FIFA 23 Deep Dive

Hi everyone I’m Thomas Caleffi, gameplay producer on FIFA, and I’m eager to dive deep into the slew of gameplay updates we’re bringing to FIFA 23 alongside my colleagues Keegan Sabatino, Rory Hilson, Danillo Abreu, and Goran Popovic.

As with last year, you will see a ᴺᴳ or [NG] symbol/tag whenever a topic or feature discussed is exclusive to the new generation of consoles, PC, and Stadia (i.e., ᴺᴳ or [NG] = only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia).

And speaking of PC, we are happy to say that the the gameplay for the PC version of FIFA 23 will be the same as the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia versions of the game. We’ll have plenty more to share about the PC version of FIFA 23 in a future Pitch Notes.

Note that throughout this article we will refer to specific controls for certain gameplay elements such as Skill Moves. The controls listed throughout are with the default settings in mind and refer to PlayStation and Xbox controllers respectively.

Table Of Contents

• HyperMotion2 Gameplay Technology [NG]
• Advanced 11v11 Match Capture [NG]
• Machine Learning (“ML”) [NG]
• Women’s Football Updates
• Technical Dribbling [NG]
• ML-Jockey-[NG]
• ACCELERATE [NG]
• Power Shots 
• Redesigned Set Pieces
• Attacking
• Composed Ball Striking [NG]
• Passing
• Skill Moves
• Defending
• Goalkeepers
• Player Switching
• Across the Pitch
• Additional Updates

Let’s start our Deep Dive with HyperMotion2 and how the new generation of consoles and PC allow us to create new football experiences.

HyperMotion2 Gameplay Technology [NG]

We wanted to take FIFA 23 a step further in terms of new generation technology with HyperMotion2. As a refresher, HyperMotion is the foundation for FIFA 23 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Stadia. This technology is composed of two major anchors: Advanced 11v11 Match Capture and Machine Learning.

Powered by these two updated systems, HyperMotion2 takes FIFA 23 to over 6,000 authentic true-to-football animations, transferred directly from the real world pitch to the game.

Advanced 11v11 Match Capture [NG]

For FIFA 23, we carried out twice as much real-world motion capture compared to the first iteration of HyperMotion. Using Xsens suits, we captured millions of frames of animation from two full high-intensity football matches with professional teams, including the complete motion capture of a women’s match. In addition to five highly skilled training drills, these new captures help us bring more real life football elements to the virtual pitch.

This technology powers areas of the game such as Full Team Authentic Motion, Women’s Football, Technical Dribbling, AcceleRATE, Composed Ball Striking, Kinetic Goalkeeper vs Header Battles, and more.

By the way, we’ve also added short summary clips for many sections of this FIFA 23 Gameplay Deep Dive featuring Kantcho Doskov, Sam Kovalev, Shauna Games, and Shelden Rogers. If you don’t have time to read through this entire article in one go, the summary videos provide an overview of what’s new in FIFA 23 along with footage of our new systems and mechanics in action. Note that these clips were recorded during the development of FIFA 23, and information within it may change or become updated over time as we finalize the development of FIFA 23.

Full Team Authentic Motion [NG]

New animations have been introduced to FIFA 23 to improve gameplay variety and immersion, including everything from new shots to passes and even goalkeeper saves. With the Advanced Match Capture technique we are able to get more match-level intensity animations, all with the goal of making players feel closer to being in the game. 

Machine Learning (“ML”) [NG]

The Advanced 11v11 Match Capture from HyperMotion2 allowed our machine learning (ML) algorithm to learn from many more frames of data than previously available to create new features. We’ve been able to use ML to increase the performance and accuracy of our neural networks, which can generate a variety of movement animations in real time, resulting in a more robust structure for FIFA 23 and future EA SPORTS FC titles.

In FIFA 23, this has led to the evolution and development of several features powered by Machine Learning, including ML-Jockey and Technical Dribbling, which we’ll go into details below.

New in FIFA 23

The main design philosophy that we took to heart while making FIFA 23 came from a mixture of our own investigation and experimentation as well as community feedback. With FIFA 23, we are aiming to achieve a new level of footballing variety by creating mechanics that haven’t previously been seen on a virtual pitch, and by updating existing systems to enable fresh experiences.

Women’s Football Updates

The women's game in FIFA 23 has had numerous new developments and gameplay has been a vital part in bringing it to life. Our aim is to make women’s matches feel more authentic and unique, so we carried out a dedicated HyperMotion2 capture shoot for this purpose. With two professional women’s teams, this capture allows us to have animations that are specific and distinct to female players, all based on real-life movement.

Here are the gameplay elements we’re adding to women’s football in FIFA 23:

●       New Movements - Created three unique sets of movement archetypes based on height variance, totalling hundreds of distinct animations.

●       New Star Signature Run Styles - Made multiple new movement visuals based on real players, including Sam Kerr and more.

●       Women-only animations - Added hundreds of new women-exclusive animations, including shots, kick-offs, stationary idles, celebrations, jockeys, passes, ball control, dribbling and more.

