About the Game

This game continues the sterling work of previous games in the franchise and this includes the inclusiveness seen on the real field, with women’s teams making a strong appearance.

There are even domestic leagues, such as Barclays FA Women’s Super League and Division 1 Arkema, which will allow you to play through career mode as a female player for the first time.

Fittingly, Sam Kerr from Chelsea Ladies is the first female cover star of the franchise, although she does share the cover with the very worthy Kylian Mbappe from Paris St-Germain.

Cross platform play is supported so you can buddy up with your mates who are on different game consoles without losing any of the experience that you all love.

There are several modes of play, as might be expected. Ultimate Team will return, this time with a revamped chemistry system, while Career Mode will offer ‘a new way to play your season with Playable Highlights.’ Pro Clubs and Volta Football will also be playable so you can pick your favourite way to play and set to work.

The Nitty Gritty

This edition, FIFA 23 will be the last game in the franchise that is in collaboration between EA Sports and FIFA following a breakdown in negotiations over licensing – but it won’t be the last football game produced by EA Sports. Instead the focus will shift from real players and teams to imaginary ones. Or perhaps it will feature players and teams who sign up with EA Sports: not much is known about it as yet, except that it will be called EA Sports FC.

In the meantime, FIFA claim that they are looking to team up with a new developer to produce the ‘best’ footie game on the market – a totally new franchise that will bear the FIFA name. So while this game is the one you know and love, you might face a choice in the next year or so, when the former collaborators both come out with new, different games!

Gametime in the video game lasts only about 12 minutes of play, so the action is automatically pacier than in real life. Lengthy dribbles and volleys could easily eat into match time, otherwise!

Hypermotion, the super-detailed graphic feature, was left out of the last PC offer (in FIFA 22), which disappointed legions of footie fans, so the news that PCs have been kept as up to date as other consoles this time around is reassuring news, promising crisp and highly detailed play, even when there is a bit of a melee on the field.

Goalie animations and the feel and look of gameplay are also vastly improved thanks to detailed motion-capture (mo-cap). Long distance shots are vastly improved, adding a slightly arcade feel to your gameplay in places – but considering they allow you to pull off some incredible long-distance kicks, you aren’t going to mind that very much!

What’s New to This Game?

So, to summarise the new features, they include: Two world cups to play through as you like

Two women’s domestic leagues, giving female players much more exposure and gameplay than previous iterations of the game

Hypermotion 2 technology for even more realistic gameplay. This is largely thanks to mo-cap being used from recording of two live matches for a genuinely authentic feel

A staggering 6,000 or so animations were added to the game – again from the real match recordings. This has dramatically improved play, with dribbling, volleys and player acceleration all noticeably improved on previous outings