Every Football Manager game, ranked
All 7 Football Manager games we hold, spanning 2016 to 2023: 7 ranked by the GamingPickz Score and plotted below, the rest listed in release order so nothing in the series is missing. Together they carry 148,847 Steam reviews.
Where to start
- For the best-reviewed: Football Manager 2021 (GamingPickz Score 8.0), the highest-rated entry we can score.
- For canon order: begin with Football Manager 2017 (2016) and follow the release-order timeline below.
The Football Manager games on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueThe same 7 games, plotted rather than listed. The two axes below are the ones the ranking is built from, so a game sitting high and right is a game the formula placed near the top. Change either axis to see the field a different way. Where we hold a publisher wordmark, the game is drawn as its mark rather than a dot.
7 games have both
Axes are fitted to these 7 games rather than the full 0 to 100 scale, because a filtered list shares a narrow band and would otherwise sit in one corner. End values are marked. A point on the left edge is the lowest of thesegames, not a low score.
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
7 best Football Manager games, ranked
Ordered by GamingPickz Score. Every figure links back to the source that produced it.
Football Manager 2021 at a glance Released 2020 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 94% positive of 23,849 Critics No aggregate Price Not listed Steam Deck playable Install size 7 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 94% shrinks to 93.8 on 23,849 reviews, giving 8.0. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Small install at 7 GB.
Football Manager 2022 at a glance Released 2021 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 93% positive of 21,515 Critics 85/100 Price Not listed Steam Deck playable Install size 7 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 93% shrinks to 92.8 on 21,515 reviews, then blends with the 85 critic aggregate, giving 8.0.
What the data supports- Small install at 7 GB.
Football Manager 2020 at a glance Released 2019 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 89% positive of 31,660 Critics 84/100 Price Not listed Steam Deck playable Install size 7 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 89% shrinks to 88.9 on 31,660 reviews, then blends with the 84 critic aggregate, giving 7.9.
What the data supports- Small install at 7 GB.
Football Manager 2024 at a glance Released 2023 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 92% positive of 28,484 Critics No aggregate Price Not listed Steam Deck playable Install size 7 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 92% shrinks to 91.9 on 28,484 reviews, giving 7.9. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Small install at 7 GB.
- 5
Football Manager 2023
Best for: Handheld play, small install and Deck verified
7.7GamingPickz Scoremedium confidenceFootball Manager 2023 at a glance Released 2022 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 90% positive of 19,819 Critics No aggregate Price Not listed Steam Deck verified Install size 7 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 90% shrinks to 89.9 on 19,819 reviews, giving 7.7. No critics data, so that weight was redistributed across the rest rather than counted as zero.
What the data supports- Valve has tested it and rates it Verified on the Steam Deck.
- Small install at 7 GB.
Football Manager 2019 at a glance Released 2018 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 87% positive of 12,478 Critics 86/100 Price Not listed Steam Deck playable Install size 7 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 87% shrinks to 86.9 on 12,478 reviews, then blends with the 86 critic aggregate, giving 7.6.
What the data supports- Small install at 7 GB.
Football Manager 2017 at a glance Released 2016 Studio Sports Interactive Player sentiment 60% positive of 11,042 Critics 80/100 Price Not listed Steam Deck playable Install size 3 GB Accessibility 0 declared features Raw 60% shrinks to 60.8 on 11,042 reviews, then blends with the 80 critic aggregate, giving 6.1.
What the data supports- Small install at 3 GB.
Worth checking first- Critics rate it well above players, 80 against 61. Worth reading why before buying.
Best and worst entry
The best-received Football Manager game we can score is Football Manager 2021 at 8.0. The lowest is Football Manager 2017 at 6.1, a 1.9-point spread across the series. The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
How the series scored over time
GamingPickz Score against release year, 2016 to 2023. The later entries score higher than the earlier ones: the series has been trending up.
On a Steam Deck
Valve's own Deck compatibility rating for the Football Manager entries on Steam:
- Verified: Football Manager 2023
- Playable: Football Manager 2017, Football Manager 2019, Football Manager 2020, Football Manager 2021, Football Manager 2022, Football Manager 2024
Platforms across the series
Where the 7 Football Manager games have landed, counting every entry we hold:
| Platform family | Entries |
|---|---|
| PC | 7 of 7 |
The Football Manager series, game by game
Every Football Manager game we hold, in release order. Each description is the game's own, from Steam where it has a listing and Wikipedia for the older entries, never ours.