Technical Dribbling [NG]

In FIFA 23, we are introducing Technical Dribbling, a brand new dribbling system that incorporates the Active Touch system to calculate a player’s path to the ball more intelligently.

With hundreds of new animations captured by Advanced Match Capture and with ML-Flow (machine learning) active between each touch, our aim with Technical Dribbling is to improve the feeling of movement while controlling the ball, making turning and dribbling feel more responsive.

Technical Dribbling is the new default dribble style using the Left Stick, and any player can perform it, although the quality of the dribble is still heavily dependent on the player’s Dribbling Attributes. Here’s a list of which Attributes can impact aspects of Technical Dribbling the most, with higher Attributes having a more positive impact.

●       Dribbling and Ball Control - Precision of the dribble touch.

●       Dribbling, Agility and Reactions - How quickly animations play out.

●       Dribbling and Ball Control - How close or far the ball can stay to the dribbler.

●       Dribbling and Reactions - How much speed the ball carrier maintains while dribbling.

●       Dribbling, Agility, Balance and Reactions - How quickly the ball carrier can transition between different dribbling animations.

Note that these Attributes are also used for other mechanics and actions.

It’s important to keep in mind that Technical Dribbling only works when using purely the Left Stick. Dribbling modifiers or other dribbling systems (such as Agile Dribbling, Strafe Dribbling, Shield Dribbling, Slow Dribbling and contextual counterparts), are separate systems that do not use Technical Dribbling.

ML-Jockey [NG]

ML-Jockey aims to provide tighter feeling controls and increased responsiveness when keeping up with attackers while Jockey (L2 on PlayStation controllers || LT on Xbox controllers) or Sprint Jockey (L2+R2 || LT+RT) are being used.

We designed ML-Jockey with two big goals in mind:

• Expand the use of our Machine Learning Algorithm into a fully player-controlled feature.
• Provide a counter to Technical Dribbling, giving players more options and further feeling of control while defending.

Learning from real-world situations, our Machine Learning technology updates the Jockey system and writes animations in real time, increasing the fluidity and consistency of Jockeying while improving a player’s behavior and ability to position themselves. Both Jockey and Sprint Jockey have their respective neural networks for the purpose of creating and exhibiting more diverse and natural animations.

Here’s an overview of how ML-Jockey can impact Jockeying in FIFA 23:

• The Jockeying player has the ability to turn at a variety of angles to improve their defensive coverage.
• It is now slower to decelerate going from high sprint speeds into Jockey, making it harder for players to over rely on inauthentic fast stops and quick turns.
• The Defensive Awareness Attribute impacts the following aspects of Jockeying:
  • The max speed while Sprint Jockeying.
    •  The Sprint Speed Attribute does not impact Jockey speed.
  • Transition speed between Jockey and Sprint Jockey.
  • How much speed and acceleration are maintained when exiting Jockey into Sprint.
  • Acceleration during Jockeying, along with the Acceleration Attribute.
  • The higher the Defensive Awareness Attribute, the faster a player can perform the Jockey movements outlined above.
• Players Jockeying within the box can now place their hands behind their back.

 We also trained the ML-Jockey networks with animations from the women’s match capture to make jockeying more authentic and unique for women.

ACCELERATE [NG]

AcceleRATE is an expansion to our player movement system, dividing players into unique archetypes. This enables us to showcase personality in player acceleration with the goal of improving the viability of different player types in FIFA 23.

This feature is inspired by real-life differences between footballers, where even players with similar speeds can move very differently across the pitch. Most players will fit into the default acceleration type we are calling Controlled, however, we have two new types called Explosive and Lengthy.

Acceleration Types:

• Controlled - most players in FIFA 23 will fall into the Controlled type as they accelerate uniformly in a controlled manner.
• Explosive - these are shorter and more agile players who are able to quickly cover short distances and get ahead of their opponents, even if that means slowing down after the initial burst of acceleration.
  • These players are quicker to start but their acceleration rate slows down.
• Lengthy - taller and stronger, these players need a bit more time to get going, but are able to catch up to anyone and even surpass them, provided they have enough distance.
  • These players start slower but will thrive over longer distances.

In short, Explosive players can likely do better at short distances and one on one situations as opposed to Lengthy players who will do better over long distances such as in breakaways after a through ball for example.

AcceleRATE is assigned automatically to players based on a combination of their Height, Agility, and Strength Attributes. With that being said, Acceleration and Sprint Speed are still the main factors in determining how fast a player is overall.

This is how the AcceleRATE categories are assigned:

• Explosive:
  • Agility >= 65
  • (Agility - Strength) >= 15
  • Acceleration >= 74
  • Height <= 180 cm (~ 5’11”)
  • Example player: Vinícius Jr.
• Lengthy
  • Strength >= 65
  • (Strength - Agility) >= 14
  • Acceleration >= 55
  • Height >= 174 cm (~ 5’9”)
  • Example player: Virgil Van Dijk
• Controlled - any player that does not meet the other two requirements above.
  • Example player: Son Heung-min

You can find which Acceleration Type your player has on the Team Management screen during a match. 

