''AFL 23'' is a 2023

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

developed by

Big Ant Studios Big Ant Studios is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne. Founded in 2000 by chief executive officer Ross Symons, the company specialises in the development of sports games. Big Ant's games include '' Cricket 22'', '' Rugby Leag ...

and published by

Nacon Nacon SA (formerly Bigben Interactive SA) is a French video game publisher, holdings company and gaming peripherals manufacturer based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for va ...

. It was released in May 2023 for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

and

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North ...

, and after a long delay, it was finally released for the

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

and

Xbox Series X The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the fourth generation of consoles in the Xbox series, succeeding the previous generation's Xbox One. Released on November 10, 2020, the higher-end Xbox Series X and lower-end Xbox Series S are part o ...

in September 2023. The game is the most recent installment in the long-running ''AFL'' video game series, and the first to be developed by Big Ant since '' AFL Live'' in 2011.

Gameplay

''AFL 23'' is an

which strives to emulate the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL) and

AFL Women's AFL Women's (AFLW) is Australia's national semi-professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football competition for women's Australian rules football, female players. The 2017 AFL Women's season, first season of the l ...

. While the title is centred around the two pre-eminent professional leagues, it also includes several second-tier state leagues featuring both men's and women's competitions. Players mostly play AFL football games with real or created players and teams. The game features commentary from Anthony Hudson, Jason Bennett, Kelli Underwood, Garry Lyon and Daniel Harford, and its visual presentation aims to replicate that used on

Seven Sport Seven Sport is the brand and production department under which all sporting events on the Australian Seven Network#Sport, Seven Network are broadcast. It broadcasts some of Australia's most prominent sporting events, such as the Australian Foot ...

's AFL coverage. Along with standard quick play and online game modes, several other game modes are present. Season mode allows the player to play through an entire season in their selected league, controlling either the full competition or just one club. Management career expands on season mode to allow the player to control the club's finances, personnel, drafting and trading over multiple years. A card-based game known as Pro Team, similar to that of

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) ...

' Ultimate Team modes, was announced in April 2023, but as of May 2024 it is yet to be included. In July 2024, Pro Team was finally released in an update. Big Ant's popular Academy tool, first seen in '' Don Bradman Cricket 14'', allows users to create custom players, clubs, guernseys and stadiums that can be imported in-game for use in various modes. Academy creations can also be shared among online users via the 'community' tab.

Leagues and stadiums

All 18 AFL and AFLW clubs from the

2023 AFL season The 2023 AFL season was the 127th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest-level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The season featured 18 clubs and ran from 16 March to 30 September, comprising a 23-m ...

and 2022 AFLW season 6 are in the game. All AFL teams have bonus guernseys, including older uniforms that are no longer worn, without sponsorship. There are 40 stadiums in ''AFL 23''.

List of leagues

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

VFL Women's VFL Women's (VFLW) is the major state-level women's Australian rules football league in Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The league initially comprised the six premier division clubs and the top four division 1 clubs from the now-defunct Victori ...

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

* SANFL Women's League *

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL "waffle" or "W-A-F-L") is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting f ...

WAFL Women's WAFL Women's (WAFLW) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFLW is the premier women's football competition in Western Australia and is contested by eight teams, all of whom are owned and operated by clu ...

List of stadiums

Adelaide Oval The Adelaide Oval is a stadium in Adelaide in the state of South Australia. It is located in the Adelaide Parklands, parklands. The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football, but has also played host to rugby league, ...

–

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Alberton Oval Alberton Oval is a sports oval located in Alberton, South Australia, Alberton, a north-western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It has been the home of the Port Adelaide Football Club since 1880. The ground is a public park and is exclusive ...

– South Australia * Arden Street – Victoria * Blundstone Arena –

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

* Box Hill City Oval – Victoria * Brighton Homes Arena - Queensland *

Casey Fields Casey Fields is a $30 million, 70 hectare multi-sports complex in the City of Casey at Cranbourne East, a southeastern suburb of Melbourne. The complex is home to Australian rules football, cricket, netball, soccer, tennis, cycle spor ...

