FIFA 23 promises to be one of the most-anticipated games of the year, with fans of the series eager to snap up the last FIFA-titled EA soccer simulator before the series transitions to the EA Sports FC name next year.
Early access to the game begins on Sept. 27 for those that have subscriptions to EA Play, and it will go live at midnight local time for all subscribers. That “local time” part is very important for several people, because some places in the world obviously hit midnight on Sept. 27 earlier than other parts.
That means that playing the game as early as possible isn’t exactly just waiting until midnight wherever you are. If you really want to play FIFA 23’s early access as early as possible, you’ll need to pull off what’s known as the New Zealand Trick.
The trick itself is only available to Xbox users, but it essentially allows users to play FIFA 23 as if they are in New Zealand, regardless of where they’re actually located. This will allow users to get into the early access period early. Users in the United States that pull off the New Zealand trick can play FIFA 23 as much as 20 hours earlier than they normally would have, for residents on the West coast.
So, how exactly do you pull off this trick? Check out the guide below for all the steps you need to follow.
How to do the New Zealand Trick for FIFA 23 on Xbox
For Xbox users, managing this trick is fairly simple. You’ll need to go to your Xbox Settings, and navigate to System. Once in the System settings, change your language region to “English (New Zealand.” Then, change your location to New Zealand.
After all these steps are complete, you’ll need to restart your Xbox. But, when the Xbox boots back up, you will officially have a console that believes you are in New Zealand. And New Zealanders get to play FIFA 23 when the early access releases at midnight, New Zealand Standard Time.
