Sports Interactive’s latest entry in their legendary management sim launched with all the grace of a Sunday league defender. Within days, FM 2026 became one of the worst-rated games on Steam, with furious fans flooding the reviews section. But here’s the thing. A week on, and with some crucial patches and hotfixes under its belt, there’s actually something special brewing here.
The Launch Disaster
Let’s not dance around it. Football Manager 2026 arrived quarter-baked at best. The game that dedicated managers had been waiting for felt unfinished, buggy, and frustrating. Page transitions were laggy and there were a plethora of bugs.
The Steam review bombing was harsh, sure, but it wasn’t entirely undeserved. This wasn’t the polished experience fans expected from a franchise that’s been churning out annual releases for decades.
But has players refunded their copies of the game in a launch that was starting to mirror Cyberpunk just a little, and the developers released some hotfixes (which oddly just weren’t ready at launch), the game is improving.
So it’s a week later and yes we’re at half-baked. Still not ideal, but the improvement is noticeable.
What Actually Works
The visuals are genuinely brilliant. This is the most attractive Football Manager has ever looked, and it’s not even close. The entire interface has been dragged into the modern era with a cleaner aesthetic and far more logical organization. Information is easier to find, menus make sense, and quick views let you check the essentials before diving deeper.
Die-hard fans will need time to adjust to the new layout, but that’s more a commentary on how dated the previous system had become rather than any failing of the current one.
The Game-Changers
There are three massive improvements worth highlighting. First, the tactical system now gives you separate control for in-possession and out-of-possession play. You can set up your team to play one way when attacking and completely differently when defending. It adds a layer of strategic depth that mirrors real football management far better than before.
Second, the match engine has taken a genuine leap forward. Matches look better, flow more naturally, and actually resemble real football. It’s still not FIFA levels of visual fidelity, but for a management sim, it’s impressive.
Third – and this ties into the visuals – official Premier League licensing. Real kits, real stadiums, real presentation. This comes from Sports Interactive’s business partnership with the Premier League, and it makes the game feel significantly more authentic when you’re managing in England’s top flight.
The Missing Pieces
International management is temporarily absent from the game. It’s coming back though, with official FIFA support planned as DLC ahead of the 2026 World Cup. It’s a curious omission for launch, but the reasoning becomes clearer when you consider what Sports Interactive is actually doing here.
FM2026 isn’t just another annual update. This is a foundation rebuild. The developers are essentially reconstructing the entire franchise from the ground up, and that’s messy work. Yes, they have been launching this game for years, but the move to the Unity Engine is a complete restart in many ways for everything beyond the player database. The bugs, the missing features, the rough edges, they’re all symptoms of a studio attempting something ambitious rather than just iterating on the same formula.
Will the work be finished by the time FM2027 rolls around? Probably not entirely. But what we’re seeing here is the base layer for the next generation of Football Manager games.
The Verdict
Every Football Manager has bits that annoy certain players. The franchise has always been about the overall package rather than perfection in every area. This year’s net result? It’s a win.
FM 2026 feels new and fresh in ways the series hasn’t managed in years. Yes, it needed more time in the oven. Yes, it’s still got issues that need addressing. But the core experience is strong, the improvements are meaningful, and the potential for future entries is enormous.
If you’re a Football Manager veteran, expect a learning curve. If you’re willing to work through some rough patches, you’ll find a game that respects the complexity of football management while making itself more accessible than ever before.
It’s not the smoothest launch, but it’s absolutely worth your time.
