FIFA 23’s first patch is a “tuning update” aimed at penalties and dribbling

Soccer sim FIFA 23 has been given its first patch since the Day One update, but don’t expect to encounter any earth-shattering changes when you next take to the pitch. Described as a “live tuning update”, the patch adjusts the difficulty of penalties and fiddles with dribbling speed for some players. These changes are already live in the game, but you’ll need to restart your FIFA session when the tuning update message pops up to apply it.

The top inclusion in this tuning patch is the alteration to penalties. EA have reduced the accuracy of penalty kicks taken when the composition ring is yellow or red. This should have the effect of making penalties harder, following community criticism of their difficulty level since the game’s launch last week. I could watch an entire match of just penalties, so that suits me.

EA also mucked about with the speed of players whose dribbling-related attributes are below 90 with this patch, increasing the quickness of their technical dribbling animation. Referees are now less likely to call fouls when collisions involve arms too, but are more prone to yellow carding anyone who fouls with a hard slide tackle. You can read the full details of the tuning update here.

FIFA 23 is on Steam and the Epic Games Store for £60/$70/€70. If you’re searching for some guidance on your Ultimate Team picks then check out Hayden’s guide to the best players in FIFA 23. He’s also put together a list of the best wonderkids for FIFA 23’s career mode.