FIFA 23 review: EA's doomed franchise flounders in extra time (2023)

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

The final whistle has been blown. The FIFA franchise, as we know it, is doomed to die a death (of sorts). EA Sports has already confirmed that it will be parting ways with FIFA, the governing body of world football, with EA Sports FC due to be launched next year instead – EA will be breaking out on its own and FIFA will seek new partners in the gaming space.

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(Video) Why FIFA 23 SUCKS on Nintendo Switch

Before that can come to pass, though, pre-existing contracts seem to dictate that EA and FIFA must share the pitch one last time, with the newly launched FIFA 23 marking the final collaboration between those two giants of the footballing scene. If the final whistle has already blown, then, this last hurrah must be the awkward period of extra time that follows.

Seeing as FIFA 23 is the last FIFA game that EA will make, there's more attention than usual on this year's entry in the decades-long football simulator franchise. Here at RadioTimes.com, we've been playing the game for a little while now, and we're here to bear witness and share our opinions as FIFA 23 brings this era to a close.

To keep the metaphor alive, we'd argue that FIFA 23 is floundering rather than flourishing in this extra-time period, and you can't help but wonder if EA is already looking ahead to next year's rebrand rather than putting all its attention on the here and now.

That's not to say that there aren't changes and improvements here. Women's club teams have been added for the first time, which is no small feat, and the catchily named HyperMotion 2 technology has been deployed (on the next-gen systems only) to add an extra layer of realism to the on-pitch antics.

(Video) FIFA 23 Nintendo Switch vs. PlayStation 5 Comparison

Plus, Ted Lasso and FIFA 23 have teamed up, allowing you to play as AFC Richmond in a number of different game modes (there's no story mode to play with them, though). And speaking of game modes, almost all of them (bar Pro Clubs) now support cross-platform play, which will broaden the number of pals you can play with.

That's all well and good, but when it comes down to brass tacks, the overall FIFA 23 experience feels much the same as the last few entries in the franchise. If you like Career Mode, it's still there and slightly tweaked. If you prefer FIFA Ultimate Team, it's still there and slightly tweaked. If you're into Pro Clubs, guess what, it's still there and slightly tweaked.

FIFA 23 review: EA's doomed franchise flounders in extra time (1)

Of course, this is what we've come to expect from annual sports games in general. A few technical changes get made, the player ratings get updated, and if you're lucky you might see a new viral dance trend like The Griddy being added to the celebration options to prompt a few reactions on social.

To us, it feels like the fandom and the team behind the scenes are watching the clock, keeping the ball moving while they wait for this era to finish so the next one can start. Plus, it doesn't help that the promised FIFA 23 World Cup mode will not be added until nearer the tournament's real-life start date.

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(Video) I FIXED JUVENTUS... in FIFA 23

All of that being said, when you're actually on the pitch, FIFA 23 does feel pretty darn good on the sticks. The changes to sprinting have made races to the touchline feel a bit more authentic, while the overhaul to power shots (press L1 and R1 to deploy one when you shoot) add an extra bit of drama to your worldie efforts from distance.

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This is a very good FIFA game, don't get us wrong. The graphics look great, the changes improve on last year, and the soundtrack is pretty good this time too. But we might've hoped for something a little bit more exciting and original for the final entry in the franchise. Here's looking forward to next year, basically.

Read more on FIFA:

FIFA 23 is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia and Nintendo Switch. We reviewed on Xbox Series X and S.

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(Video) What Does $10,000 Get You On FIFA 23?

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FAQs

Does FIFA 23 have bad reviews? ›

Most of the complaints sound generic, as some users feel that FIFA 23 is not a big upgrade over FIFA 22, while others believe that it's not an accurate representation of the sport. A lot of complaints are also being directed towards the microtransactions and pay-to-win mechanics present in the game.

Is it worth upgrading to FIFA 23? ›

Overall, FIFA 23 does what's expected and has a lot of scope for improvement. However, it's the best football video game that a lover of the sport can get today. While eFootball 2022 is free, it doesn't have enough content for starters.

Is FIFA 23 worth it? ›

This is a very good FIFA game, don't get us wrong. The graphics look great, the changes improve on last year, and the soundtrack is pretty good this time too. But we might've hoped for something a little bit more exciting and original for the final entry in the franchise. Here's looking forward to next year, basically.

