Football Manager 2023 is here, meaning you can jump in right now and get started in your brand-new managerial career.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the brand new features available in this year's game, including a major update made to improve the matchday engine.
LATEST - LATEST - Update 23.2
As announced by the official Twitter account, Major Update 23.2 went live on Thursday, 1 December.
The update is available on Steam, Epic and Microsoft Store, and an update has also come to the Football Manager Pre-Game Editor 2023.
Click here to read everything you need to know about the brand new update.
Headline Features REVEALED
The hype for Football Manager 2023 has truly begun, with this year's headline features now revealed by Sports Interactive.
In an incredibly long 42-minute video, brand new features were revealed for this year's game, with aesthetic changes highlighted and brand-new innovations implemented to make your transfer experience easier than ever.
Check below to find out everything you need to know about FM23's brand-new headline features.
FM23 New Features
Football Manager 2022 brought us a host of brand new features, and we will see a host of exciting new features arriving in FM23.
Recruitment Features
Recruitment was a major area of improvement in FM22 with all new recruitment board meetings and more input options from the staff you've assembled.
FM 23 is looking to take things a step further by adding some new recruitment features.
Squad Planner
The Squad Planner will allow players to rank members of their squad to help visualize strengths and weaknesses, but it also includes players on your shortlist.
This offers a new resource where players can plan the immediate future of their club across short-term recruitment as well as current lineups.
New Agent Interactions
Agents have an important role in recruitment, at times helping you capture that needed star and other times being the sole barrier to them.
In FM 23, agents will have some new interaction options to better flesh out the recruitment process.
For instance, this year, when asking an agent about their represented players, there will be an option to further negotiate that salary demands are simply out of range for the club. This, among other new options, will let players push back on agent demands and give the process more of a push-and-pull feeling.
Match AI
Match AI and its animations are the means through which FM players experience the games they manage. With that, it's one of the most important parts of the series.
IT'S TIME: Pre Order FM 23 NOW!
AI Managers
Sports Interactive spent "the majority of the cycle" this year working on AI managers. This was accomplished via 1000 scouts analyzing the data points around managers worldwide.
With this data and plenty of simulations to build on it, the team has looked to better match how managers approach the game for AI squads across tactics, instructions, and more.
Defensive Tactics and AI
It's no secret that the FM fanbase has gravitated toward high presses and fast-paced aggressive football to get the job done.
In FM23, new defensive tactical instructions seek to help remedy the gap between the styles.
These new tactics include pressing trap preferences, cross-engagement preferences, and more.
Football Manager 2023 will also include better defensive AI for players, including more intelligent tackling angles and decisions to help defeat and adjust to pressing attackers.
Goalkeepers
In FM 23, goalkeepers will have more gameplay options to better reflect the real-life play.
This includes moves like k-blocks and spread blocks in tense one-on-one situations. Further, goalkeepers will also receive some improvements for handling the ball at their feet and in other situations like goal kicks.
This will likely mean that goalkeepers with low Flair attributes can hold their own a bit better with the Sweeper Keeper role, but further, will simply do the work better all around.
Midfield Play
The midfield is a chaotic place on the football pitch, and FM 23 is looking to better simulate this action with more Match AI adjustments.
This includes improving players' ability to sniff out interceptions and position themselves to reflect the team's tactic (ie positioning for an interception that could lead to a counter-attack if the instructions call for it).
Supporters
A club is nothing without its supporters, and in FM 23, supporters will have more of a say with some unique improvements.
In FM 23, supporters will have more say over job security for managers and will have flexible levels of patience and passion around a manager's choices (whether tactical or recruitment related). They will also have new feedback fields so it's crystal clear the consensus at any given time.
In the end, this will mean that keeping your job in Football Manager 2023 will rely a bit more on how your club's fans feel about your performance, so keeping them happy will be all the more important.
Mobile Features Revealed
FM23 will see the introduction of a number of new features into the game.
Firstly, Team Talks will be available on Mobile for the first time. You will be able to motivate and instruct your players however you chose to do so pre-match and at half-time.
An all-new 'Development Hub' has also been added in order to help you create Wonderkids that can break into the first XI in the future.
A revamped Manager Profile will now reflect your managerial style more clearly and you will even be able to add your own photo to your manager card.
As an FM23 manager, you will now be given more detailed feedback on your successes and failures both on and off the pitch thanks to the refreshed Board Confidence.
Not only that, but the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League will all feature, after gaining new licenses.
Console Feature Confirmed
Sports Interactive has been working hard to implement its insights gained through professional input to make FM23 on console the best it has ever been.
Recruitment and tactics have been overhauled majorly, with new features set to make the matchday experience better than ever before.