Despite constant pressure from regulators FIFA 23 coins, pay-to win microtransactions are, unfortunately, an issue on FIFA 23. Loot boxes appear in the form of player-filled cards within FIFA's wildly popular Ultimate Team mode. It is possible to purchase FIFA Points in bundles, beginning at PS0.79 for 100 FIFA Points and rising to the staggering PS79.99 for 12,000 FIFA Points. A Premium Gold Pack is priced at 150 FIFA Points and comes with 12 gold-rated players and consumables that can be used in-game or sold via the transfer market.

For the policy of the company, EA told Eurogamer that FUT Lootboxes "are an aspect the game of FIFA that players love," and that "giving players the ability to buy however they like would be fair." The company has no plans to shift its approach towards "surprise mechanics" unless there are laws which force it to. It's not going to make the situation any better however it is worth noting that due to some of these laws, you can put limits on your weekly FIFA Points and packs to open in Ultimate Team, and see the possibility of getting the highest-rated player before opening a pack. FIFA 23 also features time-limited Preview Packs which allow you to examine the contents of a pack prior to you decide to purchase it. However, this currently only works for one single pack of cards that refreshes daily.

FIFA 23 is a bombastic swan song for the series (under its current name at the very least) with a welcome focus on theatrical flair. Fun Moments in FUT, actions replays and games that are virally popular such as Power Shots make it a more thoughtful, memorable game of simulated football with intentional defensive tactics and plenty of action and goals. However, EA's Spartan approach to games that don't make money ensures FIFA 23 is a recognizable beast to previous years, and Ultimate Team's aggressive focus on microtransactions is taking some of the fun of it buy FUT 23 coins.