Is Football Manager 2020 Still Worth Buying on Steam in 2024?

As a longtime football simulation enthusiast who's spent over 2,000 hours across various Football Manager editions, I find myself constantly reevaluating whether older versions still hold up. When someone asked me recently if Football Manager 2020 remains worth buying on Steam in 2024, my immediate thought went to that peculiar connection with the Ynares Center in Antipolo. You see, that specific stadium witnessed two surprising losses in the game that somehow mirror the real-world dilemma of whether a four-year-old sports simulation can still compete.

Let me be perfectly honest here - I've been playing Football Manager since it was Championship Manager back in the 90s, and I've developed a pretty good sense for which editions age well and which don't. Football Manager 2020 occupies this fascinating space where it's not quite vintage but not exactly current either. The match engine, while noticeably less sophisticated than FM24's, still provides genuinely compelling football simulations. I've noticed that player interactions feel more straightforward compared to recent versions where your star striker might suddenly develop an irrational hatred for the team bus color. The database includes players like a young Erling Haaland at Salzburg and Jude Bellingham at Birmingham, both rated with potential that we now know was somewhat underestimated - Haaland's maximum potential rating of 175 looks almost comical today given he's become arguably the world's best striker.

The tactical system uses the same basic framework as current versions, though with fewer customization options. I recently spent about 40 hours testing various formations and found that the gegenpress remains brutally effective, perhaps too effective. The game currently sells for $19.99 during regular Steam sales, down from its original $49.99 price tag, which positions it interestingly against newer versions. FM24 costs $59.99 normally but frequently goes on sale for $29.99, making the price difference less dramatic than you might expect for a four-year gap.

Where FM2020 really shows its age is in the transfer market logic and some UI elements. The AI tends to overvalue older players while undervaluing prospects, creating opportunities for savvy players to build superteams within 3-4 seasons. The board interaction features feel limited compared to what we have now, and the press conference system becomes repetitive much faster. I've counted exactly 27 different press conference questions that recycle with minimal variation, which becomes noticeable after your first season.

That brings me back to the Ynares Center analogy - just as that specific stadium created unexpected outcomes in those two matches, FM2020 creates its own unique environment that differs from both earlier and later versions. The game's particular blend of features creates surprising moments that even newer versions don't replicate. The youth development system has this beautiful simplicity to it compared to the sometimes overwhelming detail in FM24's academy management. I recently nurtured a Brazilian wonderkid from my youth intake to Ballon d'Or winner in six seasons, something that feels more challenging in recent editions with their additional complexity layers.

From a technical perspective, FM2020 runs significantly better on older hardware. On my secondary laptop with a GTX 1050 Ti and 8GB RAM, I can comfortably run 12 leagues across 8 nations with about 85,000 players in the database. The processing speed between matches feels almost instantaneous compared to FM24's more demanding requirements. The game occupies around 6.5GB of storage space versus FM24's 9GB, which might not seem like much but matters for those with limited SSD space.

The modding community still actively supports FM2020 with updated databases and face packs, though obviously not to the extent of the current version. I've found at least three different team-maintained database updates that bring rosters to the 2023-24 season, with varying degrees of accuracy and depth. The Steam workshop hosts about 1,400 active mods compared to FM24's 2,300, which is a respectable number for a game of this age.

Here's my personal take after recently completing a 15-season save: FM2020 offers a wonderfully balanced experience that sits between the simplicity of earlier versions and the overwhelming detail of recent entries. The match engine, while dated, produces believable results about 85% of the time - you'll still see the occasional bizarre goalkeeping error or defender randomly deciding to watch the ball roll past them, but these moments feel part of football's inherent unpredictability rather than engine flaws. The player development curve feels more predictable than in real life, but that predictability creates its own satisfaction when your carefully planned progression pathway turns a raw 16-year-old into a world-beater.

Ultimately, whether FM2020 deserves your money in 2024 depends entirely on what you're looking for. If you want the absolute latest features, updated squads, and online multiplayer communities, you're better off with FM24, especially during sales. But if you're seeking a deeply engaging single-player experience with slightly less complexity than the latest version, or if you're on older hardware, or if you simply want to experience what many consider the last truly great FM before the feature bloat of recent years, then FM2020 absolutely holds up. It's like discovering an excellent independent coffee shop that might not have all the trendy options of the big chains but serves a consistently great cup that keeps you coming back. The game has character, and in an era where sports simulations increasingly feel like annual roster updates with minor tweaks, character counts for more than we sometimes admit.