Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Dynamic Gameplay
Multiple Modes
Cluttered UI
EA Sports FC 26 delivers sharper on-pitch football with distinct Authentic and Competitive playstyles, improved AI, and a wide range of game modes that make matches feel more dynamic and enjoyable than recent installments. However, UI clutter, aggressive monetization in Ultimate Team, and familiar progression systems temper the overall experience.
EA Sports FC 26’s on-pitch gameplay is the best it's been in a long time, but its overly aggressive Season Pass is also EA at its most money-hungry yet.
Phenomenal on-the-pitch gameplay is marred by an awkward UI and lots of faff.
For the majority, however, a new FC game all comes down to Ultimate Team – and this year it's going to prove more divisive than ever. Not, for once, because of its pack-opening mechanic, but those tweaks to gameplay speed, and fatigue, and any hope of smart, sound defensive play. The community has spoken, and EA has answered with all the pace and tricks and goals demanded of it. The move is, in one swoop, both understandable and deflating. Online, FC 26 is categorically not a game for the footballing purist – but how many of them are actually left?
EA Sports FC 26 suffers from a few growing pains with its shift to two distinct playstyles, but there are enough improvements throughout to consider it a positive step forward for the long-running series
Discover the thrilling gameplay, immersive presentation and extensive game modes that make EA SPORTS FC 26 a must-play for soccer fans.
EA Sports FC 26 promised to address long-standing fan feedback, and to its credit, several key areas are refreshed. The new gameplay presets border on game-changing, and the franchise's impressive authenticity remains unrivalled in the sports video game scene. Sadly, FUT rewards extra player spending more than ever, and the menu design is awful.
EA's Switch 2 football debut is a night-and-day difference from its half-hearted Switch one, setting a great precedent for the future of the series. EA Sports FC 26 delivers a fully-featured version of the game, and while it only runs at 30fps and has a gated-off Ultimate Team mode which doesn't tap into the series' larger crossplay community, it still plays a fantastic game of football and offers more game modes than you'll ever know what to do with.
Without the shadow of multiplayer balancing looming over things, you have gameplay that is likely to stay the same until FC 27 inevitably comes along. I've been having a blast with the current implementation, and was quick to uninstall FC 25 after a single match. If you like to play it slow, pass around, and fist-pump after tight wins, this is the football game for you.
EA FC 26's new defending system has divided the community, and some are desperately hoping EA doesn't change it in future patches.
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The usual complaints have cropped up following the advanced access launch of EA Sports FC 26.
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