The 2013 edition of the soccer series continues the tradition of expanding the game with novelties and updating the existing game modes. All the leagues from FIFA Soccer 2012 are still present, along with the Saudi Professional League and the USA MLS All-Stars new for this version. The national teams see the return of Czech Republic, India, Paraguay and Venezuela, while Croatia was removed. In the Career mode an international team as well as a club can be managed with the additional of qualifications and international tournaments. The transfer system has been tweaked so counter-offers are incorporated as well as transfers that combine players with money as a single offer. Through the The Match Day feature team and player statistics are updated and rebalanced on a weekly basis and a Game of the Week is offered, where a loaded game from the past weekend can be replayed. The Pro Clubs mode have seasonal play and EA Sports Football Club introduces specific scenarios for the player to tackle. The latter offers unlockable rewards such as boots, team kits and celebration sequences by gathering experience. The main game mode is called Ultimate Team.

This version debuts First Touch Control as a way to make fluid attacking moves less predictable. It takes the players' individual statistics and the situation (based on movement, position and pressure) into account to determine how well control and actions are performed. There are more options to dribble (based on the free dribbling system introduced in FIFA Street) and the system for computer-controlled players offering support for offensive conversions has been improved. New to the series is the Skill Games mode. It consists of 32 minigames based around disciplines such as shooting, passing, dribbling etc. They only last a few minutes and come with three difficulty levels based on medals. They can be played alone or with another playing hopping in, for instance to take control of the keeper.

This is the first version in the series to support the Kinect (360) and Move (PS3) peripherals. Kinect offers additional options based on voice while the regular controller is still used to play. Voice commands are used to switch tactics and motivational phrases can be mapped. The "substitute" voice command launches a menu in the corner where the players to swap can be chosen. For Move motion control is introduced. The wand guides players around the pitch and by pointing the passing direction can be determined.