Choose Football Manager 2022
Choose Football Manager 2022 if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 93.9% positive across 6,063 reviews.
Football Manager 2022 vs Football Referee Simulator
Football Manager 2022 and Football Referee Simulator both land in Sports, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Sports, Simulation on Steam. Football Manager 2022 (2021) is 3 years older than Football Referee Simulator (2024). Football Manager 2022 scores higher on Steam reviews (93.9% positive) than Football Referee Simulator (91.8% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Football Referee Simulator
Choose Football Referee Simulator if you want an Indie experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2024) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Football Referee Simulator launched in 2024.
Both Football Manager 2022 and Football Referee Simulator sit in Sports and Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Football Manager 2022 |  Football Referee Simulator | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Genres | Sports, Simulation | Sports, Indie, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | Price unknown | 0.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 93.9% positive (6,063 reviews) | 91.8% positive (122 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Single-player only |
| Developers | Sports Interactive | Vladimir Pliashkun |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Simulation on Steam.
- Football Manager 2022 (2021) is 3 years older than Football Referee Simulator (2024).
- Football Manager 2022 scores higher on Steam reviews (93.9% positive) than Football Referee Simulator (91.8% positive).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Football Manager 2022 vs Football Referee Simulator — FAQ
- Which is better, Football Manager 2022 or Football Referee Simulator?
- On Steam reviews Football Manager 2022 scores higher (93.9% positive) than Football Referee Simulator (91.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Football Manager 2022 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Football Manager 2022 or Football Referee Simulator first?
- If you want chronology, Football Manager 2022 (2021) came out before Football Referee Simulator (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Football Manager 2022 and Football Referee Simulator similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Football Referee Simulator have multiplayer like Football Manager 2022?
- No. Football Manager 2022 supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Football Referee Simulator is listed as single-player only.