The Acceleration Type is calculated right before the kick off, so it’s important to note that it is affected by Attribute changes that can happen before the match (Chemistry, Morale, etc.), but it is not impacted by Attribute changes that happen once the game has started (loss of stamina, Perks, etc).

Power Shots

Power Shots are a new skill based shot type that add extra power and accuracy to a shot at the cost of time and a higher degree of input precision.

Here’s how to perform a Power Shot:

• Press L1+R1+O on PlayStation controllers || LB+RB+B  on Xbox controllers

To be successful with Power Shots, players need to consider the following:

• Plenty of space around the ball carrier is usually needed, as each Power Shots requires a significant wind up.
• Aiming generally needs to be more precise, since Power Shots do not behave like default Assisted Shots and rely heavily on the player’s aim to be successful.

Our intent with the addition of Power Shots is to introduce an additional layer of skill to shooting, designed so that players who manage to carve out their own space and aim precisely are rewarded for doing so.

The following Attributes impact Power Shots the most:

• Shot Power, Finishing (if taken inside of the box) or Long Shots (if taken outside of the box) and Composure.
• These Attributes not only impact the accuracy of Power Shots, but also the speed and aim precision required from the player.
• The higher the aforementioned Attributes, the better a player can be at taking a Power Shot.

First-time or volleyed Power Shots interact with the new Composed Ball Striking system, allowing players to control the ball first and then immediately perform a powerful shot animation. We’ll talk more about Composed Ball Striking a little further down in this article.

Redesigned Set Pieces

This year we set out to make Set Pieces more rewarding and intuitive for players of all skill levels. With new systems, we are looking to provide players with more precise control over how the ball travels to its target.

Free Kicks and Corner Kicks

Free Kicks and Corner Kicks now share their functionality with a more intuitive approach in which you choose where the player strikes the ball. We want to make Free Kicks and Corner Kicks feel and act more like their real world counterparts.

With the Left Stick, you can pan the camera, changing the kick direction. With the Right Stick, you control a reticle behind the ball that allows you to determine curl, elevation and the style of kick you want. There is a small trajectory line that displays a preview of how the ball will travel for the first few meters. 

The following player Attributes are used for the new Free Kick and Corner Kick system:

• Curve - Determines max possible ball trajectory curve.
  
  • Players with a higher Curve Attribute have a higher maximum amount of side and top/back spin that can be applied to the ball.
• Shot Power - Determines ball travel speed.
• Crossing - Determines max elevation in Corner Kick and Free Kick lob passes, making them more controlled without compromising speed.
  • Players with a higher Crossing Attribute can perform higher powered lobs with a lesser accuracy impact. 
• Free Kick Accuracy - Determines max elevation in any Free Kick shot, making them more controlled without compromising speed.
  • Players with a higher Free Kick Accuracy Attribute can perform higher powered shots with a lesser accuracy impact.

Lying Down Behind Wall

Since trying to shoot underneath the wall is a more viable option in FIFA 23, we are giving players a new tool to defend against these kinds of Free Kicks. When defending, players now have the ability to lie down behind the wall.

• Similar to adding a player to the wall, players can use the Left Stick to approach the back of the wall with the player. Note that only one player can lie down at a time.
• To remove the player, players can move the Left Stick away from the wall when controlling the lying down player.

Penalty Kicks

Along with Free Kicks and Corners we also refreshed Penalty Kicks in FIFA 23. We want to make penalties feel more rewarding than before with the player’s Composure being a big focus.

Now when you step up to the spot you will see a shrinking Composure Ring that is based on your player’s Composure Attribute. Ideally, you want to time your shot when the ring is at its smallest, just as it touches the perimeter of the ball, in order to take a penalty kick with great accuracy and power.

Use the Left Stick to aim your shot, and don’t worry about going past the net because you are not seeing a reticle. We set your aim to within the net, about 3 feet from the posts, and your aim is fixed so no need to hold the position you want as the aim won’t recenter. Our intent here is to allow you to focus more on timing and powering your kick. 

The main factors to consider when taking penalties include:

• Composure Ring
  • Composure Attribute - Composure plays a big part in how fast the ring shrinks and how large the perfect timing window is.
  • Composure Ring timing is essential to keeping your shot on target and maintaining accuracy.
• Shot Precision
  • Penalty Attribute - Impacts the quality of shot placement.
  • Shot Power Attribute - Impacts power and how far to the sides of the goal a shot can reach. 
    • Be careful, overpowering a shot could mean missing the goal completely.
• You cannot aim directly at the edges of the posts, so use the above points to help bring your shot to hard-to-reach places for the goalkeeper.
• We removed Timed Finishing from Penalties, so there is no longer any need for a second button press after locking in your shot.

More Football 

In line with our goal to bring more variety from the sport to the virtual pitch, we expanded many existing aspects of the game. Let’s dive into core gameplay improvements and new mechanics.   

