FIFA 23 is just a fun game to play. No matter your interests, there’s a game mode in FIFA for you. You can simply play drills that feel like something playable at a bar or party just because it’s fun and multiple people can participate or spectate. Football knowledge isn’t even necessary. Players who know and love “the beautiful game” may get more out of FIFA, but it doesn’t mean people playing on Beginner aren’t having an excellent experience. FIFA is a long-running franchise that provides football simulation at the highest level, and FIFA 23 is no different.
FIFA 23 adds all the updates that come with a new season’s sports game, including new kits and rosters. On top of that, the gameplay experience is more realistic than ever if you want it to be. Fans who missed their favorite team’s match on TV can play or simulate it in FIFA 23. While plenty of new additions make the game the best version to date, there are 4 standout reasons to buy FIFA 23.
FIFA 23 has everything that recent previous versions have. It also has 4 reasons it’s a must-buy that are above and beyond that of just another sports game.
FIFA 23
- Brings professional Women’s Club Football teams to the franchise
- Allows for cross-play between consoles in multiple modes
- It has a unique Hollywood flair with its TV show connections
- Is the last FIFA game ever
Women’s Club Football
While there have been opportunities to play as international women’s teams in the past, never have there been options like this. For the first time, users can play as their country’s team and as some of the best professional women’s soccer teams in the world. Women’s teams are available from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL), Barclay’s Women’s Super League, and Division 1 Arkema. This update allows players to play as their favorite everyday teams and reenact weekly matchups with up-to-date rosters. When two teams from NWSL or UWCL play each other, you will have the realistic experience of an actual broadcast from that league and matchup.
The 12 NWSL teams are available to play in
- Kick-Off
- Online Seasons (Head-to-Head & Co-op)
- Online Friendlies
- Tournament Mode
The UWCL allows for play as many existing European women’s teams, including some more diverse new editions, including:
- Real Madrid C.F
- VfL Wolfsburg
- Juventus
- Eintracht Frankfurt
The 36 women’s teams can play in local or impromptu games to create matchups that rarely or may never happen in real football. The players are also all available to edit, just like the men’s teams.
Adding these popular teams expands the game’s playability and opens the door to many new fans and players. Followers of women’s soccer in the U.S. or Europe can now play as their teams. This option boosts sales for FIFA 23 and helps expand women’s football popularity. One study shows that exposure to sports at a younger age through video games promotes general interest in the sport. Therefore, FIFA 23 boosts diversity, inclusivity, and soccer in general.
Cross-Platform Play
For the first time, FIFA 23 introduces cross-play between different game platforms. Now players can test their skills or enjoy a match with friends who don’t have the same system. Cross-Play means Xbox One players can play globally against someone on a Playstation 4 console. This freedom and versatility allow for a more diverse pool of opponents and more connecting with friends online. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch and PC are not part of the cross-platform play update.
Cross-play tests players’ skills and expands their bragging rights as they see just how good they are globally. Once you opt into cross-play, you can see the local and global leaderboards for Football Ultimate Team. So while you may be in the top ten on PlayStation 5 globally, you may not even be in the top 20! On top of this, once you opt into cross-play, you can also participate in cross-platform transfers for FUT.
Same generation Cross-Play is available for multiple FIFA 23 game modes:
- FUT Division Rivals (not Co-Op)
- FUT Champions
- FUT Ultimate Online Draft
- FUT Online Friendlies (not Co-Op)
- FUT Play a Friend
- Online Friendlies
- Online Seasons (not Co-Op Seasons)
- Virtual Bundesliga competitive mode available to players based in Germany.
Players are also free to switch between cross-play and local play at will. Cross-play may not be for everyone, but it’s perfect for those who wish to improve their games, test their actual skill, and finally play a match with friends on other consoles. There are options to invite friends across platforms to matches, keep a global friends list, and keep track of the recently played global matches. This new feature again helps improve the player-to-player connection over football and helps boost the sport itself. Users who don’t have FIFA may now have a reason to get it and possibly even start watching the sport now that they can play with friends on other systems.
