Football Manager 26 launched in full on Steam yesterday, and has been met with “mostly negative” reviews from users of the popular PC gaming platform.
As of writing, 5,224 users of submitted reviews are readable on the game’s store page. 3,902 are negative reviews, with complaints covering UI gripes, bugs and technical issues, and a samey gameplay experience that clashes against the ambitious evolution of the series promised in the lead up to launch.
Currently voted the most helpful negative review on the game, user Spittfire already has roughly 60 hours invested into Football Manager 26. In their review, they note their mixed feelings about the UI, a major part of the Football Manager experience: “The UI overhaul certainly is visually impressive at first glance but really creates a clunky experience when playing the game and navigating through different menus and pages.”
They did, however, praise the tactics overhaul, a feature that has received widespread praise among early adopters: “I have always enjoyed the tactical side of the game, and FM 26 has introduced a new level of freedom to tactical-minded managers. While some of the player position terminology is a bit clunky (still better than the outdated terms used before), the overall tactical enhancements are clear.”
Football Manager 26 was released into Early Access late last month, which allowed keen football fans to give it a spin and come to their own conclusions ahead of the full launch this week. In our own preview, Eurogamer editor Chris Tapsell emphasised it would “take a lot of getting used to”. Perhaps this and other previews were omens of this initial reception from the masses.
Here’s hoping Sports Interactive can turn this negative public opinion around in the coming weeks and months.