When it’s all said and done, FIFA 23 career mode is a big letdown, especially after a promising read of the Pitch Notes FUT 23 Coins Career Mode Deep Dive. Areas that were solid last year (transfer values, sim stats, etc.) have regressed while items promised to be fixed (improving the algorithm used by AI teams to determine their starting XI) are still broken. Realistically, I cannot see EA patching in a more intuitive two-way messaging system this year or any new features the community really desires, but they should be able to at least tweak the ability for the CPU to start stronger squads.

Out of the box, FIFA 23 is the one of the poorest releases for the series in some time. The gameplay can’t get out of its own way at times due to poor defensive fundamentals, while the career mode is littered with bugs that were fixed in past iterations. FIFA appears to be the only mode without major issues because the gameplay there is expected to be different. FIFA is always prone to patches (for better or worse), so if you’re on the fence be sure to keep your eyes open as this game will definitely change during the course of the season.

FIFA Ultimate Team can be a daunting endeavor. With thousands of different players, a sometimes intimidating marketplace and struggles to earn in-game currency, setting yourself up for success out of the gates is paramount. So with that said, let’s start with the basics and get you off on the right foot. First and foremost, take the buy FIFA 23 Coins low-hanging fruit and finish the starter objectives right out of the gate to collect your first 1,000 or so coins.