EA SPORTS FIFA 23 launched on 30 September 2022 and is the last football game EA published under the FIFA name, because the licensing deal that started in 1993 ended after this release. It introduced HyperMotion2 with roughly 6,000 new animations, a new shot type called the Power Shot, rebuilt free kicks, penalties and corners, and the first playable women's club football in the series through the Barclays Women's Super League and France's Division 1 Arkema. Two facts matter more than any of that if you are looking at it in 2026: EA delisted the game from Steam and every other storefront in September 2023, before EA SPORTS FC 24 had even shipped, and EA switched off the online servers on 30 October 2025. If you already own a copy it still installs and runs, but Ultimate Team, Division Rivals, Pro Clubs, cross-play and every other connected mode are gone for good. What remains is offline Career Mode, offline Kick Off, Volta against the AI and the offline side of the World Cup content, which is still a lot of football with the last officially licensed FIFA badge on the box.
Starting EA SPORTS FIFA 23 can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
EA SPORTS FIFA 23 is a sports game built around HyperMotion2 match capture and Power Shots. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Role
| Role | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4-3-3 Holding | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| 4-2-3-1 | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| 4-4-2 | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| 5-2-1-2 | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with 4-2-3-1. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid 5-2-1-2 as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn HyperMotion2 match capture
HyperMotion2 added around 6,000 authentic animations pulled from millions of frames of match capture, and it was the first time the technology captured women's matches as well as men's. On PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles and Stadia the full version ran; PC and last generation consoles got a cut down animation set, which is why PC play feels closer to FIFA 22 than to the console build. The visible results are more varied first touches, more shoulder contact in duels and dribblers who plant and turn rather than sliding into position.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how HyperMotion2 match capture works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Career Mode
The mode that still works completely in 2026, covering both Manager and Player careers. FIFA 23 added playable highlights so you can jump straight to the moments that decide a match instead of playing ninety minutes, plus a manager personality choice that shapes how boards and players react to you.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Drag Back: it's the most accessible early upgrade. A one star skill move available to every player in the game, which makes it the only trick you can rely on with a centre back or a low rated card. It kills your momentum instantly and turns you back towards your own goal, which is a way out of pressure rather than a way past a defender.
Step 4: Understand Power Shots
Holding L1 and R1 on PlayStation or LB and RB on Xbox while pressing shoot fires a Power Shot, which pulls the camera in, slows the animation and adds serious force at the cost of a much longer wind up. The extra time on the ball is the whole trade, because any defender inside a few metres will block it before the leg comes through. Power Shots are at their best from just outside the box with a yard of space, and they are close to useless in a crowded penalty area.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Ultimate Team
FIFA 23's card collecting mode, which ran the rebuilt chemistry system where individual players earned chemistry points from club, league and nation links rather than from a single squad number. It is entirely unplayable now because it required a connection to EA's servers at all times.
Essential Mechanics Explained
HyperMotion2 match capture
HyperMotion2 added around 6,000 authentic animations pulled from millions of frames of match capture, and it was the first time the technology captured women's matches as well as men's. On PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles and Stadia the full version ran; PC and last generation consoles got a cut down animation set, which is why PC play feels closer to FIFA 22 than to the console build. The visible results are more varied first touches, more shoulder contact in duels and dribblers who plant and turn rather than sliding into position.
Power Shots
Holding L1 and R1 on PlayStation or LB and RB on Xbox while pressing shoot fires a Power Shot, which pulls the camera in, slows the animation and adds serious force at the cost of a much longer wind up. The extra time on the ball is the whole trade, because any defender inside a few metres will block it before the leg comes through. Power Shots are at their best from just outside the box with a yard of space, and they are close to useless in a crowded penalty area.
Rebuilt set pieces and penalties
Free kicks moved to a system where you drag a target ring across the ball to pick the contact point and spin, rather than aiming a floating reticle. Penalties became a composure meter with a shrinking ring instead of the old power bar and stick flick. Corners now let you set an aim marker before the delivery, so the first thing to practise offline is delivering to the near post target rather than swinging a generic ball into the six yard box.
Ultimate Team chemistry rework
FUT 23 tore out the old link based chemistry entirely. Squad chemistry as a single number disappeared, low chemistry no longer cut a player's attributes, and each player earned individual chemistry points from having club, league or nation mates in the squad regardless of where they sat on the pitch. Players had to be in a listed position for that card to gain chemistry at all, which is why position change cards mattered so much. None of this is playable now that the servers are off, but it explains why FUT 23 squads looked so different from FIFA 22 ones.