Why is FIFA 23 the last one? ›

The latest installment of FIFA 23 will be the last under the partnership between the two entities. After this release, all future games will cease using the FIFA name or branding, and the World Cup will also cease being a part of it as an official FIFA event.

Is FIFA 23 pay to win? ›

Pay to Win

As with the game's predecessors, the most popular mode in FIFA 23 is the “pay-to-win” mode FIFA Ultimate Team. The only way to quickly get good players on your team is to invest hard-earned money in the game.

Is FIFA 22 or 23 better? ›

In this comparison, FIFA 23 fares much better than FIFA 22. And if you do not have any of these games yet, and are wondering which one is worth investing in the most – choose the unimaginably epic gameplay in FIFA 23.

Is FIFA 23 slower than 22? ›

FIFA 23 is a much slower game than FIFA 22, but it has improved on player movement and game mechanics so it can be as smooth and realistic as possible.

Is FIFA 24 coming out? ›

We can reveal that there will not be a FIFA 24 as EA Sports are rebranding and calling the game EA Sports FC. Speaking about the new and upcoming game, EA Sports said: “This new independent platform will bring fresh opportunity – to innovate, create and evolve.

How much is 4600 FIFA Points? ›

These FIFA Points Got Removed

So EA has removed the option to buy 250 FIFA Points ($2.49), 750 FIFA Points ($7.49), 2200 FIFA Points ($19.99) and the good old 4600 FIFA Points ($39.99). We don't like this, because let's be honest: Now we can't spend twenty bucks anymore, we have to invest more right away.

How many seasons are there in FIFA 23 Career Mode? ›

With a total of 15 seasons available in each Career Mode playthrough, it is essential that the Player Career Mode level cap is not only hard to reach but will take much longer.

Does FIFA 23 have World Cup mode? ›

See what's new in FIFA 23, with HyperMotion2 Technology, both men's and women's FIFA World Cup™ tournaments, cross-play features, and more.

Will FIFA 23 be crossed? ›

When FIFA 23 launches for the first time, cross-play will be enabled by default. You can edit your cross-play opt–in status through the Online Settings screen which can be found in FUT, VOLTA FOOTBALL and the FIFA main menu.

Will FIFA ever end? ›

Long story short: yes, FIFA 23 will be the last FIFA-branded game that EA Sports makes for the foreseeable future.

Is FIFA 23 the end? ›

FIFA 23 will be the last installment in the EA Sports FIFA franchise, but it most certainly doesn't spell the end of the video game. In May, EA Sports and FIFA announced their partnership spanning over 20 years will come to an end in the summer of 2023.

Will FIFA 22 be shut down? ›

Each year the next game in the sequence gets shut off so next year it will be FIFA 18, the year after FIFA 19 etc. So FIFA 22 servers will continue to be online for another 5 years!

Can I earn money by playing FIFA? ›

GameChampions is the best site to play FIFA 22 tournaments and stand a chance to win amazing cash prizes. Every weekend thousands of players make money online competing in our FIFA tournament. We host a tournament with an epic prize pool every day and we giveaway thousands of euros in prizes every season.

What is the best pack in FIFA 23? ›

1) Jumbo Rare Players Pack

It contains only footballer cards, and gamers can find 24 cards in each one. All 24 cards are golden and are also rare. Moreover, one card is guaranteed to be at least 84 overall. Additionally, the odds for special cards are among the highest in the Jumbo Rare Players Pack.

Do players get money from FIFA? ›

Winning Bonuses

Prior to the tournament, each team that qualifies is awarded $1.5 million to deal with logistics, such as travel, housing, and other expenses. The prize money is as follows: Eliminated in Group Stage: $9 million. Eliminated in Round of 16: $13 million.

Are FIFA 23 graphics better? ›

FIFA 23 is a significant upgrade from FIFA 22, with the game featuring best-in-class graphics, responsive gameplay, cross-play, women's domestic leagues and much more besides.

What do people think of FIFA 23? ›

Final Thoughts

FIFA 23 is a modest final hurrah for one of the most iconic game series of all time. It feels like EA Sports is saving the big advances for its EA Sports FC replacement coming next year, with FIFA 23 only offering marginal flourishes of something great and a lot of repetition.

