If you're anything like us and have been devouring EA FC 24 while waiting for the other football boot to drop, there's good news. Football Manager 2024, or FM24, will finally be playable as of today (October 19). In fact, you may even be able to download it as you're reading this.

Football Manager 2024 marks the franchise's 20th instalment, with the Sports Interactive team building an array of new features, including save importing for the first time in its history.

• Read our Football Manager 2024 preview to check out what we thought of the new features.

When does the FM24 early access beta start?

As it has been in years past, the Early Access version of Football Manager 2024 is a "near-complete" but not the final version of the game (as per a SEGA press release), and players can report bugs as they find them.

You can play online multiplayer games, but Steam Workshop and in-game editors are disabled until full launch on Monday, November 6. Single-player games can be carried across to the full game, too.

You'll want to jump in early this year, too. With updates made to transfers and squad building, there's never been a better chance to put on the suit or tracksuit of a football manager and build a footballing dynasty, with the usual updates like a new player role (Inverted Full-Back) and new coach (Set Piece Coach) added, too.

The J-League also makes its debut in this year's game.

How to access the FM24 early access beta?

As per SEGA's press release, "anyone who has pre-purchased FM24 from a SEGA-approved digital retailer* can now log in to Steam or Epic and launch the game directly from their library."

This means you'll be able to jump into your Steam or Epic storefront and get FM24 installed right now. Not picked it up yet? SEGA says you've got a 10% pre-order discount.

For more on Football Manager 2024, be sure to check out our interview with Sports Interactive head honcho Miles Jacobsen.