21 editions, more than twenty years and thousands of hours lost (or well spent, depending on who you ask). With FM27 arriving on 10 November, we decided to look back and put every Football Manager in order, from worst to best.
The idea came after reading VideoGamer's ranking, which ordered the 2008 to 2024 editions based on Metacritic scores and put FM 2010 and FM 2011 joint first. We liked the exercise, but it was missing pieces: the first three FMs, the cancellation of FM25 and, of course, FM26. So we made our own, with our own maths and our own opinion.
How we built the ranking
We combined three thermometers: the critic score on Metacritic, the player score on the same site and the share of positive reviews on Steam, which only counts from FM 2014 onwards, because Steam only started having reviews at the end of 2013. The numbers help, but they don't decide everything. We also weighed what each edition brought, the state it launched in and the mark it left on the community, the Portuguese one included.
FM25 isn't included. It was cancelled in February 2025 after several delays, and Sports Interactive moved straight on to FM26.
The chart shows two things clearly. Critics have always liked FM: until FM26, no edition dropped below 80. Players are far more demanding, and there was a rough patch between FM 2015 and FM 2018 when Steam was split. And then there's FM26, which plummeted on every front.
21. Football Manager 26 (2025)
There was no other option. FM26 was meant to be the series' big leap: the first on the Unity engine, the first with women's football (14 playable leagues and more than 35,000 licensed players) and the first with the official Premier League licence. The 3D matches look better, and nobody disputes that.
The problem was everything else. The new interface took several clicks to show what used to be in plain sight, performance fell short and features were missing, such as international management, which only returned in May 2026, in time for the World Cup. On Steam, only 36% of more than 36,000 reviews are positive, critics gave it 68, the lowest score in the series, and Metacritic players 2.9. Miles Jacobson himself ended up admitting the game fell short of expectations. Even so, it reached 8 million players by July 2026, which says a lot about how loyal FM players are.
20. Football Manager 2017 (2016)
In VideoGamer's ranking, FM 2017 came last, and it's easy to see why. It brought social media into the game, a Brexit scenario, data analysts on the staff and more than 1,500 new motion-captured animations. On paper it looked like a lot. In practice, players felt it was more of the same and punished it: 5.6 on Metacritic, the lowest score before FM26, and only 60% positive reviews on Steam. It was the edition where many started to feel the series was repeating itself.
19. Football Manager 2018 (2017)
FM 2018 had ideas that are still part of the game today: squad dynamics, with hierarchies and dressing room groups, the medical centre and a redesigned scouting system. It was also the first to generate 3D faces for the game's own youngsters. The problem is that many of these new features arrived half-baked, and players gave it 6.2, with Steam split (66%). It was a transition edition that paved the way for FM 2019.
18. Football Manager 2015 (2014)
A new interface, a manager profile with their own style and attributes and changes to scouting. FM 2015 changed a lot, but little of it convinced. It got 80 from critics, 6.3 from players and 78% on Steam. It was the start of a cycle in which every edition seemed to promise more than it delivered, even if, in the end, we all kept sinking hundreds of hours into it.
17. Football Manager 2016 (2015)
It launched with bugs, but it was one of the boldest editions of the decade. Fantasy Draft, where every player builds a team on a budget from a shared pool, and Create-a-Club, to build a club from scratch, were big new features, along with ProZone match analysis. Metacritic players gave it 7.1, higher than the editions around it, but Steam was split (69%). It deserved more, but the launch weighs on it.
16. Football Manager 2009 (2008)
Historically, it's one of the most important. FM 2009 brought the 3D match engine after years of watching dots on a 2D pitch, plus press conferences and the option of female managers and staff. But the revolution came at a price: 3D arrived with lots of problems, and critics (83) and players (6.4) noticed. To this day some people prefer watching matches in 2D, and that debate started here.
15. Football Manager 2014 (2013)
It's the most divisive edition. Critics gave it 85 and Steam now shows 92% positive reviews, but Metacritic players gave it just 5.9, one of the lowest scores in the series. It brought reworked tactics, a Linux debut and the option to organise testimonial matches. Those who played it at launch remember the complaints about the match engine; those who picked it up after the updates ended up liking it. The gap between the numbers says it all.
14. Football Manager 2008 (2007)
The last FM before 3D. It brought FaceGen-generated faces, revamped finances, improvements to international management and big changes to the transfer system. Critics gave it 86, but players (6.8) already had their eyes on the revolution that came next. Even so, plenty of people in Portugal still miss the afternoons spent playing FM 2008.
13. Football Manager 2023 (2022)
The first edition with the official Champions League licence, with the anthem and the logos we'd always wanted, and with a supporter confidence system. It did well on Steam (90%) and players gave it 7.1, but critics stopped at 80, the lowest since 2017. A competent game, but without a defining new feature.
