Football GM games
The best football GM games in 2026
Full disclosure: we make Franchise Tag GM, so it's on this list. We've tried to be fair, including about where our game falls short. Facts about the other games come from their official websites and Steam store pages, and prices are as of October 25, 2026. If we got something wrong, email support@franchisetaggm.com and we'll fix it.
A football GM game puts you in the front office instead of on the field. You build the roster through the draft, free agency and trades, manage the salary cap, and live with your choices for years. The four games below are the ones we know best. Each takes a different approach, and the right one depends on how you like to play.
Quick comparison
| Game | Price (as of Oct 25, 2026) | Where it runs | Game day | League and editing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Tag GM (Plum Hawk LLC, our game) | Free one-season preview. Steam Early Access planned at $19.99, no date yet. | Web browser on your computer. Steam planned. | Set the depth chart and game plan, then play or sim. Play-by-play view. | Fictional 32-club league. Editor for players, staff, teams and league. Roster import. | Players who care most about the offseason, the cap and answering to an owner. |
| Football GM (ZenGM) | Free. No microtransactions. | Web browser. | Play-by-play live box scores. | Unlimited leagues. "God Mode" and custom league files. | Free, endless play and deep stats. |
| Front Office Football Nine (Solecismic Software) | $29.99 on Steam. | Windows (Steam). | Game plans, playbooks and depth charts. You can call every play yourself. | Text-based sim. Ticket prices, stadium plans and team moves. | Numbers fans who also want to coach and run the business side. |
| Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2026 (Wolverine Studios) | $19.99 on Steam. | Windows (Steam). | Call plays and adjust strategy on game day. | Edit teams, players, logos and leagues. | Players who want GM and game-day coaching in one package. |
Sources: football-gm.com, zengm.com, Front Office Football Nine on Steam, Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2026 on Steam, and franchisetaggm.com. Checked October 25, 2026.
1. Franchise Tag GM
Free one-season preview in your browser · Steam Early Access planned at $19.99 · Plum Hawk LLC
Franchise Tag GM is built around the part of the year when the games stop. A new career starts the day after the championship, and the calendar walks you through the offseason one step at a time: re-signings, the franchise and transition tag window, the combine, five rounds of free agency, pro days and the draft. Other teams bid in free agency too, and players answer when the calendar moves forward.
You also answer to someone. Your owner sets goals, your job security moves with the results, and the owner can fire you or offer an extension. You hire coaches and staff with their own ratings, personalities and schemes, point your scouts at the prospects you care about, and settle holdouts face to face. The cap is shown by season, with dead money and guaranteed money, and tag prices are set by position.
The league is fictional: the American Pro Football Circuit, 32 clubs in two conferences. A built-in editor lets you change players, staff, teams and league settings, and you can import a roster file. Awards, records, a Hall of Fame, team histories, a news wire and a GM job market keep track of your career.
Best for: players who want the tag window, free agency, the draft and the cap to feel like the main event.
Where it falls short: it's new. The full game isn't on Steam yet and has no release date, so for now you can only play the free one-season preview. It has no real teams or players out of the box. You don't control players on the field, and it doesn't have the years of community tools and polish that older games have.
2. Football GM
Free · Web browser · ZenGM, the makers of Basketball GM · football-gm.com
Football GM is the best-known free football GM game, and it earns that. Its site says it's 100% free, with no virtual currency, no microtransactions and no account needed, and you can create as many leagues and play as many seasons as you want. You handle the roster, the draft, trades, the salary cap and finances like ticket prices and budgets. It has play-by-play live box scores, advanced team and player stats, a historical stat search, and a Hall of Fame.
It's also deeply customizable through an in-game "God Mode" and custom league files, and ZenGM makes its source code public.
Best for: players who want a free game they can play forever, with lots of stats and control.
Where it may fall short for you: the offseason moves fast and leans on tables and numbers. If you want staged free agency, a tag window and an owner breathing down your neck, it isn't built around those.
3. Front Office Football Nine
$29.99 on Steam (as of Oct 25, 2026) · Windows · Solecismic Software · released October 31, 2023
Front Office Football is one of the longest-running football GM series. Its Steam page says the first game came out in 1998. It's a text-based sim where you trade, negotiate contracts, bid on free agents and draft. You can also play armchair coach by setting game plans, building playbooks and depth charts, and calling every play yourself if you like. The business side goes further than most: ticket prices, stadium construction plans, and even moving your team. Its Steam page says an October 2025 update added new kickoff rules.
Best for: longtime sim players who want the GM job, the coaching job and the business side in one game.
Where it may fall short for you: it's Windows only on Steam and costs more than the others here. It's text-based, so expect menus and numbers over graphics.
4. Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2026
$19.99 on Steam (as of Oct 25, 2026) · Windows · Wolverine Studios · released October 13, 2025
Draft Day Sports: Pro Football covers the core GM work, including drafting, trading, signing and developing players while managing the salary cap. It adds game-day control, letting you call plays and adjust strategy. Its Steam page also lists editing for teams, players, logos and leagues.
Best for: players who want to run the front office and coach on game day in one paid PC game.
Where it may fall short for you: it's Windows only on Steam, and if you only want the front office, the game-day side may be more than you need.
How to choose
- You want free and endless: Football GM.
- You want the offseason, the cap and the owner to be the heart of the game: try the free Franchise Tag GM preview.
- You want to call plays too: Front Office Football Nine or Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2026.
- You want the business side, like tickets and stadiums: Front Office Football Nine. Football GM also has ticket prices and budgets.
Two of these four have free versions you can try today, so the easiest way to choose is to try them.
Common questions
What is the best free football GM game?
Football GM is completely free with unlimited leagues and seasons. Franchise Tag GM has a free one-season preview in your browser, and the full game is planned for Steam Early Access at $19.99.
Which football GM game lets me call plays?
Front Office Football Nine says you can call every play yourself if you like, and Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2026 lists play calling on game day. In Franchise Tag GM you set the depth chart and game plan, then play or sim each game and can watch a play-by-play view.
Which football GM game has the deepest offseason?
That depends on what you want from the offseason. Franchise Tag GM is built around it: a tag window with tag prices set by position, five rounds of free agency against rival bids, the combine, pro days and the draft, plus an owner who decides your job security. Front Office Football Nine adds stadium and ticket decisions, and Football GM adds finances and deep stats.
Do any of these games run on a Mac?
Football GM and the Franchise Tag GM preview run in a web browser. On Steam, Front Office Football Nine and Draft Day Sports: Pro Football 2026 list Windows only (as of October 25, 2026).
Are these games official league products?
No. None of the four games on this list is an official product of any pro football league.
We only listed games we could check against official sources. Know a football GM game we should look at? Tell us at support@franchisetaggm.com.