all online services. The game’s career mode and offline modes will remain available for those who already own the game, but online multiplayer and the vehicle customization that comes with online mode will be gone.

Grid

Along with its predecessor, 2019 release Grid will join the other Codemasters racing games in going offline on November 8th. It was delisted in 2023, and will now fully lose online support. Like EA’s other racing games, it’s losing online multiplayer but keeping career mode and similar offline features.

EA Sports FC Empires

The only fully mobile title on the list is EA Sports FC Empires, which will go offline on November 30th for iOS and Google Play. The game is already delisted from the online stores, and will see a full server shutdown on November 30th. The game just came out back in December 2024, and was only ever available in select markets. Now, the game is being shuttered alongside other EA titles. As a mobile title that requires online features to function, this game will be fully out of the picture once its servers shut down.

Anthem

Anthem fans will be able to enjoy the game through the end of the year, but just barely. This is the only non-sports-focused title on the list, as it’s an MMORPG from Dragon Age developer BioWare. It was released in 2019 to mixed reviews, and stopped getting updates back in 2021. Now, the game’s servers are set to shut down on January 12th. Due to Anthem‘s focus on multiplayer gameplay, this will mean that the game itself will no longer be playable after that date. That makes it one of the tougher blows for those who do enjoy the game, as there won’t even be offline content to revisit.

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