EA Sports FIFA 23 is slated for release on September 30,2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC Steam and Google Stadia.
There are two cover athletes this year in this year's edition, Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe returns, but he is joined by Chelsea Womens star Sam Kerr.
Kerr becomes the first ever womens football star to feature on the main cover of the iconic franchise.
FIFA 23 is said to be the final installment of the partnership between EA Sports and FIFA.
EA Sports has promised a lot in FIFA 23, looking to end the FIFA video game era with a bang.
There are a host of new features, technologies, and enhancements for the upcoming game, including the introduction of women's football at club level.
FIFA 23 release date
According to the EA Sports announcement on July 20, FIFA 23 will be released on Friday, September 30, 2022.
However, the Ultimate Edition pre-release will be made available three days earlier on Tuesday, September 27.
This is consistent with previous release dates. FIFA 22 was released on October 1, 2021, the Friday of the final week in September.
FIFA 23 price: How much will the game cost in Nigeria?
The prices for the game based on the console and edition are listed below for gamers in Nigeria.
EA Play subscribers are also entitled to 10 percent off these prices if they pre-order.
- Console Edition Price (Naira)
- PS5 & Xbox X/S Standard - N29,750
- PS5 & Xbox X/S Ultimate - N42,500
- PS4 & Xbox One Standard - N25,500
- PS4 & Xbox One Ultimate - N42,500
- PC Standard - N25,500
- PC Ultimate - N42,500
- Nintendo Switch Legacy - N17,000
- Google Stadia Ultimate - N38,250
FIFA 23 New Features
There are a number of new elements to FIFA 23 and here's all you need to know about them.
- Women's Football
Most notably, women's soccer players and clubs will be available to play in this year's edition. Both the French and English women's leagues will be available to play, promoted by the first female cover athlete Sam Kerr, who plays for WSL Champions Chelsea FC.
- HyperMotion 2
EA Sports is also promoting the use of HyperMotion 2 technology which is an advacement of the initial tech used with its predecessor.
EA's HyperMotion tech has been lauded by many fans of the game has been said to bring "more realism every time you step onto the pitch" with over 5,000 unique animations to replicate realistic player movements throughout a match, surpassing the over 4,000 new animations that was introduced with FIFA 22.
- Cross-play
Finally, after years of clamouring, EA Sports has developed FIFA 23 to support cross-platform play between consoles.
However, this feature will only apply to consoles of the same generation, meaning PlayStation 4 users can only play against those on XBox One users, while those on PlayStation 5 can play against opponents on XBox Series S/X.
PC players will be categorized under the next-gen consoles with PS5 and XBox Series S/X, but the Nintendo Switch version does not support cross-platform play.
- World Cup mode
FIFA 23 will also feature a World Cup mode, to coincide with the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar happening this November. This will include both men and women's tournament.
FIFA 23 consoles
FIFA 23 will be available on all next-generation consoles which includes, XBox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 as well as PC and Nintendo Switch.
The Switch version will be limited to a Legacy Edition version and the game will also be available for previous generation consoles such as XBox One and PlayStation 4.
FIFA 23 will finally also be available for play on Google Stadia.
FIFA 23 Standard Edition vs. Ultimate Edition
Similarly with its predecessors, FIFA 23 will boast three different editions that fans can purchase: the Standard Edition, the Ultimate Edition, and the Legacy Edition.
The Standard Edition will cost N25,500, consistent with most major video game releases.
The Ultimate Edition will cost N42,5000, but allows the user to access the game three days earlier on the pre-release date.
The Legacy Edition will cost N17,000 and is basically a call-back to previous versions, featuring updated rosters. EA Sports confirmed that there won't be any new development or significant enhancements because this edition is mainly for the Nintendo Switch gamers.
It will not come with the new HyperMotion 2 technological enhancements or any of the new gameplay modes. In short, this is basically just FIFA 22 with a few minor upgrades.
FIFA 23 Commentary voice
While there are multiple voices for commentary in the English version of FIFA 23, the main commentator for the game is still Derek Rae, who works for ESPN as a play-by-play voice on world soccer, mainly focusing on Bundesliga coverage. Rae has been the main commentator of the EA Sports series since FIFA 20.
Derek Rae's broadcast partner is Stuart Robson, who works as a pundit for ESPN, TalkSport, and BT Sport.
Also featured is Alex Scott, a former England women's international player who now works for BBC Sports and Sky Sports as a commentator and reporter.