Is FIFA 23 easy to play? ›

FIFA 23 successfully pulls together two of the world's most popular pastimes: Soccer (or to most of the world, football) and video games. Like soccer, FIFA games are easy to play, but difficult to master.

Who is the slowest person in FIFA 22? ›

These are the slowest players in FUT 22
  • José Fonte, 32 PAC – OSC Lille.
  • Dante, 32 PAC – OGC Nizza.
  • Jannik Vestergaard, 32 PAC – Leicester City.
  • Gustavo Cabral, 33 PAC – FC Pachuca.
  • James Tomkins, 33 PAC – Crystal Palace.
  • Vicente Iborra, 33 PAC – FC Villarreal.
  • Yunis Abdelhamid, 33 PAC – Stade Rennes.

What is the slowest pace in FIFA? ›

As you might expect, all the slowest players in FIFA 20 are goalkeepers, with two players having a sprint speed score of 11.

Is FIFA 21 the last FIFA ever? ›

FIFA intends to enter a partnership with a new developer to produce "the real game that has the FIFA name". FIFA 23 is the last entry to the franchise under the FIFA name.

Is it illegal to buy FIFA Points? ›

You can earn FUT Coins in FIFA Ultimate Team™ (FUT) by playing matches or by selling Items on the Transfer Market, but you can't buy Coins. Buying Coins from a third party, promoting Coin buying, and Coin distribution is against our rules.

How many FIFA Points is a 100k pack? ›

Promotional Packs
Pack Name (# Items)CoinsFIFA Points
Rare Gold Defenders Pack (12)62,5001,250
Rare Gold Midfielders Pack (12)62,5001,250
Rare Gold Forwards Pack (12)62,5001,250
Jumbo Rare Players Pack (24)100,0002,000
34 more rows
Sep 23, 2022

When should I use my 4600 FIFA points? ›

FIFA Points can be used in FIFA Ultimate Team™ to get packs, enter Ultimate Draft, and more to help you build your dream squad, or in VOLTA FOOTBALL to unlock fresh apparel items.

Who has the highest overall career mode in FIFA 23? ›

1. Kylian Mbappé - Paris Saint-Germain - 95 Potential OVR.

Can you become a captain in FIFA 23? ›

FIFA 23 Player Roles allow you to choose in advance the player you want to be the captain or set-pieces taker.

Who is the highest potential CB in FIFA 23 career mode? ›

Virgil van Dijk, Rúben Dias, Marquinhos, Antonio Rüdiger and Kalidou Koulibaly are the highest-reated centre-backs in FIFA 23 Career Mode. Alessandro Bastoni and Joško Gvardiol have the potential to become two of the best centre-backs in your FIFA 23 Career Mode saves.

Why is Brazil not in FIFA 23? ›

The reason why the legitimate Brazil team was not in the game is due to licensing issues.

Can FIFA 23 be played offline? ›

Does the inclusion of EA AntiCheat mean that FIFA 23 on PC requires a constant internet connection? No, FIFA 23 on PC can be played offline, as long as EAAC is installed. Note that modes such as FUT, which require an online connection, will continue to be online-only experiences.

What is the difference between FIFA 23 standard and Ultimate Edition? ›

The inclusion of an extra Team of the Week player in the Ultimate Edition will be welcome among fans of the FIFA Ultimate Team mode, as will the inclusion of a FUT Hero tied to the World Cup. And for Career Mode fans, there's a Homegrown Talent included in your youth set-up that will have world-class potential.

What teams will not be in FIFA 23? ›

FIFA 23 Latest News

Ecuador, Senegal, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Costa Rica, Japan, Cameroon, Serbia, Switzerland, South Korea and Uruguay are all missing from FIFA 23, whilst the Brazilian national team will have generic players.

What will happen to FIFA after FIFA 23? ›

After that release, all future games will cease using the FIFA name or branding, and the World Cup will also cease being a part of it as an official FIFA event. Instead, the game will be renamed EA Sports FC.

Is FIFA 23 Next Gen only? ›

FIFA 23 will not support cross-gen play, with players only being able to link up with other systems within the same generation as their machine of choice. Basically, if you're playing FIFA 23 on PS4, you'll be able to play with gamers that are playing on Xbox One, and vice versa.

