Football Manager 2024: Everything We Know

SEGA and Sports Interactive have come together to announce the latest installment in the Football Manager series, which will be—you guessed it—Football Manager 2024. So, what’s new with the simulation franchise, and when exactly can we expect to get our hands on the upcoming entry? Will it be a picture-perfect portrait of 2023’s version, or will it be a far cry from what made it the best-selling game that it was? Plenty of questions knocking about as of late — as there will be for the duration of its development, no doubt. But the fact is, Football Manager 2024 is en route, and it’s coming a lot sooner than we thought.

So, what do you need to know about the latest chapter in the book? Well, here’s everything we’ve been able to pull together since first hearing of its existence a fair ways back. Football Manager 2024: what is it, really, and what can we expect from it? Let’s talk.

What Is Football Manager 2024?

In case you’ve yet to throw yourself into a Football Manager title, one can only describe it as being a highly technical management simulation game—an episodic adventure, if you like, that has you pulling the strings and orchestrating a team’s gradual ascension to the pinnacle of the global leaderboard. Sure enough, it’s convoluted, and not to mention riddled with UI and customizable features — and that’s precocity what the forthcoming 2024 entry will aim to formulate and, with a little luck, one-up.

In the words of its creators, Sports Interactive: “Football is the relentless pursuit of perfection. Success in the modern game is defined by those who build, plan and fine-tune every aspect of their club. Uncover new ways to win in Football Manager 2024 as you explore new horizons and compete for football’s biggest prizes.”

“So, whether you’re the sort of manager who likes to chase immediate glory or prefers building a club from the bottom, the perfect challenge awaits,” the elevator pitch continues. “The brand new ability to import your existing career from Football Manager 2023, meanwhile, perfectly positions you to continue those long-term quests for glory.”

Story

As far as an actual storyline goes, it’s safe to say that Football Manager 2024 probably won’t be any more in-depth than its 2023 installment. As the title suggests, it’s a management sim, and thus more of a sandbox gig with more focus on custom scenarios and A to B progression than a full-fledged narrative. But that’s to be expected at this point, to be fair.

Like before, players will have the opportunity to either jump straight in with a top-tier team and work to maintain their position at the apex of the league, or opt for a lesser known team and battle to ascend the ladder and become the all-time greats of the sport. Not exactly a story, per se, but there’ll definitely be enough room to craft your own ideal rags-to-riches scenario and toy with a variation of pathways.

For those playing on console, Football Manager 2024 will integrate an option to allow players to port their save files from the 2023 chapter over and essentially continue through a new season. Of course, doing this will mean having full access to all the latest features, too. So that’s something.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Football Manager 2024 won’t be all that different from the previous game, in the fact that the bulk of the journey will revolve around tweaking key aspects of a team in order to progress through the league and become something or an undisputed success. From roster swaps to positions, tactics to transfers, and everything in between — Football Manager 2024 will give you the tools to develop your own team and transform it into an award-winning, record-breaking phenomenon.

“Your dream team is waiting to be built, so maximize the skills of your scouts and the world-leading Football Manager database to recruit the biggest names and the stars of the future,” the features panel reads. “Develop the next generation on the training pitch, using new tools to evolve your Wonderkids from prospects to world-class talents.”

In addition to the returning offline mode, the 2024 entry will also make way for three online modes: Versus, Fantasy Draft, and Online Career, all of which will offer their equal share of trials and tribulations.

Development

In case you ever had any doubts, rest assured that Football Manager 2024 is under the same guidance as every other installment in the series to date. That’s right — Sports Interactive is yet again at the helm to tie the knots and weave the blueprint together from scratch, so we can pretty much guarantee that it’ll receive all the same tender loving care as the last, what, thirty games in the series.

Trailer

Caught your eye? If so, then you’ll be pleased to know that the devs actually posted a trailer of Football Manager 2024 earlier this week. Interested? You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Football Manager 2024 will be heading to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch, iOS, Android, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on November 6, 2023. It will also be available to pick up via Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate as a day-one launch exclusive — so be sure to pre-install it ahead of its global release by logging in to your Game Pass account and navigating to the appropriate store page.

There’s some good news for those looking to pre-order the game, too. As it turns out, if you pre-order a copy on PC before its launch date, you’ll have access to the full game two weeks in advance. You can get ahold of your own copy right now via the Microsoft Store, Steam, or the Epic Games Store.

Interested in staying up to date with Football Manager 2024? If so, don’t forget to check in with the team’s official social feed for all the latest updates here. If anything does change ahead of its launch, we’ll be sure to let you know all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be setting out to bag a copy of Football Manager 2024 when it launches later this year? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.