Football Manager 2017 Is Free To Play This Weekend

Publisher Sega has announced that its soccer sim, Football Manager 2017, is free to play this weekend on Steam. That means PC users can access "the full Football Manager experience" without charge until Sunday, March 26 at noon PST / 3 PM ET / 8 PM GMT.

In a blog post, Sega promises this free trial grants players "unrestricted access" to the game, including the stripped-down Classic Mode and the dream team-style Fantasy Draft. The latter has you manage a squad packed with the world's biggest stars, with the ability to challenge your friends online.

Once the free trial ends on Sunday, FM 2017 will be half price to purchase permanently, making it $25 / £17.50--and your progress from the free period will carry over if you decide to buy the full game. The game's tablet and smartphone versions (called Touch and Mobile, respectively) do not appear to be on offer.

Critic Richard Wakeling awarded the PC game a 7/10 in our Football Manager 2017 review, praising the match engine and overall presentation, but criticizing the lack of new features found in this year's title.

"Football Manager 2017 is not a game of revolution, but one of refinement," he said. "Transfers are smarter and more involved, and the faster player development and streamlining of information are welcome. The perennial strengths of Football Manager are stronger than ever, yet it's the furtive improvements to the match engine that really set Football Manager 2017 apart from its immediate predecessor. Sure, I still have gripes with the tactical interface, and there isn't anything new there worth writing about. But if your rear end has ever been entrenched in the virtual dugout or you're just a fresh-faced hopeful looking to begin your journey, Football Manager 2017 is easy to recommend to the budding manager."