Will FIFA 23 Be Free-To-Play?


FIFA 22 is the talk of the football gaming world at the moment, but there has been some interesting news surrounding next year's EA Sports release.

The rumour mill is rife with suggestions that EA Sports are looking into the prospect of making their hit footballing sim free-to-play, beginning with their 2022 release.

Konami - creators of the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise - recently announced that they will be making their title free-to-play, so could we see EA follow suit?

Read more: FIFA 23 - $1 billion demands could mark the end of FIFA

FIFA 23 Free-To-Play Leaks

Reputable FIFA source Donk took to Twitter last week to suggest that EA will be making the bold move in time for the release of FIFA 23 next year.

The leak also suggests that FIFA 23 will be cross-platform, which will be music to the ears of FIFA fans all across the globe who have been calling out for cross-platform implementation for some time now.

Currently Donk - who is seen as one of the more reliable sources of information within the FIFA community - is the only FIFA news source to have pushed the idea of a FTP FIFA title, although we are sure more will be released in the coming weeks.

Is Any FIFA Game Free Right Now?

The main FIFA release - as found on Xbox, PlayStation and PC - is not currently a FTP title, although FIFA 21 has been heavily discounted in preparation for the release of FIFA 22 this autumn.

There are versions of FIFA that are free to download though, with the FIFA Mobile free to those on iOS or Android.

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You can experience a sample of the console version of FIFA for free by picking up the FIFA 21 Demo, but you will be restricted in terms of which game modes and clubs you are able to use.

Why Would FIFA 23 Go Free-To-Play?

With FIFA being one of the highest grossing gaming titles on the market, why would EA opt to make their future releases free-to-play?

As we alluded to earlier, Konami - EA's rivals in the football gaming world - have recently made the bold decision to refranchise their Pro Evolution Soccer titles and make them FTP from this year's release onwards.

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eFootball will be available to download for free later this year, with yearly updates also free for those who have downloaded the title.

It's expected that the success of eFootball will rise as a result of the decision, which could leave EA trailing behind if they don't follow suit.

Will FIFA Ultimate Team Be Free?

FIFA Ultimate Team will remain a free-to-play mode, although the focus on the ever controversial micro-transactions would become more prominent than ever.

EA Sports generate a large proportion of their FIFA revenue through the sale of FIFA Points, a digital currency used within Ultimate Team to purchase items that improve your chances of success within the game mode.

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Whilst there is the potential for FIFA 23 to become a free-to-play title, EA would almost certainly keep FIFA Points within Ultimate Team in order to generate the funds to allow them to continue to create and develop future titles.

Will FIFA 23 Add A Battle Pass?

Another avenue that EA could take in order to continue to make money, is through a Free To Play FIFA title, which could then lean more into some form of battle pass model.

Battle passes are what allow free-to-play battle royale titles such as Fortnite and Apex Legends to make money, with the objective-based tiered system's in place to encourage their fans to play their titles.

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The Season Objectives found within FIFA 21's Ultimate Team provide the closest comparison to a traditional battle pass within FIFA currently, but could we see EA Sports take that up a notch in FIFA 23?

Only time will tell, although we wouldn't complain at a Level 100 Cristiano Ronaldo for our Ultimate Team!

For more articles like this, take a look at our FIFA 23 and Guides page.