Football Manager 2024 Console Edition Review

It is crazy how fast a year passes us by isn’t it, especially in the gaming space. Football Manager 2024 has arrived on Xbox and also Xbox Game Pass which is fantastic. It makes me happy that the game has finally gelled with console players, as attempts back 10-15 years ago fell a little flat. For those on PC you’ll be pleased to also hear that you can also access the game on PC Game Pass. It’s also brilliant to see the much loved franchise has now found a permanent home on Playstation and continues to do so on Nintendo Switch also.

I was surprised to see that the mobile edition of the game is totally exclusive to Netflix, which is a story for another day. Here I will be focusing on my time with the game which has mainly been played on the road in my hotel, thanks to Xbox Game Pass on the cloud. I couldn’t smash out a review though without putting it through its paces on my powerhouse Xbox Series X. I was keen to see how well it fares in comparison to the 95% I gave the 2023 version this time last year.

For those who play Football Manager year after year, there is an element of don’t fix something that isn’t broken. This is because the games are like a well oiled machine and I have never played a bad one. The console version probably is logistically more difficult as they have layered the work of getting the fluidity and feel of the game right with a controller. It will always be king with a high end rig with a mouse and keyboard in tow, but 2024 Console Edition just feels silky smooth.

You may be wondering what has changed this time around? Well, quite a lot actually and it is refreshing to see the teams at Sports Interactive and SEGA aren’t just churning out a game with a few changed players. Back in my childhood we had to watch dots on screens when it came to Football Management sims, so to have a match engine that is realistic is stunning. If you have religiously played the last few console versions, you’ll notice some significant improvements watching your players on the pitch. Seeing new animations and exceptional changes to ball physics and lighting changes makes a huge difference on the eye.

Those of you with friends on Playstation 5, I come bearing some great news. Football Manager 2024 Console Edition now supports cross play between Xbox Series X|S and Playstation 5. This is applicable across all three online modes including Fantasy Draft, Online Career and Versus mode. Giving more ways for you to play with your best buddies, a great addition.

There is also a spanking new dynamics system which allows you to gauge a deeper insight into player personalities and understanding them more. If there is one criticism I could make, it would be that you don’t feel the connections with players as much as the PC version. It is nice to see work is being done here to slowly embed that within the experience. You’ll start seeing them react to your decision making as a manager and how you approach your running of the club. When you create your manager, you’ll be able to choose from a list of values and standards to live up to as a boss.

Visualition on day to day training has had an overhaul and is far more in depth. Being able to deploy Goalkeeping, Defending and Attacking training units to spread the workload through the training camp gives much more incentive where to shift your players to improve their abilities. There is also a club vision menu making it easier for the board to listen in to your individual requests. Whether its a new stadium, the improvement of youth academy facilities or just some more cash for transfers there is a new redefined system for this.

What I did notice is there are several tweaks here and there to make certain things more prominent and stand out. Accessibility options have also been built on. Slider menus are much more responsive and adaptive. Whilst the purple theming hasn’t really changed for a fair few years now, they have looked at making certain aspects of the game more complementary. Manager Creation has a lot more going for it with far more options to craft your cosmetic style.

Football Manager 2024 Console Edition does it again and just brings consistency to the table to become the best in class at how it performs. From where it started on Xbox around 4 or so years ago to now is nothing short of incredible. Pretty much every flaw from the previous titles have been completely ironed out into a game that will have you hooked for an eternity if you want. The fact that you can load in your previous 2023 version saves into this game just proves that.

I genuinely didn’t think they could improve the console version much more, but they have. Whilst the new additions aren’t gigantic, it enough meat to present new methods to your management style. If you’re on Xbox you don’t really have an excuse not to give it a go if you have never played a Football Management title before. But for those of us who religiously plough hours into the game, it is still worth every penny of your hard earned cash.