Football Manager 2018

Did You Know?

• The Indonesian league was reduced from three playable levels to two.
• The English league has up to six playable levels, while the Swedish league has up to ten divisions.
• Over 2,500 clubs are available across 147 playable divisions.

Gameplay

Gameplay involves taking charge of a professional, semi-professional, amateur, or international football team as the manager. Players can sign football players to contracts, manage club finances, and give team talks. The simulation judges the player on various factors by the club's AI owners and board.

Development

Sports Interactive developed the game, with Sega as publisher. Details of new features were announced in late September 2017, with Football Manager Touch additions following in October 2017 via the official website and social media. New editions included updated squads and kits, and improvements to the match engine. A pre-purchase beta allowed players to start pre-season at least two weeks early, with careers continuing into the full game. The beta confirmed that computer-generated players could come out as homosexual, resulting in a small news report and a boost in revenue.

Reception

Football Manager 2018 for Windows and Football Manager Touch for Nintendo Switch received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic. Eurogamer praised the day one polish and small iterations, stating it earned a veteran player's time. PCGamesN awarded a nine out of ten, noting the game's greater sensitivity and representation of football's humanity. GamesRadar+ praised the 3D match engine improvements but criticized the user interface and dynamics system. PC Gamer gave 89/100, calling it the most ambitious instalment yet. GameSpot gave 9/10, highlighting broader dynamics, more injury information, improved scouting, and new player animations.