[3] The PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows and Xbox One versions include a continuation of "The Journey" a story-based mode that was originally in FIFA 17 titled "The Journey: Hunter Returns", which continues the story of fictional footballer Alex Hunter as he seeks to make a name for himself in the football world.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, marketed as FIFA 18: Legacy Edition, were not built on the Frostbite engine and do not contain any new gameplay features, and are hence identical to the previous release aside from updated kits and squads.

[5] Critics praised the improvements made to the gameplay, including the introduction of Real Player Motion Technology and the overhaul of the dribbling and crossing mechanics.

FIFA 18 was a commercial success, selling over 24 million copies worldwide by the end of 2018, and becoming one of the best-selling games of the year.

[15][16] EA Sports introduced Quick Subs into FIFA 18 where the player can make a substitute when the ball goes out of play.

[18][19] If one completed the original story, they will begin FIFA 18 at the same club – with traits and honours, such as a Premier League title or FA Cup win, being carried over.

As for those starting fresh, they will see a montage of key plot points in the game, then be able to select from any current English Premier League side.

[19][20] The trailer released for this game mode also shows numerous widely known football players making an appearance such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, Dele Alli, Thomas Müller, Gyasi Zardes, Rio Ferdinand and Thierry Henry.

If the player beats Real Madrid, they play against LA Galaxy, where Hunter encounters Gyasi Zardes in the tunnel before the match starts.

Following the first game of the new Premier League season, Michael tells Alex that none other than Real Madrid are keen on signing him.

Despite it being a risky move with Alex who is still in his youth, he decides to follow his dreams, and put forward a transfer request.

Just one day before the transfer window closes, Michael reveals that he found out that the Real Madrid deal was a scam, and that they were never interested in him joining their team.

With just hours until the deadline, Michael admits that he really wanted to sign Alex with Madrid because he was falling behind in his reputation as an agent, and so he went with the deal without really thinking too much.

With no other option to go for, aside from training with the youth squad, Alex accepts the deal, helping the team to reach the playoffs.

With Christmas coming around, Alex returns home to England after the season with LA ends, but gives Kim their grandfather's football for luck in her future games.

Having recovered from his injury in rehab, Alex meets up with Kim for a kick around before going back to his European team, where he finds out that Dino's job is at risk, and he may be fired if the club does not win any silverware by the season's end.

[26][27] On 30 April 2018, EA announced a free expansion based on the 2018 FIFA World Cup, featuring all 32 teams that qualified, all 12 stadiums used at the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well as the ability for players to create their own customized World Cup tournaments and 17 other national teams that did not qualify: Austria, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Scotland, Turkey, United States and Wales.

In their review scoring 7 out of 10, GameSpot wrote, "From the variety of game modes on offer and how everything's presented, to the constant updates in FUT's Team of the Week, Daily Objectives, and discussion of real-world happenings in commentary, FIFA 18 captures the world of football and confidently translates it into a video game.

Players criticized EA of changing the game through patches which resulted in large amounts of glitches and bugs in the game, players not getting what they paid for, and the need to spend a large amount of real currency to obtain a decent Ultimate Team.

FIFA 18, alongside several other EA games such as Star Wars: Battlefront II, are also under investigation by countries such as Belgium for their loot box systems.