Attacking

Shooting

Shots are a big area of focus for us in FIFA 23. Besides Power Shots, here are some of the most significant updates:

• Reworked Semi Assisted Shooting
  • Aiming closer and inside the goal is rewarded with greatly improved accuracy, while aiming far away will result in missing the net completely
    • Accuracy is based on how well you aim, and can be as high as double the accuracy of an Assisted Shot in the same position.
  • Our aim with this rework is to enable high-skill players to play successfully with Semi Assisted Shooting and take more control over their shots.
• Low Shots - These shots will only occur when the player requests a low powered shot.
  • Request up to 40% of the Power Bar to get a low shot.
  • Works with regular shots, Finesse Shots and Power Shots.
  • The previous command for Low Driven Shots is no longer available, as it is now used to request Power Shots.
• Outside Of The Foot on Demand
  • Outside Of The Foot shots can now be requested using the L2 || LT button.
    • Shared with the Flair Shots, the addition of the Outside of the Foot shots increases the likelihood of a special animation happening, especially if high power is requested.
  • The priority of Outside Of The Foot Shots increases for players with the Outside Of The Foot Trait.
• Shooting Variety - Dipping shots, downward shots, side foot shots, sliding shots and bouncing shots are more commonly appearing in FIFA 23.
• Refreshed Diving Headers - new Diving Header animations have been added and they can occur more often and in more appropriate situations.
• Animation Refresh
  • Added new volleys, with dozens of new animations, including new acrobatic shots.
  • Added high power Outside Of The Foots and lace shots while jogging.

Composed Ball Striking [NG]

Powered by HyperMotion2, Composed Ball Striking enables players to transition more smoothly in certain shooting situations that require the ball to be controlled first. Our goal with Composed Ball Striking is to make first time Power Shots shine, as well as other first time shots and any shots being performed to balls traveling in the air.

The new animations that result in the Composed Ball Strike system were enabled by our Advanced Match Capture, and this is a refinement of the previously introduced Composed Ball Control in FIFA 22.

Passing

For passing in FIFA 23, we want to provide players with more options and pass types. Here are the most significant changes:

• Competitive Passing
  • Improved Semi Assisted Through Passes
    • There’s less assistance in certain cases, mainly if the player's aim is too accurate or not accurate enough, giving more control and allowing players to find new possibilities.
  • Semi Assisted Lobbed Through Passes
    • This is a new setting that takes the player’s aim into account more than assisted Lobbed Through Passes.
    • Lobbed Through Passes can also be set to Manual or Assisted when available. 
  • Semi Assisted Lobs
    • This is a new setting that takes more of the player’s aim into account than assisted Lobs. 
  • Pass Receiver Lock Setting: Power Up
    • This is a new setting that will select the pass receiver when the pass button is released or when the power bar reaches full power, whichever comes first.
  • Extended Crossing Zone - Expanded the regular crossing zone to allow for crosses at the top of the box.
    • This is inspired by world class players like Son Heung-min, who perform dangerous crosses to their teammates from this area.

• Outside Of The Foot Passes on Demand
  • Outside of the foot passes can now be requested using the L2 || LT button.
    • Shared with Flair Passes, the addition of the Outside Of The Foot passes increases the likelihood of a special animation happening, especially if a higher power is requested.
  • The accuracy of Outside Of The Foot Passes increases for players with the Outside of the Foot Trait.
• Goalkeeper Passing with Feet - Goalkeepers are more consistent at performing passes even with lower Short/Long Pass Attributes.
• New Animations - Added hundreds of new animations for Volley Passes, New Back and Buttock Flair Passes (you read that right), High Powered Outside Of The Foot Passes, Outside of Foot Lobs, Agile/Extended Passes, and Kick Offs.

Skill Moves

We added four new Skill Moves to FIFA 23 and three new Fake Shots, including a new explosive Fake Shot, that can be used by players like Mbappé with at least 4 Star Skill Moves. We’ve also implemented left footed Skill Moves into the game.

Note: The following abbreviations will be used for controls: LS = Left Stick, RS = Right Stick.

New Skill Moves

• Stutter Feint (3 Stars):
  • Hold L2 || LT + flick RS Left, flick RS Right, OR
  • Hold L2 || LT + flick RS Right, flick RS Left
  • Can be canceled with L2 + R2 || LT + RT
• Heel to Ball Roll (4 Stars): Hold L1 || LB + flick RS Forward, flick RS Back
  • Left Stick input determines the direction of the Skill Move (Left or Right)
• Heel Fake (5 Stars):
  • Hold L2 || LT + flick RS Left, flick RS Right OR
  • Hold L2 || LT + flick RS Right, flick RS Left 
  • Available from a standing position only.
• First Time Feint Turn (1 Star): Hold L1 + R1 + flick LS Back || LB + RB + flick LS Back 
  • This Skill Move can only be performed as a first touch.

New Fake Shots

• Explosive Fake Shot (4 Stars): Fake Shot + flick LS while running 
  • Acceleration and Sprint Speed Attributes must be greater than 85.
  • This Skill Move is not available to be requested in all directions.
• Jog Open Up Fake Shot (1 Star): L1 || LB + Fake Shot + flick LS Right or Left
  • This Skill Move sends the player in a right or left direction, depending on LS input.
• Stand Open Up Fake Shot (1 Star): L1 || LB + Fake Shot + flick LS
  • This Skill Move is not available to be requested in a backwards direction, relative to where the ball carrier is facing.

