As a gamer, there are many different ways to immerse yourself in the world of Football Manager. One of these is through the installation of the best Football Manager face packs, which help distinguish players in the game world through unique face visualisation.
A good face pack will allow you to see a cutout or card version of each squad member, which includes both the playing contingent along with the coaching staff. So, if you’re managing a star-studded Manchester City side, you’ll be able to see a photo of Erling Haaland whenever you click through to his general profile page.
In this article, we’re going to go through the best face packs for Football Manager 2023 which add another dimension of realism to the game.
The best FM23 face packs
The unofficial developer community for Football Manager does an incredible job of providing players with a multitude of different options when it comes to downloadable face packs.
Sports Interactive only includes faces that they have a license for. If they don't have the license you'll just see blank silhouette which many players find frustrating when in player interactions and seeing teamsheets. That's where a face pack comes in!
DF11 faces mega pack
The DF11 player faces mega pack has been a staple of the Football Manager community for as long as I can remember.
It includes portrait-style photos of each player, showing their appearance in a uniquely bordered design from the shoulder upwards.
The latest version of this face pack comes with a total file size of 5.4 GB and over 185,000 real faces of professional players, coaches, managers, staff and board members across the many teams present in the game world.
Additionally, the developers of this pack go the extra mile to ensure that it’s kept up to date on a monthly basis.
Cut-out player faces mega pack
Next up, we have the cut-out style of player face which is just an image of the player’s head planted onto a transparent background.
The end result is a clean look which you can see below:
With this particular face pack coming in at double the size of the DF11 pack, downloaders receive a whopping 10.85GB file with a total of 400,000 different faces that really serve to spice up the look and feel of the game.
Action players mega pack
Another great face pack option for players is this all-action style pack which showcases each player engaged in match activity.
So, for example, you’ll see a photo of Lionel Messi about to perform a dribble, or an image of Neymar about to control the ball.
Here’s how that looks like:
This pack is significantly smaller than the aforementioned two as it only has 12,246 files, but it packs a worthy punch because of its unique player posture format.
Where to get FM23 face packs
There are a number of different websites where Football Manager players can source face packs and other downloadable files from in order to enhance the game. Some of these include:
You can take your pick from the sites mentioned, as each one is a reliable hub for high-quality player faces.
Furthermore, you don’t have to worry about your computer receiving a virus or any type of malware from the download of files on any of these sites, as any packs uploaded on these platforms are thoroughly vetted beforehand.
How to install a face pack on FM23
Getting any face pack installed and completely set up properly on Football Manager is a straightforward process.
All you have to do is follow the set of steps outline below:
Step 1: Download and Extract Files
The first step is to download your preferred face pack and once that completes, extract the files to a location of your choosing on your PC or laptop using a program like 7-Zip or WinRAR.
Step 2: Locate the Football Manager 2023 folder on your device
You then need to head over to the Football Manager 2023 folder which is usually found at the following file path - C:\Users\[name]\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2023.
Step 3: Create two sub-folders and paste your extracted files
Next, you’ll need to create a ‘graphics’ folder if you don’t already have one and then create a ‘players’ subfolder within that.
Once you’ve completed that step, simply copy your extracted face pack folders from the saved location you chose in the first step and paste it into the ‘players’ file you created.
Step 4: Go to the interface tab in Football Manager 2023
After that, you’ll need to boot up your game and head over to the preferences section.
That’s where you’ll use the dropdown menu at the top right corner of the screen under the Interface tab.
Step 5: Select caching and page reload settings
Under the dropdown menu, ensure that the 'Use caching to decrease page loading times' setting is left unticked, and that the 'Reload skin when confirming changes in preferences' box is ticked.
Finally, launch the face packs by clicking the ‘Confirm’ button.
Once done, you should have your face pack fully loaded into the save game.