Football Manager (FM), once one of the most popular game series, has lost its popularity in recent years but retains a large and loyal fan base. The eagerly awaited Football Manager 26 (FM 26) has finally arrived. While the game received significant attention from its launch, it quickly became a source of significant backlash.

Football Manager 26 Received Heavy Criticism

Football Manager 26 was heavily criticized by players on Steam immediately after its release.

Following player reviews, the game’s overall user rating on Steam dropped to “Extremely Negative.” This negative rating clearly demonstrates the poor initial impression of the game.

These overwhelmingly negative reviews stem from a variety of factors. Players’ most frequent criticisms include the game’s new user interface, frequent performance issues, and unnecessary changes to the gameplay mechanics.

Sports Interactive, the series’ developer, is reported to have oversimplified core mechanics in an attempt to reach a wider audience. Fans believe this simplification has destroyed the FM series’ beloved spirit of comprehensive simulation. While these criticisms are initially prominent, different opinions may emerge as more players experience the game.

Despite this sharp decline in user reviews, the critics’ view appears to be somewhat more lukewarm. However, the game isn’t a huge success among critics either.

Football Manager 26 has an average critic score of 72 on OpenCritic. This score is significantly lower than the 83 rating of its predecessor, FM 24. FM 24 was not considered one of the most beloved games in the series.