Who will replace EA FIFA? ›

EA Sports has announced that FIFA 23 will be the very last in its long-running series of football video games - to be replaced by a new franchise called EA Sports FC.

Why is FIFA being discontinued? ›

The FIFA video game will be disappearing after the maker failed to strike a new licensing deal with world soccer's governing body. Instead, EA Sports FC will be introduced from 2023 after the company creates the final game in partnership with FIFA later this year.

Why are FIFA and EA splitting up? ›

EA Sports wants to create its own game called EA Sports FC by ending its licensing agreement with FIFA. A representative for EA said the new game would be a defining moment for them. It will allow EA to provide fans with a more joyful, creative, progressive, and interactive experience.

What game will replace FIFA? ›

EA promises "the same great experiences, modes, leagues, tournaments, clubs and athletes," so FIFA fans can rest easy. EA Sports FC will be the new name for the publisher's football series when it releases next year, with FIFA 23 being the last instalment in the franchise as we know it.

Why is Maradona not in FIFA 23? ›

The Argentina icon has been removed from the game due to a dispute between his former club Napoli and EA Sports. EA Sports announced in a statement that Maradona's likeness would not be part of FIFA 23, citing ongoing legal disputes between the club and its former player.

Is FIFA 23 stadia shutting down? ›

The Stadia versions of FIFA 21, FIFA 22, and FIFA 23 will all have their online functionality removed on January 18, 2023, alongside the Stadia versions of Madden 21 and Madden 22.

Why is FIFA 22 force closing? ›

Why is FIFA 22 Crashing on PC? A missing or faulty game file could cause freezing and lagging of FIFA 22 on your PC. Since graphics drivers are essential for the Hypermotion technology to run, outdated graphics drivers might also be the reason for FIFA 22 crashing.

Is FIFA 22 the last one? ›

Back in May 2022, it was announced that FIFA 23 will be the final one from EA as the gaming developer announced they were giving up the FIFA licence.

Why is my FIFA 22 quality so bad? ›

A fellow player offered another possible reason for the dip in clarity, suggesting that the problem is caused by the anti-aliasing settings being too low. These settings are designed to combat the fuzzy, jagged edges often seen in games. PC players have the option to adjust these settings themselves.

Is it true that FIFA 23 is the last FIFA? ›

FIFA 23 will be the last installment in the EA Sports FIFA franchise, but it most certainly doesn't spell the end of the video game. In May, EA Sports and FIFA announced their partnership spanning over 20 years will come to an end in the summer of 2023.

Is FIFA 22 still bad? ›

Gameplay and connection on Fifa 22 is absolutely horrendous. My internet is fine I don't have any issues with connection speeds on any other game but not with Fifa! always red icons at the top of screen screaming packet loss and lag spikes when my connection is fine.

What to do when FIFA 22 gets boring? ›

Whatever you choose, here are some ways to make sure your gaming experience is fresh and fun once again.
  1. Research, your favorite players in real life. ...
  2. Take a break from the action. ...
  3. Create custom teams and players. ...
  4. Try a new genre altogether. ...
  5. Revisit older games in a new light. ...
  6. Try career mode with a new team.
Apr 30, 2022

Does Xbox Series S have bad graphics? ›

Why can we not have an option of FXAA and TAA on this console? Game looks like garbage on the series s. There's so much flickering on the grass, edge of buildings it makes my eyes hurt.

Is FIFA 23 scripted? ›

We've publicly said before that we do not use any scripting or “Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment” (DDA) or anything similar that would automatically adjust the difficulty of gameplay in FIFA, Madden and NHL Ultimate Team matches.

Why is FIFA 23 hard? ›

FIFA 23's Legendary in particular has its issues in the aspect of the AI moving and passing the ball much quicker than players can react, leaving for a more frustrating experience than ever.

Is FIFA 22 still scripted? ›

EA SPORTS have rejected the idea that scripting exists in FIFA 22 and others in the series, but some players on TikTok and Reddit compiled potential evidence to support the theory.

Will FIFA 22 be scripted? ›

We've publicly said before that we do not use any scripting or 'Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment' (DDA) or anything similar that would automatically adjust the difficulty of gameplay in FIFA, Madden and NHL Ultimate Team matches.

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