Skill Move Input Changes

• Super Flicks (1 Star): Hold RS in any direction or press in and hold R3 || RS + LS in any direction
  • You can hold RS/R3 to get a further flick, the flick distance is based on the time that the right stick is held.
• Skilled Bridge (4 Star): Hold L2 || LT + flick RS Forward, flick RS Back
• Disguised First Touch: Hold L1 + R1 + LS Forward || Hold LB + RB + LS Forward
  • This Skill Move can only be performed as a first touch.

Left Footed Skill Moves

The following Skill Moves have Left Footed variants and left footed players will now use their strong foot for the following skills: 

• Elastico, Reverse Elastico, and Triple Elastico
• Drag Back (jog/sprint)
• Simple Rainbow and Advanced Rainbow
• Hocus Pocus
• Flick Over (jog only), Sombrero Flick, and Flick Up to Self
• Running Fake Drag

Attacking Positioning

Here are the most significant attacking positioning updates we’ve made to FIFA 23 with the aim of promoting more attacking diversity: 

• Double Teammate Support
  • Call more than 1 teammate close to support the ball.
    • This support can be requested by tapping R1/RB twice.
• Deep Lying Playmaker Player Instruction
  • We added a new Player Instruction for midfielders to consistently ask for the ball and gravitate towards ball handlers.
  • Can only be applied to CDMs.

• Better Offside Awareness [NG]
  • Players are less likely to drift offside and will hold their runs more often. 
  • Players will try to stay behind the ball carrier when on breakaway.
• More Separation Runs [NG]
• Players that are closely marked can create space from defenders by changing their run direction if they have an 85+ Positioning Attribute.
• Pin Down Defenders [NG]
  • Players with Target Man Player Instruction or physically strong players (85+ Strength Attribute) will now try to back into defenders when inside the box.
  • You can make use of this behavior to more effectively roll off of the defender after receiving the ball or perform a lay off pass to a teammate.
• Updated Tactical A.I. [NG] - This update prevents players from being stationary for too long, adding more variety to player movement and match flow.
• More attacking support is offered to the ball carrier when inside the opponent’s box and during build up play.

Controlling the Ball

Controlling the ball is a vital part of the game, so this year we are adding new mechanics and making improvements to ball control in order to maintain the fluidity of play.

• Step-Ins - Stronger players in control of the ball can now step into the defender’s way and generate a bigger displacement when contacting weaker players.
  • Press and release L2 || LT to request a step-in.
• Contextual “Let Ball Run” - This can happen in appropriate situations and only when your Left-Stick is pointed roughly 180 degrees during ground balls, in low urgency situations and the player is not close to the byline..
• Shield Pushback - While shielding the ball, holding the Left Stick backwards (towards the opponent) will make your player attempt to push the player behind them with their body. 
• Consistent Slide Traps - Revamp of the system with dozens of new animations, used mainly to prevent the ball from going out of play.
• Added hundreds of new animations, including shield traps and slide traps.
  • Also added dozens of Multi-Touch and Composed Ball Control animations [NG]

Defending

Kinetic Goalkeeper vs Header Battles [NG]

In FIFA 23, we are enhancing Kinetic Air Battles to add further interaction between the goalkeeper and a heading player.  We’ve introduced dozens of new interactions that allow keepers to more confidently jump to catch a cross, allowing players additional peace of mind that keepers will secure the ball. These animations can occur when interacting with an opponent or a teammate.

Goalkeepers

Let’s get into some more updates to keepers this year:

• Goalkeeper Line of Sight - GKs can be slower to react if their vision is blocked by players.
  • The goal with this change is to make blocked vision situations play out in more authentic ways, potentially creating new challenges to goalkeepers. 
  • The Reflex and Reaction Attributes impact how much line of sight affects the goalkeeper’s saving ability.
• GK Throws - Increased throw speed, improved accuracy, and added more effective trajectories.
• GK Driven Roll - R1 + X || RB + A
  • Keepers can perform a Driven Roll, similar to the existing Driven Throw.
• Improved Be-A-Goalkeeper mode with all of the latest improvements made to goalkeepers.
• Added multiple new save animations from Advanced Match Capture [NG], like reflex saves and knee saves.
• Added new gestures to increase personality, such as adjusting gloves, giving instructions to teammates, new post-save animations, new conceded reactions, near miss shot reactions, and more.

Defensive Positioning

With improvements to our AI behavior, we have made a number impactful changes to Defensive Positioning, along with a new mechanic to add to your toolbox:

• Partial Team Press (PTP)
  • Double tap and hold R1 || RB
  • Partial Team Press sends two of your players to closely mark the opponent’s passing options.
    • While PTP can be rewarding, it also risks potentially putting your players out of position if you’re not careful when using it.
  • Teammates continue to mark until R1 || RB is released, the players are switched, or their Teammate Contain Stamina runs out.
• Tactical Changes - Depth Tactics
  • We’ve set greater differentiation between both extremes of tactical depth.
    • Higher Depth teams will hold the defensive line high and be quicker to push up the field when the opponent retreats.
    • Lower Depth teams will sit deeper and not push up.