– Victoria * Cazalys Stadium –

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

* Chirnside Park – Victoria * Coburg City Oval – Victoria *

Fremantle Oval Fremantle Oval, also known by naming rights sponsorship as Fremantle Community Bank Oval, is a stadium in the centre of Fremantle, Western Australia, located on Parry Street. It currently has a capacity of 17,500 with terracing and a members a ...

–

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

Giants Stadium Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and primarily hosted sporting events and ...

–

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

* GMHBA Stadium – Victoria * Great Barrier Reef Arena – Queensland *

Henson Park Henson Park is a multi purpose sports ground in Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia. History Henson Park was established in 1933 on the site of Daley's brick pit, Thomas Daley operated the Standsure Brick Company from 1886 to 1914. The br ...

– New South Wales * Heritage Bank Stadium – Queensland * Ikon Park – Victoria * Kinetic Stadium – Victoria *

Manuka Oval Manuka Oval is a sporting venue in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is located in Griffith, Australian Capital Territory, Griffith, in the area of that suburb known as Manuka, Australian Capital Territory, Manuka. Manuka Oval has a seating ...

–

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

* Mars Stadium – Victoria * Marvel Stadium – Victoria *

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the Lis ...

– Victoria * Mineral Resources Park – Western Australia * North Port Oval – Victoria *

North Sydney Oval North Sydney Oval (Also known as “Bear Park” by North Sydney Bears fans) is a multi-use sporting facility in Miller Street, North Sydney, Australia, owned and operated by North Sydney Council. First used as a cricket ground in 1867, it is ...

– New South Wales *

Norwood Oval Norwood Oval (currently known as Coopers Stadium due to sponsorship from the Adelaide-based Coopers Brewery) is a suburban oval in the western end of Norwood, South Australia, Norwood, an inner eastern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. The ...

– South Australia * Optus Stadium – Western Australia * Preston City Oval – Victoria * RSEA Park – Victoria * Swinburne Centre Punt Road Oval – Victoria * Summit Sports Park – South Australia *

Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in the Moore Park, New South Wales, Moore Park suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australi ...

– New South Wales *

The Gabba The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gab ...

– Queensland * TIO Stadium –

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

* TIO Traeger Park – Northern Territory * UTAS Stadium – Tasmania * Victoria Park – Victoria * VU Whitten Oval – Victoria *

Williamstown Cricket Ground The Williamstown Cricket Ground (WCG), currently known by its sponsored name DSV Stadium, and also informally as Point Gellibrand Oval, is a football and cricket stadium located in Williamstown, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne. The ground is loc ...

– Victoria * Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval – Victoria

Development and release

The game was originally set to be released on 13 April 2023. The game was then delayed to 4 May, supposedly due to physical copies of the Xbox versions not yet being in Australia. Days before the new launch date, it was announced that the Xbox versions of the game would again be delayed until mid to late June. The PS4, PS5 and Windows versions of the game were still released on 4 May. On 16 June, Big Ant Studios announced further delays to the Xbox release, this time until "late July to early August". This time period again passed without any release or comment from the developers. On 17 August, a customer support representative from

JB Hi-Fi JB Hi-Fi Limited is an Australian consumer electronics retail company. It is publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Its headquarters are located in Southbank, Melbourne, Victoria. As of June 2024, the company operates 330 sto ...

explained that the Xbox release was delayed until 31 October. The Xbox versions of the game were eventually released on 22 September 2023.

Reception

''AFL 23'' received mixed to negative reviews on release and was initially plagued by game-breaking bugs and crashes. The game currently holds a 'mixed' rating on

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

, with only 44% of players leaving a positive recommendation as of August 2023.

References

External links

''AFL 23'' at Big Ant Studios

''AFL 23'' on Steam

''AFL 23'' on the PlayStation Store

''AFL 23'' at JB Hi-Fi

''AFL 23'' at EB Games
{{Big Ant Studios AFL (video game series) 2023 video games PlayStation 4 games Xbox One games Windows games PlayStation 5 games Xbox Series X and Series S games Video games developed in Australia Video games set in Australia Multiplayer and single-player video games Big Ant Studios games Nacon games Works about women's sports AFL Women's