TV Connection
FIFA 23 took a step in a new direction with some popular additions slightly outside the direct sporting world. Due to football’s growth internationally, two recent hit shows exist around the sport. While the two shows are different, they have grabbed the attention of football and non-football fans alike. In a way, due to these two hit shows, football may be as popular non as it ever has been. Thanks to Welcome to Wrexham and Ted Lasso, the general public can enter the sport without watching a match or kicking a ball.
Welcome to Wrexham is a documentary about the Wrexham Red Dragons. They are now a League Two professional football team in Wales. The club plays under the same umbrella as the top-tier English Premier League but a few leagues down. The team began in 1864 and is the oldest club in Wales. Last season, Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased Wrexham in hopes of taking them to the next level. The goal of the show is promotion to the next tier league. The show gained ground quickly, and so did the team. The Red Dragons are now playing at their highest level since 2008. The wave continues as season 2 of the show debuts on September 12.
Ted Lasso is a fictional show about an American coach who takes over as coach for an English football team. The AFC Richmond Greyhounds are a group of lovable misfits that help bring a human side to football. The show is a comedy and drama centered around English football, including real-life teams, stadiums, and players. The award-winning show ran for three seasons, with the final season ending in March.
The Greyhounds, including Coach Lasso, Coach Beard, and The Red Dragons, are available in multiple modes in FIFA 23. Both teams are available under the Rest of World section when selecting the region for the team. Since Wrexham plays in a lesser-known league, the players’ likenesses are not all in the game, though the team stat should be accurate. The Hollywood owners make an appearance or two under the right circumstances, though they are not playable. The Wrexham players’ likenesses are all in the game so that you can play and score as Roy Kent, Jamie Tartt, and the rest of the team from the show.
The Wrexham Stadium isn’t available for play in the game. The Greyhounds’ Stadium is available since Nelson Road, where they play, is Selhurst Park, which is available in the game. The teams aren’t playable in Football Ultimate Team, but there is a way to manage as Ted Lasso. The Greyhounds and Red Dragons are available for play in:
- Kick off
- Career (including career mode as manager as Ted Lasso)
- Online friendlies,
- Online seasons
The Last FIFA game
FIFA has been a staple in sports gaming since the early 1990s. FIFA is the most successful sports video game franchise ever. Since the original FIFA International Soccer in 1993, there have been 38 editions of the title, and they have sold over 325 million copies. The game has a huge following and is the top of the line for football or soccer video games. Every year gets better than the previous and keeps fans buying the games annually.
This year will be the last and most advanced FIFA game ever. EA Sports and FIFA’s 30-year partnership ends with FIFA 23. Through the end of its support, the game is their final collaboration. The next game set to release in September 2023 will be EA Sports FC 24 and will not include FIFA’s backing.
While other long-running football games are continuing, such as competitor Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), they’re not FIFA. Those who like or know the FIFA format and gameplay get to learn a whole new system and style of play in any games outside of FIFA. As far as we know, the last, best version of FIFA is and will always be FIFA 23. The realistic experience, the exciting gameplay, and the variety of positions and roles users can take on are all there. Still, sadly this game is as far as they will go. Anyone who enjoys FIFA, even occasionally, will want to jump on board and get this final version of the game.
The coverage and support for the game have recently extended through the end of August, and the title will include the 2023 Women’s World Cup that is taking place now. The extension means that FIFA 2023 will have up-to-date rankings and rosters for the men’s 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2023 Women’s Cup, along with all the usual features in a FIFA game. The rosters, stats, and kits will no longer be accurate once coverage ends, but this comes with the territory of sports video games.
Last Game, Last Thoughts
For now, FIFA is the ultimate international sports game since it’s currently the only place to play the current Women’s World Cup. It has the best graphics and most realistic likenesses of any football game, and it even has Ryan Reynolds and Ted Lasso. The game is a treat for football fans, taking strides to expand football while bringing people closer together over it.
You don’t need to know the rules of football to enjoy some of the addictive modes of play in FIFA 23. Anyone with any connection to football can find a solid reason to buy this final edition of the FIFA franchise. Whether you get it now to cash in on the Ted Lasso craze, Wrexham’s promotion, and the World Cup, or you want to own the first and only game where you can play soccer with friends on other systems and play as the NWSL teams, FIFA 23 is waiting for you.