Choose Soccer Manager 2016
Choose Soccer Manager 2016 if you want a Strategy, Indie, and Free To Play experience. Soccer Manager 2016 launched in 2015.
Soccer Manager 2016 vs Soccer Manager 2018
Soccer Manager 2016 and Soccer Manager 2018 both land in Sports 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 are Sports games on Steam. Soccer Manager 2016 (2015) is 2 years older than Soccer Manager 2018 (2017). Soccer Manager 2018 is free; Soccer Manager 2016 is paid (Price unknown). 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 Soccer Manager 2018
Choose Soccer Manager 2018 if it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Soccer Manager 2018 launched in 2017.
Both Soccer Manager 2016 and Soccer Manager 2018 sit in Sports 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
 Soccer Manager 2016 |  Soccer Manager 2018 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Genres | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Free To Play | Sports |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Price unknown | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 1 reviews | 55.6% positive (108 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Soccer Manager Ltd | Soccer Manager Ltd |
Side by side
- Both are Sports games on Steam.
- Soccer Manager 2016 (2015) is 2 years older than Soccer Manager 2018 (2017).
- Soccer Manager 2018 is free; Soccer Manager 2016 is paid (Price unknown).
Soccer Manager 2016 vs Soccer Manager 2018 — FAQ
- Should I play Soccer Manager 2016 or Soccer Manager 2018 first?
- If you want chronology, Soccer Manager 2016 (2015) came out before Soccer Manager 2018 (2017). 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 Soccer Manager 2016 and Soccer Manager 2018 similar?
- They overlap on Sports 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.
- Is Soccer Manager 2018 free?
- Yes — Soccer Manager 2018 is a free-to-play Steam title. Soccer Manager 2016 is paid (Price unknown).