I've been playing FM and CM since CM3 back in 1999. There's no doubt the series has come a long way, but for some the levels of detail in the full versions of the newer Football Manager titles are a little OTT and it's easy to get bogged down and feel you're not getting anywhere.

Touch is a less bloated, slimmed down version of the game - thankfully much improved on last years FM Touch 18. At the time of writing I've played through just over a season in game (about 33hrs) and I've noticed none of the annoying bugs from last year (such as balls or players disappearing in the match engine!). There are a few ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, but that's why the game is released in Beta, for SI to action based on player reports (a very handy 'Report Bug' button on the left hand menu bar enables this rather smoothly)

The menus have been adjusted - certainly there's a new feel to them, with SI picking a rather strong red/blue/purple format for the default skin - however there is also a Dark version which whilst it doesn't eliminate the purple completely, it tones it down somewhat and is more reminiscent of traditional dark skins.

There are new features in FM19 - training and tactics have particularly had a noticeable and considerable overhaul. As always, there are some things that are present in FM19 that aren't in Touch 19. The training in Touch is much more scaled down compared to the full-fat game, but the new tactic selection and editing system makes it in (as does mentoring). Tactics assistant really opens up the nitty gritty of match, team and player instructions and makes it far more accessible and easy to understand.

Some people have mentioned in the full FM19 game they've had massive problems with player injuries, however whilst little knocks and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ appear to be more prevalent this year, in my experience this has been linked directly with how hard they are training and playing so I have no issues to report there.

Of course, the game has the same format as previous years, so you can play on PC and cross-save a game with up to three countries running across to pick it up on compatible Android / iOS tablets and devices (compatability list: https://www.footballmanager.com/blog/fm19-touch-device-compatibility-list) which is really neat.

I do think that those who say it's just last year updated don't quite get FM as a concept, nor have they played the game long enough to appreciate how many little things have been tweaked and changed to make the play experience smoother, faster, generally more improved to FMT18. Is it worth your time and money? Ultimately, that's a decision only you can make - for me though, yes. It's much improved on FMT18 - and if you've not played a FM / FMT (or previously FMC) for a few seasons, then definitely give it a go.

The way to play FM to get through seasons and play long term.

20 seasons on the pre-release beta, and excited now for full release for a game I had worked on for the past 6 years before becoming a fan once again.

The focus on tactics and transfers and less stoppages during the game for interaction, press and inbox really helps you to fly through the seasons. With Instant Result too you can skip those matches that don't matter for your board confidence.

Twists on gameplay features from its bigger brother in Training this year really add a little bit extra optional depth, especially mentoring. Addition of Staff Responsibilities too have given the game an optional head coach style of play if you want to handle over transfers and contracts over to your backroom staff. Scouting has improved this version too and the new Tactical Styles, straight from FM really improve the usability of the game for a pick up and play feel.

The main differences to FM are the more straight forward competition rules (no Squad Registration), no FFP, and one step interaction with your players and press rather than full blown conversations and press conferences. You can find some unique features too with unlockables such as Design a Son, to create your own newgen how you like. FMT also has short-term challenges, and Versus Mode, allowing you to take your career mode team online and play against your mates.

For me the speed I can get through the seasons give me time to play other games too, its more than twice as quick as the full game to get through a season. If you have a tablet you can take your save on the road with you with Steam cloud, and if you only play PC you can get a fuller experience with more leagues, larger database and the add/remove leagues feature.

The only thing I would like to have in future is the ability to play an unplayable league and national team for those club and country saves. Mainly for San Marino of course, but Gibraltar could be nice too ;)

So if you play FM and feel it is a bit heavy, or you want to get through seasons quickly and have a full experierence in a more casual setting, this game is for you.

Me? I'm looking forward to designing my son, putting him in goal and hopefully, finally getting him to score a hattrick :D

The touch version has been able to provide a decent FM experience without having to pour hundreds of hours into a single save. I play a single nation game on a Surface Go which seems ideal for it, the gameplay experience is fine and doesn't drain the battery within an hour.

Not without it's faults, it's lacking some features I used to like (notably team talks) and there are the unpopular micro-transations so you can pay to win, but you don't have to use them.

Would recommend for old people like me who don't have the time for a proper game of FM because of real world responsibilities.

FM Touch 19 returns the Football Manager series to its simplified and glorius best in a streamlined version of the main game.

This edition captures the essence of the earlier games in the series (say FM05-FM10), with a focus mainly on match tactics and squad building.

Scouting and training are present but in a much more simplified and user friendly manner compared to the main game, whilst frustating interactions like teamtalks and player conversations are removed entirely.

There is also an added benefit that the game processes much faster than the main version, allowing those who may be time limited the opportunity to have more meaningful managerial careers.

Certainly, if you are a player who may have fallen out of love with the newer versions of the main game, this may well be the perfect way to rekindle your football managerial affair.

As a long time CM/FM player since 1998-99, this is probably the best version since FM14, as per visuals and sim depth. Also "Touch" version means half price with a faster gameplay, which is always a welcome for people of my age, who work 9-5 and have kids :)

On the other hand, GAME NEEDS A CORRECTIVE PATCH A.S.A.P. !!