12. Football Manager 2020 (2019)
FM 2020 introduced club vision, with long-term goals set by the board, and the development centre, to keep track of academy youngsters. Both ideas stuck. Steam liked it (89%) and so did critics (84), but Metacritic players gave it just 6.5. Solid and well made, but not very ambitious.
11. Football Manager 2013 (2012)
FM 2013 is a favourite of many veterans. It brought Classic Mode, a faster version for those without time to watch every match, challenges, the director of football and even taxes. Critics gave it 86 and players 6.9. It proved SI knew how to think about people with little time to play.
10. Football Manager 2007 (2006)
More than 100 new features, according to SI at the time. The ones that stuck were feeder clubs, which let big clubs loan youngsters to partner clubs, the pre-match team talk and scouting where scouts learned over time. It scored 87 with critics, won a BAFTA award and also came out on Xbox 360 and PSP. One of the most complete editions of the 2D era.
9. Football Manager 2021 (2020)
Among the editions that launched with Steam reviews, it has the highest share of positive reviews: 94%. It brought expected goals (xG) into the game, gestures in conversations with players and a revamped match day, with better animations and more information during the match. Critics gave it 85, but Metacritic players (6.6) felt it was too little for a full-price game. It came out in the middle of the pandemic, when many of us had more time to play than ever.
8. Football Manager 2005 (2004)
This is where it all began. After the split from Eidos, which kept the Championship Manager name, Sports Interactive took the CM4 code, fixed what had gone wrong and released the first Football Manager. Critics gave it 89, the highest score in the series, level with FM 2006, and it was one of the fastest-selling PC games in the UK. Today, with no 3D and an interface from another era, it's hard to go back to. But without FM 2005, none of this would exist.
7. Football Manager 2019 (2018)
After three lukewarm editions, FM 2019 put the series back on track. Tactics were rebuilt from scratch, with preset styles such as gegenpress or tiki-taka, training changed completely and the Bundesliga licence arrived. It scored 86 with critics, 7.1 with players and 87% on Steam. Much of what we still use in tactics today was born here.
6. Football Manager 2022 (2021)
The Data Hub changed the way we look at our teams, with charts, xG and analysis we used to see only on TV. Opposition AI improved and deadline day got more dramatic. Players gave it 7.4, the best score they'd given an FM since 2012, and Steam 93%. One of the most balanced FMs of the modern era.
5. Football Manager 2006 (2005)
If FM 2005 was the kick-off, FM 2006 was the confirmation. It brought team talks, simpler training management and more in-game help for newcomers. It scored 89 with critics, was the second fastest-selling PC game in the UK and came to an Xbox console, the 360, for the first time. For many of us, it was our first FM.
4. Football Manager 2024 (2023)
This is where we differ most from VideoGamer, who put it fifth. FM 2024 was the culmination of 20 years of the old engine: proper set pieces at last, with a full editor, better player development and more leagues. With FM25 cancelled, it ended up being played for two years and passed 19 million players, the most played FM ever. It has 7.5 from Metacritic players and 92% on Steam. After what happened with FM26, it's no surprise that many went back to it.
3. Football Manager 2012 (2011)
FM 2012 gave us one of the most requested features ever: adding leagues in the middle of a save. The transfer system was rethought, scouting improved and the interface started adapting to what we were doing. Players still give it 8.2 on Metacritic, the second highest score in the series. It doesn't have today's graphics or analysis, but it's still a game where it's easy to lose track of time.
2. Football Manager 2010 (2009)
FM 2009 brought 3D, but FM 2010 is the one that got the series thinking like modern FM. The interface was completely rebuilt, the tactics creator arrived with touchline instructions, and so did match analysis, with stats and highlights to review. It scored 87 with critics, the best since FM 2007, and 7.8 with players. Much of what we do in a match today started here.
1. Football Manager 2011 (2010)
Our number one, and the VideoGamer's too, although there it shared the spot with FM 2010. FM 2011 brought agents into negotiations, better training, richer conversations with players and, in 3D, night games and different weather conditions. Metacritic players gave it 8.5, the highest score in the series, and critics 85. It was deep without being complicated, stable and with a match engine that convinced. Fifteen years later, some people still have an FM 2011 save tucked away.
What now, FM27?
FM27 arrives on 10 November with a tough mission: making people forget FM26 and putting the series back where it used to be. From what we've seen so far, Sports Interactive is listening to the community, starting with the interface. Whether it can break into the top 10 of this list, we'll find out in a few months.
What about you, do you agree with our ranking? Which FM is your favourite? Let us know in the comments.
Read also
Sources
- Every Football Manager game ranked (VideoGamer)
- Critic and player scores: Metacritic (checked on 3 October 2026)
- Positive reviews: Steam (all languages, checked on 3 October 2026)
