New Zealand glitch allows fans to play FIFA 23 a day before official release

Fans in the UK are able to play FIFA 23 a day before its official release date due to the New Zealand glitch. 

Fans who ordered the Ultimate Edition can play the game three days prior to the world wide release of the standard edition, which launches on Friday, September 30.

However, the glitch meant players are able to gain access to the game a day earlier. 

In order to use the New Zealand glitch, gamers have to change the location of their console to the New Zealand time zone. 

As a result of the change, the console will believe the date is already September 27, meaning they will unlock the full version of FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition.

Unfortunately for Playstation and PC users, the glitch only works on Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X, which allow gamers to change their location whenever they want. 

You can find the full FIFA 23 New Zealand glitch instructions below. 

• Go to the Settings menu on Xbox
• Go to the System tab
• Select the Language & Location option
• Change location to New Zealand
• Restart your Xbox console
• Launch the FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition from your game library

With the glitch in play, fans in the UK should be able to play FIFA 23 from 12pm UK time on September 26. However, the location needs to be changed back to the actual location before 11:30pm UK time on September 26. 

Otherwise, there is a possibility of being region locked when searching for match ups online in the game. 

Many new features have been added to the latest edition of the FIFA franchise, with the biggest change being the addition of women’s club football teams. 

This decision delighted the Football Association’s Commercial Director, Navin Singh.

He said: “I’m delighted that the Barclays Women’s Super League will be one of the first women’s club competitions to feature in EA SPORTS FIFA 23, with the franchise historically having one of the largest and most engaged gaming communities in the world. 

“The added visibility a global brand like EA SPORTS will provide for our league, teams and players cannot be underestimated. This very much supports our ambition to accelerate the growth of the women’s game in England, and highlights our commitment to open up the Barclays Women’s Super League, and make it even more accessible, to new audiences around the globe.”