FIFA 23 nets over 10 million players in record-breaking launch week

FIFA 23 has set new records for EA as the biggest launch ever for the franchise. 

Earlier today, EA revealed that 10.3 million players worldwide had played FIFA 23 in the week since it launched. Compared to the 9.1 million figure from the same launch period last year for FIFA 22, that’s an increase of over a million players worldwide for EA’s sports sim.

It’s looking like FIFA is going out on a high, then. Considering FIFA 23 will be the last entry in EA’s series to officially bear the FIFA branding and licensing before the series becomes known as EA Sports FC for 2023 and beyond. It looks like players have turned out in bigger droves than ever for the last official launch in the long-standing franchise. 

As for this year’s iteration of FIFA, it’s got two bonus features going for it: AFC Richmond, and Welcome to Wrexham. Fans of Apple TV’s outstanding Ted Lasso series might have been spurred into picking up FIFA 23 with the promise of playing as the internationally famous coach’s team. Those fond of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney might have heard of their ventures with Wrexham FC in Wales.

Our full FIFA 23 review judged the new game as having several improvements, such as a full remodelling of FIFA Ultimate Team, but also acknowledged several ongoing issues, such as pack transparency in FUT, and the Comeback AI downgrading players a little too often. There’s some growth in the final FIFA game, then, but not without the usual frustrations that every iteration brings. 

Check out our full FIFA 23 ratings guide for a list of the best players at every position around the pitch.