There's no playability with this current game mechanics, especailly on transfer market. I will just give two examples which will make you understand the issue ;
1- As Arsenal's manager, I offered Lacazette+Aumabeyang+70M £ for Griezmann and got declined without any counter-offers..
2- As PSG's Manager, I offered Chelsea a fee of 60M £ for a rather mediocre player like C. Pavon and the response was that they would accept a fee of 287M £ !!!
I guess this list would go on if I tried..

I mean, what the hell ?? This is a football simulation game and transfer of players is not only your sole option to alter the game simulation, also it should be considered as a core part of the game mechanics..

Plus, I guess no one really needs 3D match visuals MORE THAN making logical transfers in a grand football simulator...For me it is still better to have 2D in gameplay, it is better to focus on tactics for me... Of course some will prefer 3D but if you really only care about graphics, then FIFA and PES waiting for you anyways.. :)

Any developer response is welcome and please fix this transfer "bug".. I really want to enjoy the game, but this is not possible at its current state..

Thx & Regards,

Before I start with this review I would just like to say that this is the first time I have ever played a Football Manager game, I'm so used to playing Fifa career modes since Fifa 14, so I decided to try something new and go with the Touch version because I thought it would be easier to learn the basics to Football Manager.
It does take a bit to get use to all the new mechanics that are available in Football Manager some you could say is "easy to learn, hard to master" but the game does have some really nice qualities such as a large player database (including many youth players irl) much higher than Fifa's I might add if that matters to you. There is so much to do and keep track of in the game its almost overwhelming at first, from keeping all your players happy within their contracts and training regimens, coming up with a perfect team formation and strategy (which varies depending on what team you are facing) this is just scratching the surface off Football Manager as there is so many other things to do as well such as managing your reserves team and nurturing youth players.
There was only 1 big problem I ran into when playing the game, and that's the number of bugs that are in this game, it could just be the Touch version itself but I ran into a lot of different bugs when playing Football Manager Touch 2019. From texts disappearing for no apparent reason, to the most annoying one of all, which was some of my players attributes all going down at once at random times throughout the seasons. Mind you these weren't old or over-fatigued players, these were mostly young players/wonderkids that got a decent amount of playing time to make them happy. Apart from all of this, I think this is a great Football Manager game.
Tbh, the only reason I would recommend this game to anyone is if they are new to the Football Manager series and are perhaps looking to learn and ease their way into it, or if they just want to get the cheaper game. Otherwise, I would just go with the normal version of Football Manager 2019.

So off the bat I did get the touch version by mistake. I would of been happy had it been like FM Classic as that was a really good addition to the franchise when released, just needing a couple of tweaks. I liked it as the full game takes so long and I could get through a season in a 3rd of the time. This is far from that unfortunatly. It's far too limited, you see your chief scout but none of the others so you don't know how good your scounting team is. Same with the coaches, you see the Assistant Manager but what about the rest of them, they're an important part to developing players and how well and quickly they develop. Speaking ofthe players WTF are they ... the squads are missing soo many players, do some of them show up at your team after a seasoin or 2 when they hit 17/18? When I launched my game I chose 15 countries 40 leagues, 47000 players, so where are they on FM 18 same leagues and player numbers teams like Chealsea, Man City have over 60 players in fm19 Touch they have about 35.

This should be named FM screw you. You want to play Lower League Manager with some realism .... you can't unless you want to pay extra for what should already be in the game - attribute masking. The challanges should be in the game ... you have to pay extra for those. I bought the game I want to be able to play it MY way ... but no.

There are too many issues with the game even in just a short time that make it unplayable for me. Like when I mutually terminate the contract of the Director of Football because I don't want one, I don't advertise for one but the game always hires another (4 now) even teams that don't have or use one (wasted hundreds of thousands on the termination fees).

The Editor should be available (it is for Android & iOS versions). I like to have a side save where I do stupid things like give all teams in the Vanarma North/South & National £200m and see how they get on. Can't do that. There is no in game editor for those who use that. Oh but you can purchase 'cheats' on the same page as the challanges. Want £50m for your team thats £7 in real money!! You could get sacked the next in game day or buy the unsackable cheat just £4. Microtransactions in a single player management sim really FFS. This is happening becasue people are daft enough to pay for it, that's why SEGA and SI have put them in, they see CoD & Madden etc doing it. It's wrong and has to stop !!!! It's BS and shame on whoever signed off on this.

This could have been great but it just not good enough

After several seasons this game still has a large and looming bug that makes it near unplayable for me, No substitution with instant result when using a custom match plan. Many times when I use instant results it will not make any substitutions for me, especially when you use a custom match plan. I have been reporting this issue since 17 and it is still in there!

Got Luton promoted and then got fired. Love it!

My perfect game! I have always wanted to be a Head Coach rather than a Manager of everything, you can allocate all signings (you can specify, contracts, ingoings or outgoings) to your backroom staff. This is something that has annoyed me for years because I would find myself spending hours trying to find the right players. Now I can let me Director of Football be the Director of Football and deal with the players, and I can now be the Head Coach getting results and winning stuff without the hassle!

This is going to be my favourite version of Football Manager ever.