- 2016
Take control of your favourite football team in Football Manager 2017, the most realistic and immersive football management game to date. It’s the closest thing to doing the job for real! (Steam)
Reception
Reception On the review aggregator Metacritic , Football Manager 2017 received a score of 80 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". GameSpot gave the game a 7/10, applauding the player development and smart transfers, and also saying " Football Manager 2017 is easy to recommend to the budding manager" but not enjoying the tactics interface. PC Gamer gave the game a score of 85/100, saying the game is a significant step… (Wikipedia)
- 2018
Simulation gaming perfected. Create your unique footballing story by taking charge of the club you love. Complete control of this stunningly realistic game world is yours - every decision in your hands, or yours to delegate. Your call, your way, your story. Everything you've ever dreamed of! (Steam)
Reception
Reception Football Manager 2019 received "generally favorable" reviews while Football Manager 2019 Touch for Nintendo Switch received "mixed or average" reviews according Metacritic , a review aggregator. PC Gamer strongly praised the game for its improvement on previous entries, stating: " Football Manager returns with a kitbag full of new and overhauled features. It's the best at what it does, and FM 19 is the best it's ever been. (Wikipedia)
- 2019
Run your football club, your way. Every decision counts in Football Manager 2020 with new features and polished game mechanics rewarding planning and progression like never before, empowering managers to develop and refine both your club’s and your own unique identity. (Steam)
Reception
Reception Football Manager 2020 received "generally favorable" reviews while Football Manager 2020 Touch for Switch received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic , a review aggregator. PC Gamer praised the game's scope and the gameplay's potential, writing: "There's scope to play for countless seasons and still be presented with fresh challenges, and the new Development Centre system makes building for the future more compelling than ever. "… (Wikipedia)
- 2020
New additions and game upgrades deliver added levels of depth, drama and football authenticity. FM21 empowers you like never before to develop your skills and command success at your club. (Steam)
Reception
Reception Football Manager 2021 received "generally favorable" reviews while Football Manager 2021 Touch for Switch received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic . Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received "mighty" approval, being recommended by 92% of critics. PC Gamer praised the games' engaging depth, stating: "With a newfound litheness on the pitch and deep data analysis, FM21… (Wikipedia)
- 2021
The closest thing to real football management. FM22 brings new, progressive ways to find your winning edge, instill your footballing style and earn it on the pitch. (Steam)
Reception
Reception Football Manager 2022 received "generally favorable" reviews according to Metacritic , a review aggregator. PC Gamer praised the game's addictiveness, writing: "If it were a team, Football Manager 2022 would be Liverpool. No big new signings, but there's already a star in every position ... (Wikipedia)
- 2022
Build your dream squad, outsmart your rivals and experience the thrill of big European nights in the UEFA Champions League. Your journey towards footballing glory awaits. (Steam)
- 2023
Build a world-class team ready to dominate your rivals in football’s most prestigious competitions. Progress never stops when you’re pursuing footballing greatness. (Steam)
Football Manager, head to head
Two entries side by side on score, price, specs and reception:
Football Manager vs other series
How Football Manager stacks up against other series in the same genre, as a whole:
Also: Football Manager vs Age of History, Football Manager vs Beholder, Football Manager vs Brothers in Arms, Football Manager vs Call to Arms, Football Manager vs Day of Defeat, Football Manager vs Door Kickers, Football Manager vs Dungeons, Football Manager vs EA SPORTS FC, Football Manager vs EA SPORTS FIFA, Football Manager vs eFootball PES, Football Manager vs ENDLESS Space, Football Manager vs Europa Universalis, Football Manager vs Frostpunk, Football Manager vs Hearts of Iron, Football Manager vs Insurgency, Football Manager vs Kingdom, Football Manager vs Men of War, Football Manager vs Overcooked, Football Manager vs Payday, Football Manager vs Poker Night, Football Manager vs Red Orchestra, Football Manager vs Soda Dungeon, Football Manager vs Stronghold, Football Manager vs Stronghold Crusader, Football Manager vs Victoria
Common questions
How many Football Manager games are there?
We hold 7 Football Manager games in the catalogue, released between 2016 and 2023. 7 of them carry enough Steam data to rank; the rest are listed in release order below, including console-only entries with no Steam listing.
Which Football Manager game is best?
By the GamingPickz Score, Football Manager 2021 rates highest at 8.0. That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, computed the same way for every game, not our opinion. The full ranking is above.
What order should I play the Football Manager games in?
Release order is listed below, from 2016 to 2023. For most series that is also story order, but we list dates rather than telling you a canon; the timeline is read from Wikidata.
More franchises
Browse every game franchise ranked the same way, or head to the full grid.