What should I do if I receive a 'Unable to find Essential Data' when attempting to launch Football Manager message on Steam?

If you experience this message when attempting to start the game, configure the compatibility mode for Steam using these steps:

Windows 10 and 11

1. Close Steam
2. Right-click on Steam shortcut
3. Select ‘Troubleshoot compatibility’
4. Following It attempting to Troubleshoot, select ‘Try recommended settings’
5. You can now try the game

If the above doesn't help, we’d recommend uninstalling and reinstalling the game. Any save games will be kept safe during this process, as they can only be removed manually.

If you find nothing above helps, please submit a support ticket and our team will try to help.