The time has arrived – Football Manager 2023 is out now.
PC and Mac users can download and play FM23 now from Steam, Epic Games and the Microsoft Store. Those of you who’ve been enjoying the FM23 Early Access Beta on Epic or Steam can simply quit and restart the relevant launcher and the game will update to the full release build. All single-player progress made in the Beta will automatically carry forward.
Fans purchasing physical copies of FM23 will notice that this year’s edition does not include a disc. Instead, every pack contains a unique code that, once redeemed, enables play via Steam, Epic Games or the Microsoft Store.
Removing the disc and notebook from this year’s edition, in addition to further refinements to our eco-packaging, means that the overall carbon footprint for FM23’s packaging is 47% lower than FM22’s.
The release also marks a debut for the Football Manager series, with FM23 Touch stepping out onto the pitch through Apple Arcade.
Following last year’s success, FM23 and FM23 Console are available with Xbox Game Pass from launch. As such, all Xbox Game Pass subscribers can start their careers on PC or Console* from Day One at no extra cost.
Completing the squad for this season, Football Manager 2023 Touch (Nintendo Switch™) is also now live on the Nintendo eShop and FM23 Mobile is available for download from the App Store and Google Play. Those who pre-ordered on iOS devices will be able to play immediately.
The release of the PlayStation 5 version of Football Manager™ 2023 Console will be later than planned due to unforeseen complications which have arisen during the submissions and approvals process. SEGA and Sports Interactive will update on this matter at the earliest opportunity.
WHAT TO EXPECT
FM23
Join the managerial elite by writing your own headlines, earning the love of the fans and dominating the competition in Football Manager 2023.
It is our most authentic and engaging title yet and experienced players will notice upgrades and optimisations immediately.
For a deeper dive into what’s new, including the Recruitment Revamp and changes to Match AI and Animation, dive into our Headline Feature blogs.
FM23 Console
FM23 Console lets you experience the thrill of being a real football manager, turning wonderkids into world-class talents and winning the biggest prizes football has to offer.
For more information on functionality, features and what to expect from FM23 Console, check out our dedicated feature page.
FM23 Touch
Bringing our 3D Match Engine to iPhone for the first time, Football Manager 2023 Touch delivers the most authentic football management experience in handheld gaming across both Apple Arcade and Nintendo Switch™.
Apple Arcade is Apple’s popular game subscription service that offers unlimited access to the best collection of over 200 premium games — featuring new releases, award winners, and beloved favorites from the App Store. Apple Arcade is available for £4.99 per month with a one-month free trial.
For more information on what to expect from this year’s edition, visit the FM23 Touch feature pages.
FM23 Mobile
Football Manager 2023 Mobile sits proudly at the top of the mobile gaming league and offers the fastest route to football glory, whenever and wherever you play.
For full details on this year’s new additions, including overhauls to Player Development and the introduction of Team Talks, dig into our headline feature guide.
For information on how to update or install your game, consult our Getting Started FAQs.
It’s what you’ve been waiting for – the headline features for Football Manager 2023 have been revealed.
We have some hugely exciting introductions and improvements in FM23, including changes to Recruitment and the Match Engine, new Supporter Confidence and Dynamic Manager Timeline features, and the arrival of the UEFA Club Competitions licence.
Find out more below and, ahead of the big launch on November 8th, pre-purchase Football Manager 2023 on Steam now for 20% off and early access…
RECRUITMENT REVAMP
To better understand the evolution of the recruitment process, we have had extensive conversations with leading Directors of Football, Data Analysts, Scouts and Managers over the last few years. All of those discussions have helped guide our changes to recruitment for FM 2023, and they fall into four categories: Squad Planner and Experience Matrix, Scouting, Agents and Recruitment Meetings.
One of the main focuses of our Match team was to overhaul the logic powering our AI managers, making them more intelligent than ever before. There have also been a significant number of updates to our Player Decision and Match Engine AI across the pitch, while improvements to our animation engine and changes to Team Instructions ensure FM23 is as close to real life as possible.
This is more than just a standard licence. For the first time in Football Manager history, we are able to include fully licensed UEFA Club Competitions, making those Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights feel even more special. When approaching all of the upgrades, enhancements and functionality related to UEFA’s licensed assets, our team aimed to recreate the UEFA look and feel, and the excitement generated by those big competitions.