• Defensive Awareness Quickness [NG]
  • The Defensive Awareness Attribute influences how quickly defenders can get back into position if they are found outside of the zone they are intending to cover. 
  • Generally, higher rated defenders will more easily recover and close down spaces.

Defensive Actions

In order to give players more opportunities to show their defensive prowess and to promote more manual interactions when defending, we are adding more elements to the defensive toolbox. 

Blocking

Reflex blocks is a new and more natural blocking system that is triggered when the defender does not have enough time for a controlled block. These blocks will more likely lead to glancing deflections based on the recent physics improvements.

Here are the improvements we’ve made to automatic and manual blocks for user and AI controlled players.

• Blocks now have three distinct basic ranges.
  • User controlled player manual blocks: ~ 1.8m (6ft).
    • A manual block can be requested with B || O.
  • User controlled player automatic blocks: ~ 1.4m (4.5ft).
  • A.I. controlled player blocks: ~ 1m (3ft).
• All blocks have a scaling range reduction for drastic direction changes.
  • A moving player will be able to reach the full blocking distance in front of them, but the blocking distance in the opposite direction is decreased significantly.
  • Player traveling speed and direction determines how much block reach is lessened in the opposite direction

Tackling

With tackling this year we wanted to give you more ways to defend against oncoming attackers and make defensive gameplay feel more rewarding for making the right decision. 

Hard Slide Tackles are a new sliding tackle type that are intended for more urgent situations where you want to dispossess the attacker but not necessarily try to keep the ball in play.

• Hard Slide Tackles can be performed by pressing R1 + Square || RB + X.
• Slide Tackling, Defensive Awareness and Aggression Attributes play a part in how successful the outcome of the Hard Slide Tackle is.

New Backheel Tackles improve the potential success of late tackle requests for high rated defenders.

• To trigger these tackles, defenders need to have high Defensive Awareness and Standing Tackle Attributes.

Here are some of the additional changes made to tackles:

• Tackle outcomes are intended to reward players that accurately predict the direction of a feint and other movements.
• Slide tackles are now a part of the Active Touch system with increased responsiveness, and improved tackle outcomes.
• Standing Tackles will sometimes attempt to put the defender's body in front of the attacker when winning the ball.
• A dispossessed player will no longer attempt to make an unrequested tackle after losing the ball.

More Defensive Changes

To further improve the amount of defensive options available to players, we’ve made several updates to existing areas of gameplay.

• Shepherding the Ball
  • You can use a player’s body to shepherd the ball out of play. This will request your player to engage in a shielding action to prevent the opponent from getting to the ball and will attempt to ensure that your team wins the set piece if the opponent touched the ball last.
  • To shepherd the ball, Hold L2 || LT with no Left Stick input.
    • Activates if the ball was last touched by your opponent, is heading out of play and you are the closest player to it.
    • Ball Shepherding can also occur contextually in appropriate situations.

• Clearance Improvements
  • Clearances now use the following Attributes:
    • Defensive Awareness and Long Passing or Heading Accuracy, depending on foot or head clearance.
    • These Attributes determine the efficacy and quality of the clearance.
  • Bicycle Clearances - These clearances can be performed on demand with L2 + O || LT + B. 
  • Added new animations to give you more options to clear the ball:
    • Acrobatic Clearances, Agile Volley Clearances, Extended Volley Clearances, and Volleys.

Player Switching

We continue to take in player feedback year over year when it comes to Player Switching, and in FIFA 23 we’ve added brand new settings to enable players to have greater control over Player Switching.

• Adaptive Right Stick Switching
  • This is a new setting for Right Stick Switching.
  • Holding the Right Stick in a direction will allow a switch to players further away.
    • A visual indicator will expand from your input to show where you are aiming on the pitch.
  • Flicking the Right Stick allows you to switch to the closest player in that direction, just like Classic switching.
  • Our goal with this new switching system is to make it easier to switch to players further away without having to flick the Right Stick multiple times.

• Right Stick Switching Reference - This setting determines who or what is used as the reference point for right stick switching. 
  • Can be Ball Relative or Player Relative.
  • Icon Switching can now be used with either reference.

• Improvements to Next Player Switch Indicator 
  • The Next Player Switch Indicator is now visible when playing Co-Op.
  • The Next Player Switch Indicator has been decoupled from the Teammate Contain indicator.
    • The Next Player Switch Indicator will move to a more appropriate player even when Teammate Contain is being requested.

Across The Pitch

Competitive Settings / Competitive Master Switch

As a reminder, Competitive Settings are mandatory in some modes but are available for all players in every mode of FIFA, if they wish to play with them.

