FIFA 23 pre-order: Which Edition should you buy?

FIFA 23 takes to the pitch on September 30 but pre-orders for The World’s Game are already live. This year’s game promises even more realism with HyperMotion2 Technology on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, while all platforms, including last-gen, will have women’s club teams, cross-play features and more.

If you’re a soccer fan, you probably don’t need to wait for the pitch notes to break down the specifics of this year’s features. But before you go ahead and pre-order FIFA 23, let’s take a look at what’s included in each Edition.

Thankfully, EA is keeping it simple this year. There are only two versions of FIFA 23 available: the Standard Edition and the Ultimate Edition. This is a similar approach to what EA is doing with Madden 23. So here’s what you get with each.

FIFA 23 Standard Edition

• $69.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Stadia and PC
• $59.99 on PS4 and Xbox One

The Standard Edition of FIFA 23 is pretty straightforward. You get the base game which, depending on your platform choice, can differ in price by $10. You’ll notice the current-gen, Stadia and PC versions of FIFA 23 are all priced at $69.99. That’s because PC and Stadia will also enjoy the gameplay benefits of the improved HyperMotion2 Technology.

Regardless of which platform you buy it for, the contents of the Standard Edition are the same:

• Untradeable TOTW 1 Player
• Kylian Mbappé Loan Item
• FUT Ambassador Loan Player Pick
• Career Mode Homegrown Talent

Now here’s what’s important to note. There’s no free upgrade via Dual Entitlement with the Standard Edition. If you plan to upgrade from the last-gen (PS4/Xbox One) to the current-gen (PS5/Xbox Series X|S) at some point, you’re going to have to buy the Ultimate Edition as this includes the game for both console generations (within the same family of consoles).

FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition

• $99.99 (Xbox, PlayStation, Stadia)
• $89.99 (PC)

Real quick, here’s what else is included if you pre-order the Ultimate Edition of FIFA 23:

• LIMITED TIME ONLY: FIFA World Cup™ FUT Heroes Player Item
• 3 days early access
• Dual Entitlement
• Ones To Watch Player Item
• 4600 FIFA Points
• Team of the Week 1 Player Item
• Kylian Mbappé Loan Item for 5 FIFA Ultimate Team™ matches
• FUT Ambassador Loan Player Pick (Choose between Davies, Son, and Vinícius Jr.) for 3 FIFA Ultimate Team™ matches
• Career Mode Homegrown Talent

The obvious benefit of the FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition is the fact that it features both the last-gen and current-gen versions of FIFA 23 (also known as Dual Entitlement). But seeing as how you’re already paying $100 for this, I don’t consider this a free upgrade at all.

Sure you’re getting 4600 FIFA points and some extra goodies, but is that enough to warrant the price? In my opinion, no. Unless you’re a super fan who enjoys early access and all of the following pre-order incentives, you’re probably better off with the Standard Edition unless you know for certain that you’ll be upgrading your console.

With how the price of sports games fluctuates as the year goes on, if you aren’t going to upgrade your console shortly after the game’s launch, then you might be able to get it for a steep discount on its own anyway.

FIFA 23 launches on September 30. The early access through the Ultimate Edition means you can start playing on September 27, which could provide an advantage in Ultimate Team.