How to Play
You are the general manager. You do not call plays; you build the club that plays them. A season runs week by week, and the offseason after it is where most franchises are won or lost. This page walks through one full year.
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Start a league
On the start page, one click starts a balanced league with a random club. You can also pick an era first: Modern leans on the pass, Balanced sits in the middle, Legacy grinds on the ground. Choose your team, or open the advanced settings to set the start year, difficulty, rules and a franchise archetype such as a rebuild or a cap-strapped contender.
Drive mode resolves games possession by possession and is the quicker choice for long careers. Play mode resolves more individual plays and produces fuller box scores.
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Set your opening
Your first stop is the Desk. A new franchise gets a First Season Contract: five objectives a first-year general manager is judged on. You can also declare an opening mandate, which sets your franchise identity and what the owner expects from you. Check the roster and depth chart under Team before the first game.
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Play the regular season, one week at a time
Each week the Desk shows one clear next call and the Front Office Advisor's argument for it. When you advance, you build a short weekly plan: an optional general manager decision and a tactical focus for the game. Then the week is played and you read what happened: the result, the key plays, League News and how your plan held up.
Want to move faster? Advance four weeks or a whole season with one declared plan. The simulation stops at anything that needs your attention.
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Work the market before the trade deadline
Rival general managers call with offers, and they price players by their own archetype and needs. You can shop players, build packages that include draft picks, and sign free agents. Rival clubs trade with each other too. There is one trade deadline, and every club obeys it.
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Make the playoffs
If you qualify, the postseason keeps the same rhythm: one game at a time, each with its own plan. A neutral-site championship ends the season.
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Face the season review
Awards are handed out, the owner gives a verdict, and your First Season Contract closes. Your general manager legacy records the season, and the league's history, records and Hall of Fame ballot move forward.
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Rebuild in the offseason
The offseason is a calendar you live through: retirements and the development report on who improved, the coaching carousel, re-signing your own players before the market opens, free agency in bidding waves, the combine and pro days, and then the draft.
Draft prospects arrive in scouting fog. Spend scouting points to sharpen your read, lock your board, and run the draft from the war room. Then a new season begins.
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Keep going
There is no final season. Over a long career you climb six legacy tiers, build rivalries, retire numbers and send players to the Hall of Fame. The game saves in your browser with rolling backups, and you can export a save file whenever you like.
Learning inside the game
The Guide button in the game opens a how-to, the full rules and a list of actions. The features page explains each system in more depth, and the FAQ covers saves, privacy and system requirements.