Here’s the list of modes that automatically turn on Competitive Settings and lock them in with the Competitive Master Switch:

• FUT Rivals, FUT Champions and Ultimate Draft (Online)
• Online Seasons and Co Op Seasons
• Pro Clubs
• In FUT Friendlies and Online Friendlies, the Competitor Master Switch is on by default, however it is not mandatory.

Here are the updates made to Competitive Settings:

• Added Lobbed Through Pass setting.
  • Semi-Assisted is the default for competitive matches.
  • Allows players to switch between Semi-Assisted and Manual.
• Added Defending setting.
  • Locked to Tactical Defending.

Rules

Here are some of the most significant changes to rules this year:

• 5 Subs Rule
  • With more leagues and associations reintroducing the 5 substitutes rule, FIFA 23 will also allow players to make up to five substitutions per match, except in Online Seasons and Seasons Co-Op matches.

• New Offside Advantage Indicator
  • An icon will display in the corner of the screen indicating that an Offside Advantage has been called, when appropriate.
  • The defender can dismiss their advantage by asking for the offside call with L2 + R2 || LT + RT.

• Cancel Offside
  • An attacking player that is offside running to the ball can cancel their run with Super Cancel (L2 + R2 || LT + RT) to take themselves out of the play and no offside will be called, letting the game progress and possibly triggering an offside advantage for the defenders.

• Referee Strictness Setting
  • This is a new setting for offline modes that allows players to define how strict the referees will be during a match.
  • The options included are very lenient, lenient, default, strict or very strict.
  • Online matches use the default referee strictness.

Player Movement

• Increased Player Top Speed
  • Further increased the max possible speed for all players to closely reflect a more authentic match flow, along with the intent of requiring players to use more space to reach their top speed.

• New Avatar Run Styles

• Added 5 new Avatar styles - The Norse, Dasher, El Pato, The Captain and Rising Star.
• Can be applied to Avatars in Career Mode, Pro Clubs and VOLTA.

• New Star Signature Run Styles
  • Added new Signature Run Styles for the following star players:
  • Kylian Mbappé, Sam Kerr, Christian Pulišić, Vinícius Jr., Alphonso Davies, Pedri and more.

• Over 130 players are now using Avatar Styles (instead of their normal run style) to more closely match their real-life movement.

More Set Pieces

Besides redesigning Free Kicks and Corner Kicks, we’re bringing further improvements to other set pieces in FIFA 23. 

Throw-ins

• A normal throw-in (X || A) with a player lock will now always go towards the locked target.
• Manual throw-ins (△ || Y) are always manual, even when the player is locked.
• Players with the Long Throw Trait will now be selected to perform throw ins.

Goal Kicks and Other Set Piece Improvements

• You can now move your outfield players unlimited times within the allotted time for a goal kick. Using L1 || LB for upfield movement and R1 || RB for coming closer.
• The previous goal kick goalkeeper position is maintained on the next goal kick to improve the flow of taking subsequent set pieces.

• Pass direction/target for goal kicks, free kicks and deep free kicks can now be changed until ball contact.
  • This is applicable to both Ground and Lob Passes.

Physics 

Further improvements to our physics have enabled us to create a number of new on pitch interactions that are more authentic to real world football. 

• Advanced Impact Physics [NG]
  • Blocks from defenders can now result in grazing deflections.
  • Players’ legs and feet can be pushed away by the ball, provided the impact has enough speed and force.
  • Goalkeepers’ arms, hands and fingers will be pushed by the ball after deflections and saves.
    • This will not affect the outcome of the save, it is a visual only change.

• Net Interaction Physics
  • Goal nets now react to the motion of players running, sliding, or falling into them.
  • Higher Fidelity Net Interaction Physics [NG] - the shape and the reaction of the nets are further refined in the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia versions of FIFA 23. 
• Player Awareness - Players will now act more intelligently and avoid colliding with the opponent in multiple scenarios, such as after a successful dribble or nutmeg.
• Authentic Falls - Falling players now conserve velocity and bounce more after landing on the grass. Velocity will also be maintained when players are getting up.

• Stumbles - We added new animations, and physical Attributes now affect how much players stumble and how quickly they recover from stumbles. 
• Added new self-preservation behaviors, including reactions when the ball hits the player and goalkeepers bracing against the post.
  • Some behaviors have been disabled when Competitive Settings are active.

CPU AI

Our efforts to improve the match experience against the CPU AI continue, and this year we are excited to share several updates. 

Tactical Awareness

CPU AI opponents can now better react to on-pitch situations, both tactically and in terms of subs, updating their formation and their playing style during the match. The AI will analyze the match difficulty, score, match type, match time, and the players available on the bench, to change their approach like a real world manager would. The CPU AI will also take into account the preferred positions of their players outside of their main role as well as their preferred playing side.

We expect that this will have a significant impact on matches you play against AI across the game, from Career Mode to FUT, as the CPU might, for example, bring on more attacking players if they need to score, changing to a more offensive formation to try to snatch an equalizer.

New CPU AI Only Traits

• Round the Keeper - A player with this Trait tends to dribble around the keeper when in one on one situations, and is more effective at this behavior than players without this Trait. 
• First Time Shots - A player with this Trait has a preference for taking shots immediately when receiving the ball, and their shot accuracy is improved when doing so. Note that this Trait does not guarantee that a player will always attempt a first time shot.

