The English Premier League is just one of 16 featured leagues.

This is perhaps the most noticeable improvement in the build of FIFA 23 that we previewed. Instead of controlling the ball as if it were attached to your feet like some sort of inflated yo-yo, players now must take pains to keep possession FIFA 23 coins. Sprint too much and you'll lose control of the ball. Make too many sudden moves and you'll lose control of the ball. At the same time, the developers don't seem to have pushed their attempts at realism too far. Although it is harder to maintain tight control of the ball in this build of FIFA 23 than in FIFA 23, dribbling isn't so difficult that casual players will be put off. On the contrary, the added level of challenge seems to have been balanced so FIFA neophytes will be entranced, not frustrated.

"Now, players have to move the ball in FIFA just like players have to move the ball in a real football game," Bilbey said. "We felt that we had to change the AI in this fundamental way so we could make our game more like real football. We had to make the game authentic to the real world of football, so we spent a solid eight to 10 weeks of around-the-clock work on the AI this summer."

You'll Get a Kick Out of This

More was accomplished this past summer than just a revamped ball control system. Once the design team was finished with this new, more realistic dribbling, they felt that it was out of place with the rest of the game. A few holdover elements made FIFA 23 continue to play more like an arcade game, and since the developers were aiming at a proper simulation of real FIFA, the decision was made to keep going with the AI enhancements. This branched into all other areas of the sport. Ball physics were tightened up during shots on goal. Scoring attempts should now benefit from all sorts of deflections and scrambling play as the players react to odd bounces. This was evident in almost every game we played with the preview build. Just as in real FIFA, it seemed like almost anything could happen when the ball was loose in front of the net.

It should be easier to play defense this year.

Free kicks have been made more authentic through the incorporation of an icon that lets the player decide where to make contact with the ball and a meter similar to ones used when kicking field goals in football games. A floating target reticle pops up when close to the goal, presenting some additional challenge when you're trying to pick the corner of the net from just outside the penalty kick area. Passing has been both simplified and granted greater depth buy FUT 23 coins. Passing lanes appear to be more strictly defined, forcing the player with the ball to sidestep out of coverage in order to smoothly move the ball forward. Pinball passing seems to be a thing of the past.