We wanted to amplify the importance of fans in the game. By introducing Supporter Profiles, we are able to provide a snapshot of your club’s fanbase. Elsewhere, the newly-included Supporter Confidence will sit alongside your Board Confidence, and will reflect the current mood among the fans. This will help to keep tabs on the supporters’ opinion of you, and whether you’re the right person for the job.
Whether you’ve taken a team from the lower leagues to cup glory over many seasons, or you’ve just fought off relegation in your first campaign, we know just how important your Football Manager save is. For FM23, we’ve continued that theme by introducing the Dynamic Manager Timeline – a new way of showcasing and tracking the achievements and milestones of your career.
The word(s) UEFA, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, EUROPA LEAGUE, EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE, SUPER CUP, the UEFA logo and all marks related to the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Super Cup (including, but not limited to, logos, designs, mascots, products, trophies and names) are owned and protected as registered trade marks, designs and/or as copyright works by UEFA. All rights reserved.
Football Manager will be on more platforms than ever this year as the world’s leading football management simulation series debuts on both PlayStation 5 and Apple Arcade.
Due to launch on November 8th, Football Manager 2023 Console (PS5) will be the first release from the Sports Interactive studio on a home PlayStation console.
On the same day, our Touch series will return to iOS devices after a year’s absence as Football Manager 2023 Touch joins the Apple Arcade catalogue. Fans will be able to kickstart their managerial journeys to the top of the game on iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV through one subscription.
Full feature information, pre-order details and other functionality for both titles will be revealed on Football Manager’s digital and social platforms in October.
Dispelling 10 Common Football Manager Misconceptions
When a Football Manager career isn’t going well, it’s natural to want something or someone to blame. From suggestions that the game is scripted to theories that the AI always gets better cup draws, we’ve seen pretty much everything over the years on our forums and social media.
While we appreciate your feelings, these beliefs are invariably just misconceptions about the way the game works. Football Manager is, and has always been, a complex game where thousands of decisions take place in every game and individual results, or a run of bad injuries, are almost never caused by a single factor.
The Target Forward is one of FM22’s most specific roles. Almost like no other role in the game, a player’s suitability for it is largely determined by their Physical Attributes. This can make building tactics around the role a bit hit and miss but if you find a well-suited player and a system that gets the most out of their unique skillset, playing with a good Target Forward feels almost like using a cheat code.
Your FM22 managerial journey can be whatever you want it to be – and whether that means you take control of every little thing or just turn up for matchdays is entirely up to you.
Perhaps you’re not a fan of dealing with the media? Or maybe you prefer like a special Portuguese man who doesn’t get on too well with the media, or maybe you prefer the warmth of your office to the chill of the training pitch?
Whatever type of manager you choose to be, we've put together a guide on The Football Manager Website that explains how to delegate various aspects of your role to your very capable backroom team.
The summer brings longer days and warmer weather. While there’s some international football and a number of leagues played during the summer months, there’s a wait until we see the world’s biggest clubs back in competitive action. Between now and then is the prime time for a new Football Manager adventure, whether you’re replicating the achievements of real-life teams or making up for campaigns that went a bit awry.
It's at this time of year that the world of football takes the time to look back and honour those players who've caught the eye over the previous season by handing out Player of the Year awards and creating 'Teams of The Season'.
But what about those players who don't catch the eye of the awards panels, but bring success to their clubs by quietly and effectively going about their business? We turn the spotlight on those team players whose contributions may have gone unnoticed with this, the Bundesliga Unsung Hero XI for the 2021/22 season.
Imagine a scenario where one of those FM Newgens is a virtual version of you. That’s what one lucky FMFC member, Liam Kemp from Barnsley in England, got the chance to experience earlier this year. The opportunity to be a Newgen in one of our games is extremely rare.
To ensure you’re in with a chance of winning competitions like this in the future, when it could be you that claims the ‘golden ticket’ and gets to see their virtual self enter the database, make sure you’re signed up to FMFC and follow Football Manager on social media.
Promotion is one of the biggest highs you can experience when playing Football Manager. We’ve all been there, though, when you think a season is going swimmingly and you’re dreaming of challenging the clubs in the division above before your team’s results suddenly fall off and you’re left thinking about what might have been.