Offline only play since 30 October 2025
EA shut down FIFA 23 online services on 30 October 2025 across PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series consoles and Nintendo Switch. Ultimate Team, Division Rivals, Squad Battles, Pro Clubs, online friendlies, co-op and cross-play all stopped working on that date, and any FUT club you built is unreachable. The game had already been delisted from Steam in September 2023, so there is no legitimate way to buy a new PC copy. Everything in this guide that touches an online mode is history rather than advice.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Spamming Power Shots inside the box, where the long wind up gives defenders time to step in and block almost every attempt
2. Buying a copy in 2026 expecting Ultimate Team to work, when EA turned off all FIFA 23 online services on 30 October 2025
3. Playing the whole ninety minutes of every Career Mode fixture instead of using playable highlights, which burns hours for the same result
4. Picking a five star skill move player and never learning the two star ball roll, which is the move that actually creates shooting angles
5. Leaving the default defensive line depth on a high setting and then blaming pace when strikers run in behind repeatedly
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand HyperMotion2 match capture and Power Shots
- Choose 4-2-3-1 as starting role
- Clear Career Mode main content
- Acquire Drag Back or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Ultimate Team
- Power Shots take roughly twice as long to release as a normal shot, so only pull them out when the nearest defender is at least two yards away or the block animation eats the whole attempt.
- In the rebuilt free kick system you set spin by dragging the target ring across the ball, so practise in the arena until you can pick the same contact point twice in a row before you try one in a match.
Tips for New Players
- Power Shots take roughly twice as long to release as a normal shot, so only pull them out when the nearest defender is at least two yards away or the block animation eats the whole attempt.
- In the rebuilt free kick system you set spin by dragging the target ring across the ball, so practise in the arena until you can pick the same contact point twice in a row before you try one in a match.
- Penalties use a shrinking composure ring rather than a power bar, and stopping the ring dead centre is worth more than picking a perfect corner, because a mistimed input sends the ball high every time.
- Career Mode playable highlights cut a full match to the handful of situations that actually decide it, which turns a fifteen minute game into about four minutes without simulating the result.
- Set corner aim markers before the delivery instead of using the default swing, because a near post target with a tall centre back arriving is the most consistent set piece goal in the game.
- The PC build shipped with the reduced HyperMotion animation set rather than the full console version, so if the game feels stiffer than the marketing suggested, that is why and no setting will change it.
- Custom tactics move the needle far more than formation choice, and dropping the defensive line depth by ten points fixes most of the through ball goals people complain about.
- Chain a ball roll into a finesse shot rather than shooting straight after a sprint, because the ball roll squares your body and the finesse animation is much shorter than a Power Shot.
- If your Career Mode save is from before the server shutdown, back up the save folder before launching, since some builds try and fail to contact EA services on load and can hang on the first boot.
- FIFA 23 is delisted everywhere, so any listing offering a fresh PC key is either a leftover retail box code or something you should not trust; EA Play no longer carries the game either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still play FIFA 23 online in 2026?
No. EA shut down FIFA 23 online services on 30 October 2025 across PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. Ultimate Team, Division Rivals, Pro Clubs, online friendlies and cross-play are all unreachable. Career Mode, Kick Off, offline Volta and the offline World Cup tournaments still work.
Can I still buy FIFA 23 on Steam?
No. EA pulled FIFA 23 from Steam and other digital storefronts in September 2023, before EA SPORTS FC 24 released. The Steam page is still visible but has no purchase option, and the game was also removed from the EA Play catalogue.
Is FIFA 23 really the last FIFA game?
Yes, under that name. EA's licensing agreement with FIFA ended after this release and the series continued as EA SPORTS FC starting with FC 24 in 2023. FIFA 23 is the final title carrying the FIFA badge, the official World Cup licence and the FIFA presentation package.
How do you do a Power Shot?
Hold L1 and R1 on PlayStation or LB and RB on Xbox, then press the shoot button and aim manually. The camera pulls in and the strike carries far more force, but the wind up is long enough that any nearby defender blocks it, so use it from outside the box with space.
Which women's leagues are in FIFA 23?
Two full women's club leagues appeared for the first time in the series: the Barclays Women's Super League in England and Division 1 Arkema in France. HyperMotion2 also captured women's matches directly, so the animation set is not just borrowed from the men's game.
More EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Guides
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Overview
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Best Builds
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Tier List
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Walkthrough
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Tips & Tricks
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Weapons Guide
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Combat Guide
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Boss Guide
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Maps & Locations
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Crafting Guide
- EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Classes & Characters
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