Touch grass.

After an incredible 30-year run, FIFA 23 had to go out on a high – and to be fair, we reckon it just about has. Fans of EA Sports’ flagship football franchise will be familiar with the formula: this is more refinement than revolution, but FIFA 22 threaded through some of the best virtual soccer we’ve seen from the juggernaut publisher in several years, and the latest instalment iterates on that without ripping up the tactics sheet.

Much to the malign of bigmouthed YouTubers with even bigger followings, the gameplay is a lot slower, with a greater emphasis on passing the ball between players rather than running rings around defenders using Lionel Messi. Tackling has also been buffed, meaning it’s now possible – albeit risky, as you’d expect – to slide in and poke the ball away from five-star attackers. All this leads to a more deliberate, physical game of football that better replicates the real thing – with perhaps the exception of the arcade-esque Power Shots, which have an exaggerated wind-up time but are deadly when aimed correctly.

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