Football Manager 27 is launching for free for a limited time, following troubled 26 game
Players will be able to try FM27 for free for 5 days later this month
Sega and Sports Interactive are launching Football Manager 27 with a free-to-play period, seemingly in an attempt to win back players disappointed by last year’s revamp.
When it launches, Football Manager 27 will be free to play on PC and Mac from October 29 to November 3, the pair announced on Wednesday. The FM27 Launch Preview will be available across Steam, Epic, the Microsoft Store, Xbox Game Pass, and PC Game Pass, with no sign-up required.
“Making an annual title free to play with all game modes available is believed to be an industry first and is a move that continues Sports Interactive’s efforts to support its community of players,” an announcement reads. “Now, for this year, fans worldwide can get hands-on with FM27’s Launch Preview without any upfront cost.”
The move follows a tough time for the series, which took a year off in 2024, returning last year with a Unity-powered revamp that was heavily criticized by players for bugs and missing features.
At one point, the game had a Steam user rating below 25% (it’s currently 38% and “mostly negative”). Sports Interactive later improved the launch game with fixes and updates, but acknowledged that it “missed expectations”.
According to the developer, players who buy the full version of Football Manager 27 during the preview period will get a 10% discount and can keep playing until its official November 10 launch date. Progress during the free play period will also carry over.
Football Manager 27 is said to introduce an improved interface and new features including Tactical Tweaks, Tactical Effectiveness and Continue Flow customization. These are complemented by enhanced Match Day visuals, the return of various features, and more familiar behaviors.
