Football Manager 2024 is the 20th entry in the best-selling franchise, which for decades has dominated its niche, but which now has a point to prove after last year’s game was rated the worst one in five years on Metacritic.

It often feels like Football Manager only takes baby steps with each new game, with just enough to justify a sequel and keep the fanbase on board, but this time improvements to realism, upgraded graphics, and a surprising amount of new features make this the best Football Manager in a long time.

British developer Sports Interactive has tweaked its AI to make more intelligent and realistic decisions on the transfer market, which results in tougher negotiations and clubs recruiting players that actually fit their strategy. This might sound like bad news but it’s not, because it feels more authentic and keeps you on your toes.

The new Football Manager 2024 graphics are hit and miss. On one hand the game is more pleasing on the eyes, with slight upgrades to the look of the players and the texture of the pitch. Plus, the motion of the ball and certain player movements are far more authentic than before.

Sports Interactive and Miles Jacobson wanted to end a 20-year-long era on a high with Football Manager 2024, before starting a new one with a new game engine. As such, they’ve made a game with a generous amount of improvements and new features, that places the game closer to the real thing than ever before.

All the new features add quality and realism to the game, from the more authentic motions to the set piece revamp, coaches, the ability to motivate players with incentives, the new player role, a more challenging and realistic transfer market, and the use of intermediaries to sell players.