Football Manager 26
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Critic Reviews for Football Manager 26
SI's gap year was well spent on a fantastic match engine update, but progress is still too slow between games.
FM 26 remains the best management sim available, and it’s easy to lose hours to its deep, endlessly rewarding gameplay loop.
Football Manager 26 is finally back, and the work done is undoubtedly of the highest quality and taste. The primary goal was to revamp the game and start from scratch, but obviously the tried-and-true gameplay formula couldn't be completely overturned.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Overall, FM26 has impressed me but frustrated me just as much. We've finally got an improved match engine, women's football, and my favourite addition, the new in and out of possession tactic set-up, but I can't shake this feeling that too many changes have been made to the UI. For a game where you spend a lot of time in the menus, I feel that a lot of unnecessary and frustrating changes were made, that's left me finding it difficult to navigate my way around the game. When comparing it to FM24, improvements have been made, but there are also a few factors I've not enjoyed. So, all in all, FM26 is a fine addition to the Football Manager series, but it's far from groundbreaking.
Football Manager 26 marks the beginning of a new era. Unity brings with it a breath of fresh air, but that step forward has led to two steps back: the UI is dispersive, almost unbelievable in its capriciousness. In a management game where control is everything and analysis is also crucial, appearing with such cluttered screens is problematic
Review in Italian | Read full review
Football Manager 26 lays down a solid new foundation for the series' next era with engaging tactical systems and addictive management simulation, even if it stumbles with UI issues.
Football Manager 26 represents the biggest change for the franchise in two decades, with improved tactical options and the best match engine in series history. FM26 is still a strong offering, although some missing features combined with the need to learn a whole new UI might be too much of a challenge for series veterans.
Football Manager 26 has the potential to become one of the best games in the series. All the pieces are in place, but right now I feel torn between enthusiasm for the potential and frustration with the current state of this production. Great new features are not enjoyable when the basic functionality of the game has problems.
Review in Polish | Read full review
