Football Manager 2025, or FM25, is coming soon and fans of the hugely popular management simulation game are counting down the days until they can get their hands on the latest update in the series.
Football Manager 2024 was the most-played edition of the series, a testament to the enduring appeal of taking the reins and making decisions on the imagined futures of the most famous football teams in the world.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about the new Football Manager 2025 game, including release date updates, new features, prices, and more.
When will Football Manager 2025 be released?
FM25 is set to be released in March 2025, with a precise date yet to be finalised.
New titles in the Football Manager series are usually released in early November - for example, FM24 was released on November 6, 2023, while FM23 was released on November 8, 2022 - but delays in the development timeframe have forced an alteration to the usual calendar.
The game was initially set to release between early and mid-November, aligning with previous Football Manager launches. Originally, the launch date was moved back to November 26, 2024, but a further delay was confirmed in October 2024.
A statement explained that the "additional time has not been sufficient to ensure the game quality and experience meets your expectations and our very high standards."
The developers of the game stressed that they "were simply rushing too much and in danger of compromising [their] usual standards."
Alongside the PC and Mac releases, Football Manager 25 Console will be available on Xbox and PlayStation 5. Both FM25 Console (Xbox) and FM25 (PC/Mac) will once again be accessible through Xbox Game Pass.
Additionally, the studio has confirmed the return of the Nintendo Switch version, with Football Manager 25 Touch set for release on December 3.
How much will Football Manager 2025 cost? Prices & where to buy
A number of different versions of Football Manager 2025 will be available to buy, including the full version, Football Manager 2025, Football Manager 2025 Console, Football Manager 2025 Touch and Football Manager 2025 Mobile.
Prices for each version of the game have not yet been confirmed, but it is not unreasonable to expect that they will be available for a similar price as the last game - $59.99 in the United States and £44.99 in the United Kingdom for the full PC version of the game.
Discount prices are usually available to those who pre-order the game - ordinarily giving about 10 per cent off the advertised price. Pre-purchases usually come with the perk of early access to the game too.
Gamers will be able to purchase the game online through outlets such as Steam and Epic Games, as well as the usual official console outlets, retail gaming stores, and Amazon. However, if you pre-order the game before release on Steam or any other SEGA-approved retailer, you will receive 10% off.
Which consoles will Football Manager 2025 be playable on?
Football Manager 25 will launch on PC/Mac and Mobile via Netflix, while FM 25 Console will be released on Xbox One, Series X/S and PS5. This has been announced by Sports Interactive and Sega.
What new features will Football Manager 2025 have?
New UI and Unity Engine
Powered by the transition to the Unity engine, FM25 represents the most significant technical and visual leap forward for the series in a generation.
The user interface in FM25 has undergone a complete redesign, drawing on insights into how different types of players engage with the game. This has resulted in a smoother, more intuitive experience without sacrificing depth or detail.
With enhanced graphics and new volumetric player animations sourced from real football matches, the game brings fans closer to the action on Matchdays than ever before.
Women's Football introduced to FM25
A landmark feature in FM25 is the debut of Women’s Football, seamlessly integrated into the game alongside the men's version in a unified ecosystem. Players can now explore new frontiers in the women’s game, while the men's side benefits from deeper immersion, thanks to SI's new multi-year collaboration with the Premier League.
Miles Jacobson, the Sports Interactive Studio Director, expressed his excitement about the announcement of Football Manager 25: "It’s a great honour today to be confirming the forthcoming release of Football Manager 25.
"As I’ve mentioned in interviews and development updates, the FM25 cycle has been challenging for the entire SI team.
"FM25 is just the starting point for the studio’s next 20, 30 years. It’s also the point where the world gets to see two of our multi-year projects come to fruition: the switch to the Unity engine and the introduction of Women’s Football. It gives us a real sense of achievement to begin sharing our hard work with you and we're really looking forward to showing you more of the game in the weeks before the game’s release."
Premier League x Football Manager
In June 2024, it was announced that the Premier League was officially coming to Football Manager. Of course, you could always manage Premier League teams, but, unlike, say the Bundesliga, there were no official logos and so forth. That's about the change.
No international management
While it is not a new feature, it has been confirmed that international management will not be a playable mode in FM25, FM25 Console, or FM25 Touch, but it will be available on FM25 Mobile. It will return for Football Manager 2026, so don't fret.
Jacobson explained the decision in a post on the official Football Manager website, saying: "We’ve looked really hard at international management in FM and determined that what we were planning to deliver wouldn’t reach our initial quality threshold.
"We also considered the available game data. Only 5.6% of all FM24 PC saves have used the mode, which we feel validates our view that we need to do much, much better with the experience. That number is even smaller on the Console.
"So, rather than delay FM25 even further, we’ve paused work on that area of the game and allocated those resources to other key areas. It will continue to exist in FM25, FM25 Console, and FM25 Touch as part of the wider simulation of world football, it just won’t be playable."