Despite a year break, Football Manager 26 Has Landed Flat

The latest entry in Sports Interactive’s Football Manager series launched earlier this week but, despite being the first entry since 2023, it seems to have missed its mark.  Currently sitting at a weak 71 on Opencritic, Football Manager 26 fails to make up for its time away according to critics and doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from its predecessors.

The biggest flaw that many critics have pointed out is the game’s UI. It’s a downgrade from previous games for many and, seeing that most of the game is done via the UI, its problematic changes have caused more frustration than fun for a lot of players. This has been echoed by a lot of players on Steam- who have given the game a mixed rating as a result.

Although women’s football, a new match engine and new tactics have allowed some variance in gameplay, the steps back are more substantial than any leap forward according to critics and fans. Even those who enjoyed the game (like PC Gamer) had mixed feelings about how little has been improved since the most recent release in 2023. This is especially disappointing considering the gap year taken between releases this time around.

If you’re interested in the newest take on the Foorball Manager series, you can pick this up on all major consoles (including Switch) now. If you’re not too interested in updated rosters and small tweaks, however, it may be worth checking out an older release.