Football Manager 2023: Will FM23 have VAR?

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By Harry Sherlock

Published Aug 1, 2022

Will Football Manager 2023 include the technology of VAR when the game releases later this year?

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: Referee Deniz Aytekin checks the VAR during the International friendly between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium on March 27, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Football Manager 2023 is a hugely anticipated release that is set to come out later this year.

The game has yet to be formally announced but the entire franchise has continually followed an annual release schedule.

As we’ve written before, we expect the game to release round November, with the beta coming two weeks prior.

That was the case for FM22, FM21 and FM20, and we’re expecting the same again at the end of the year.

Of course, the Premier League season is set to start this month and there is the additional challenge of incorporating the World Cup into the 22/23 season.

Will FM23 have VAR when it finally releases?

The answer here, perhaps unfortunately for those who hate the technology, is yes.

VAR has been present in Football Manager since 2021 and has been implemented successfully in both FM21 and FM22.

The most recent release features VAR checks on goals, offsides and for red cards, just like in real life.

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JUNE 19: The big screen displays a VAR review to award a penalty to Egypt during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Russia and Egypt at Saint Petersburg Stadium on June 19, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The reception to the implementation has been somewhat mixed, with FM YouTuber Doctor Benjy – his real name is Ben Carr – criticising the overuse of VAR in the match engine, with many of the goals that are scored, either by your team or the opposition, checked by the tech.

He also claimed that some decisions can seem somewhat unclear within the match engine, because of the nature of the 3D gameplay. Of course, players can also use the 2D match engine if they’d prefer, but that feels like an outdated way of playing in 2022.

VAR is a huge part of modern football and FM strives to be as realistic as possible, so there’ll be plenty more intervention from the video assistant in FM23.

Whether that’s good news or bad depends on your outlook!

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