Football Manager 2024 Mobile will be free, as long as you have a Netflix account

Sports Interactive has announced that its hugely popular football management game is becoming a Netflix Games exclusive. On mobile platforms, at least.

Football Manager 24 Mobile will only be available to Android and iOS device owners with a Netflix account. However, that also means it will be a free download as long as you have membership.

Each yearly version of the game usually costs £9.99 / $9.99 on launch.

This only applies to the mobile version of the much-loved simulation game. The standard Football Manager 2024 for PC and Mac will continue to be sold through Steam and the Epic Games Store.

There will be new versions of FM Touch and FM Console too, with the latter once again available on Xbox Game Pass from day one, for Xbox consoles and PCs. PlayStation 5 owners will also be able to purchase the game separately.

It hasn't yet been announced whether FM24 Touch will be exclusive to Apple Arcade, as with its predecessor.

All versions of the game will be released on 6 November 2023.

It's worth also noting that the Netflix version of FM24 Mobile will only be playable on mobile devices. You will not be able to access it on other Netflix apps, such as on smart TVs or streaming devices, or through browsers.

Football Manager 24 Mobile is SI Games' speediest version of the management sim. It allows for quick matches to be played while on a commute or travelling elsewhere. There are no 3D match graphics, which the other versions are famed for, but you do still get the thousands of real player names, teams and other strategical shenanigans the series is renowned for.

Netflix Games is a free bonus for Netflix subscribers. It offers access to a growing library of mobile games that are available in full, without ads and with no in-app purchases – you can download games from within the Netflix app for Android, iPhone or iPad and away you go.

The streaming service also plans to use its technology to trial its own cloud gaming platform to take on the likes of Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now, but that's currently only available to a select few in certain test countries. It could become a bigger thing in future, however.