Football Manager 26 Now Has ‘Mostly Negative’ Reviews on Steam

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After a two-year wait, Football Manager 26 has launched, but it’s not being well-received by players. Current reviews on Steam are overwhelmingly negative. This is a stark contrast to Football Manager 24, which has very positive reviews, and suggests the game’s developer, Sports Interactive, may be facing some challenges.

Fans were upset when Football Manager 25 was cancelled because of technical issues and concerns about the game’s quality. The hope was that the delay would allow developers to significantly improve the next version, with a new engine and better graphics. However, the latest release hasn’t lived up to expectations, and reviews suggest it’s a disappointing launch, not the strong comeback many were anticipating.

Football Manager 26 Players Aren’t Happy About the Game’s Post-Launch State

Currently, only 22% of the over 4,000 Steam reviews for Football Manager 26 are positive, indicating that most players are unhappy with the game. The biggest complaints center around the new user interface, which many find awkward and difficult to use, as well as performance issues and unwelcome changes to how the game plays. Some players feel that the developers have made the game too simple to attract new players, but this has unfortunately resulted in a less realistic and detailed experience for long-time fans.

Players are expressing strong dissatisfaction with the changes in Football Manager 26. Many feel that the developers, Sports Interactive, prioritized innovation over the features fans enjoyed most. Some longtime players are calling it the worst version of the game in twenty years. Beyond gameplay changes, numerous users are sharing evidence of performance problems – including low frame rates, visual bugs, and slow menus – leading many to revert to Football Manager 24 instead.

Critics aren’t impressed with Football Manager 26. OpenCritic gives it an average score of 72/100, and only 44% of reviewers recommend it. This is a significant drop from Football Manager 24, which scored 83/100 and is considered one of the best sports management games in recent years.

As a longtime fan, I was really disappointed to see Football Manager 26 launch with so many issues – especially since they were things people found even during the beta! It’s frustrating, because Football Manager has always been one of the best sports games out there. Honestly, this feels like a critical moment for the series. Sports Interactive needs to fix these problems quickly to win back fans. Thankfully, they’ve said the first patch is coming soon, and I’m hoping it addresses the biggest problems and gets the game back on track.

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2025-11-05 13:34