General CPU AI Updates 

Here are some of the most impactful CPU AI updates we’ve made in FIFA 23 with the aim of creating a more fluid and lifelike experience when playing against them.

• The CPU AI can be more willing to commit riskier fouls, crosses, and counter attacks.
• The CPU AI is less likely to rely on backwards dribbles and can make more use of the sidelines and generally smoother dribbling transitions.
• The CPU AI is more likely to consider a variety of passes and rely less on first time passing.
• New playstyles for teams - Teams can now focus on the more physical aspects of defending or play more conservatively. 
• Player Based Difficulty now works on Legendary/Ultimate difficulty.
  • Players affected by Player Based Difficulty get a +10 boost on all Attributes when on the ball.
  • If not already enabled, Player Based Difficulty now turns on Competitor Mode. 

Deeper Match Analysis

This year we rebuilt the Player Rating system to be more robust and provide more feedback to players. The updated Player Rating system includes the following changes:

• Fairer ratings based on the player’s position.
• Less rating reduction for not scoring when playing anything besides a forward position.
• Ratings for players that excel at playing defensive roles should now better reflect their match accomplishments.

We are also tracking and calculating new stats for Player and Team Performance, with Duels being the major one. The following can be found on the Match Facts screens:

• Duels evaluate players' offensive and defensive effectiveness in one on one situations. A duel is considered when the ball carrier and a defender get into a head to head situation.
  • Offensive Duels - The ball carrier wins the offensive duel if any of the following situations occur:
    • Clearly dribbles past the opponent.
    • Makes a successful shot/pass towards a better xG position.
    • Wins a foul.
    • The defender disengages from the attacker.
  • Defensive Duels - The defender wins the defensive duel if any of the following situations occur:
    • The defending team wins ball possession.
    • The defender kicks the ball out of play. Any out of play set piece is considered as the defender winning. 
    • The attacker keeps possession but is forced to dribble or pass to a worse xG position.
  • Aerial Duels occur when two players battle for a ball in the air. The first player to get a touch on the ball wins.
• Threat Chart
  • Shows each team’s attacking threat for every minute of the match.
  • Shows shots on target and goals.
• Crossing Stats - Crosses Attempted and Crossing Accuracy. 
• Offsides Caused
• Beaten By Opponent - a count of opponents who have beaten your player specifically by a dribble. 

Celebrations and Crowds

We continue to build on Big Goal Moments [NG] with brand new scenes that can play out over the course of a match. Additionally, we’ve made improvements and added many new crowd reactions and chants, and we’re expanding the amount of celebrations available in-game with the intent of being able to celebrate huge match moments just like how the sport’s stars might in a dramatic or hard fought match. As we strive for more on pitch authenticity every year for FIFA, we look forward to players being able to experience an improved atmosphere with these refinements.

Stay tuned for more info on the match experience and celebrations.

Additional Updates

We’ve made additional gameplay updates to help enhance the football experience outside of matches.

Practice Arena - Set Pieces

• On demand Free Kicks and Penalty Kicks in Practice Arena with specific location selection.
  • Press D-Pad Up to activate Set Pieces Mode.
  • Use the Left Stick to select a location followed by X || A to confirm.
• Free Kicks can be taken from anywhere outside of the box.
  • The size of the wall changes depending on how close the ball is to the box.
• Penalty Kicks can be taken when requesting a set piece inside of the box.

PlayStation 5 Enhanced Haptics

• Added new vibrations for Power Shots, the new Penalty Kick system, clean ball contacts after a tackle, and missed tackles.

Trainer Changes

• Overhauled the UI elements for the Pass Receiver Indicator, Shot Target, Defending Trainer, Switching Indicator, and Offside Indicator.

Skill Games

• Added new Skill Games with many of them focusing on new features and mechanics seen above, such as:
  • Shooting for Power Shots and Semi Assisted shots.
  • Defending with Hard Slide Tackles.
  • Long Passing to train Semi-Assisted Lofted Through passes.
• Added point total needed to achieve the next rank which displays next to your current point value.
• Rebalanced all Skill Games to encourage more high score hunting.
• Rebalanced Career Mode Skill Games to fit better into the mode due to different scoring criteria from their main menu counterparts, and certain Career Mode Skill Games will feature some variation.

Additionally, there are other areas with gameplay changes that will be introduced in future Deep Dives, like new Perks for Pro Clubs, Playable Highlights in Career Mode, and FUT Moments.

—In case you’re in need of a quick summary, we’ve included the full Gameplay Deep Dive video below

Thank you everyone for diving deep into FIFA 23’s gameplay! We hope you found this article enjoyable as well as entertaining, and we can’t wait to see your thoughts on FIFA 23 when it launches on September 30.

- Thomas Caleffi, Keegan Sabatino, Rory Hilson, Danillo Abreu, Goran Popovic (PFO) and The FIFA Gameplay Dev Team

FIFA 23 is available to pre-order for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia.

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