FIFA 23: Latest Info on FUT, Modes, Gameplay Videos and More

FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) is again a landmark feature of the upcoming FIFA 23 from EA Sports.

That's saying something, too, considering how much the annual release has going on compared to prior years.

For one, this year's game is the last so-named entry, closing a 30-year run due to the end of EA and FIFA's partnership. It relaunches next year as EA Sports FC. It also marks the first time a female footballer will grace a global cover, with Chelsea's Sam Kerr gracing regional covers in Australia and New Zealand while also sharing covers with Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappé in other markets.

So the fact that improvements to FUT can garner so much attention this year is quite noteworthy.

For longtime players, it's not hard to see why. FUT Moments is a new single-player mode that allows players to hop into specific moments within a match to pursue goals and challenges.

Quick-hitting moments like that are always fun in sports titles. Rewards for completion will vary based on the difficulty a player chooses, which offers replayability.

Those rewards are part of a new "Stars" currency that permit players to trigger unlocks for players, packs and other items.

Keep in mind that Moments fall under the seasons umbrella, with new scenarios to play arriving alongside the other additions the game continues to dole out throughout its annual lifecycle.

That's hardly all that has longtime players excited, though. EA Sports has decided to rework the chemistry system, removing barriers on which positions can form stronger bonds based on things like clubs and nations.

A huge part of the retooling there is the addition of more secondary positions, as explained by the game's website:

"Players can now have up to three secondary positions. Whether it's a striker who also plays on the wing, a full back who can play either side, or a defensive midfielder who deputies at centre back, switch your players' positions with a single position change item to find new options for your squad."

More options mean more freedom to craft rosters as a player sees fit. It should also mean more variety to the online competitive scene.

To top it all off, that online scene and otherwise should see a healthy, consistent player count because cross-play arrives for the first time. It's limited to same-console-generation one-on-one matches, but something is far, far better than nothing in this context. The transfer market will be one across all platforms, as an added bonus.

While FUT commands the most attention, career mode has some highlights worth noting, too. Playable Highlights let players jump right into key scoring scenarios in an otherwise full simulation. Taking control of a club instead of a player in career mode will also reveal further budgetary options and the ability to control a real-life manager directly.

The game isn't without debuting modes, either. Kerr's big moment coincides with the arrival of women's club teams from England's Women’s Super League and France's Division 1 Arkema.

As the gameplay videos showcase for all modes, extensive new motion capture work and some additions like high-risk, high-reward shots should mean another strong step in the series' pursuit of simulation.

Sweeping upgrades to on-pitch happenings across the game's many modes were the organic way for the series to go. What players have seen so far is proof enough FIFA 23 will make a strong bid to match the unusual hype while providing an experience that keeps them coming back for the entirety of the game's life cycle.