FIFA 23

The Final Whistle: FIFA 23 in Mid-2025 and the Sunset of an Era

It’s Wednesday, June 25, 2025, here in Hanoi, Vietnam, and while the football world has fully embraced EA Sports FC 24 and eagerly anticipates EA Sports FC 25 (and even the upcoming EA Sports FC 26), FIFA 23 holds a bittersweet place in the hearts of many. As the very last game released under the iconic “FIFA” branding by EA Sports, it represents the end of an era. In mid-2025, FIFA 23 is officially winding down its active lifecycle, with its online servers set to be shut down on December 12, 2025, marking the definitive conclusion of its online functionality. For its remaining loyal players, it’s a race against time to relive the glory and secure those final online achievements.

FIFA 23: The Swan Song of a Legendary Series

Released in September 2022, FIFA 23 was celebrated for being the most feature-rich iteration of the long-running series under the “FIFA” name by EA Sports. It introduced advancements that, at the time, pushed the boundaries of football simulation:

• HyperMotion2 Technology (Next-Gen): This significant technological leap, exclusive to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, delivered hyper-realistic player animations, enhanced ball physics, and more authentic matchday experiences. It captured motion from real matches, including a FIFA-first motion capture of a women’s match, translating it directly into the game through advanced machine learning algorithms. This resulted in over 6000 HyperMotion-enabled animations, making players move and play more responsively.
• Technical Dribbling: A brand-new dribbling system, also informed by machine learning, delivered next-gen visuals and natural motion, allowing for more fluid dribbling, tighter turns, and greater responsiveness with the ball at players’ feet.
• Women’s Club Football: A landmark addition, FIFA 23 was the first in the series to feature women’s club teams from the English Women’s Super League and the French Division 1 Féminine, significantly expanding representation and game modes. This was a direct result of dedicated HyperMotion2 capture from women’s matches, ensuring authenticity.
• FIFA World Cup Game Modes: It included dedicated modes for both the Men’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the Women’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, allowing players to experience the pinnacle of international football.
• Cross-Play (Limited): FIFA 23 introduced limited cross-play, allowing players on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC to play against each other in certain modes like FUT Division Rivals, FUT Champions, FUT Online Draft, FUT Online Friendlies, and Online Seasons. However, PC and Switch had their own separate FUT Transfer Markets.

Core Game Modes: Even in 2025, FIFA 23 offered a variety of beloved modes for offline play:

• FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT): The popular card-collecting mode where players build their dream squads from a vast pool of current and legendary players. It featured FUT Moments (short, objective-based challenges) and Division Rivals (online competitive play).
• Career Mode: Players could embark on a Manager Career, controlling every aspect of a club, or a Player Career, guiding a single player to superstardom.
• Pro Clubs: A highly social and competitive mode where players team up with friends to control individual players on a club, competing against other player-controlled clubs.
• Volta Football: A street football-focused mode offering a more casual, arcade-style experience.

The Winding Down: FIFA 23 in Mid-2025

As of mid-2025, FIFA 23’s official content support from EA Sports has entirely ceased, with the development and live-service teams fully focused on the EA Sports FC series. The current state of FIFA 23 is characterized by:

• Server Shutdown Announcement: The most significant news for FIFA 23 in 2025 is the confirmation that EA is shutting down its online servers on December 12, 2025. This means that after this date, all online modes, including FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), Division Rivals, Squad Battles, Pro Clubs, Volta Football, and online friendlies, will no longer be functional. This end-of-service will arrive just over three years after the game’s release, providing a lifespan of 1169 days for its online features.
• Impact on Achievements/Trophies: The server closure will lead to the discontinuation of 22-23 Xbox achievements/PlayStation trophies that are exclusively tied to online play. Players hoping to “100%” the game are in a race against the clock to complete these online-specific challenges before December 12.
• Community-Driven Updates (Modding): While official support has ended, the robust modding community for FIFA 23 on PC remains highly active. Modders continue to release “MOD SEASON 2025” patches that update team rosters (including summer and winter transfers), player appearances (haircuts, tattoos), kits, boots, and even refine gameplay AI and graphics. For example, a “2025-02-18 Squads Update for FIFA23” was updated on Nexus Mods in February 2025, providing updated rosters for offline play. This community effort keeps the offline game somewhat current and enhances its replayability for single-player modes.
• Declining Player Counts: As expected for an older sports title, especially with a new iteration available, FIFA 23’s online player numbers have seen a significant decline. On Steam, the average concurrent player count for the last 30 days (as of June 25, 2025) is 1,877, with a 24-hour peak of 2,024. This is a drastic drop from its all-time peak of 110,878 concurrent players recorded 2.4 years ago. While console player counts are typically higher than PC for sports titles, they would follow a similar downward trend, as the majority of players have migrated to EA Sports FC.
• Delisted from Digital Stores: FIFA 23 has already been delisted from most digital storefronts like the Microsoft Store and Steam. This means new players often need to hunt for physical copies or rely on existing libraries.