Built on the Unity engine for the first time in the series’ history, one of Football Manager 26’s headlining changes is a completely overhauled matchday experience. This has never been the series’ strong suit – which, of course, has always been understandable given its absolute focus on the actual management and tactics side of things – but FM 26 makes some big upgrades. There’s a handful of swanky new camera angles and cutscenes to build up the excitement before matches, stadiums and crowds look better and more detailed, and most importantly, significantly better and more realistic animations and physics make matches much more enjoyable to witness.

"In a nutshell, in addition to having an overarching scheme of tactics that you train your team in, you now also set tactics for both, when your team is in and out of possession.."

Don’t get me wrong- the on-pitch visuals still very much look behind the times when compared to something like the EA Sports FC series- but then again, that has never quite been the point as far as Football Manager is concerned. In spite of the marked improvement in the matchday experience, FM 26 is still first and foremost about everything that goes on off the pitch, so with that in mind, the new matchday engine comes across as an impressive upgrade over past years. You’ll still see some frustrating physics and animation glitches that’ll be familiar to anyone who has put considerable time into Football Manager over the years, but given the fact that FM 26 is still built on Sports Interactive’s long-standing codebase in spite of switching to a new engine, that doesn’t necessarily come as a massive surprise.

And what about the aforementioned aspects of the Football Manager experience that the series has always been known for first and foremost- the tactics and management simulation? On those fronts, Football Manager 26 is an unaspiringly engaging, true to the series’ reputation- though interestingly enough, it goes about achieving those results in a number of new ways that shake up the series’ familiar formula quite meaningfully.

The biggest of those changes is Football Manager 26’s shift in focus to tactics that are largely formation-driven, rather than positioning-driven. In a nutshell, in addition to having an overarching scheme of tactics that you train your team in, you now also set tactics for both, when your team is in and out of possession. FM 26 tasks managers with choosing separate formations, roles, and directions for each scenario, and it’s something that you’ll find yourself constantly fiddling with during games.

"The other department where Football Manager 26 makes radical changes is the user interface- which might be the area where the game stumbles most prominently."

It’s essentially a different avenue to the same destination, allowing players to micromanage and get really zoomed in with their mid-game tactical switches and strategies. That also means experimenting with different playing styles and philosophies in preparation of specific matches (or, say, during pre season training camps) feels somewhat more viable than it has in the past- though of course, ultimately, you’re going to want to stick with a specific vision if you really want to become successful with your team.

Outside of the switch in the core tactics system, Football Manager 26 also introduces a variety of smaller tweaks and changes to everything from transfers and recruitment to training and more, though in those areas, the experience won’t feel as significantly changed to past players from past years. That, of course, means that the same brand of addictive, detail driven management sim experience that Football Manager games have always been known for has been carried over successfully in this reinvention- though so, too, have some of the series’ more enduring flaws, like frequently ineffectual player interactions and media interviews that quickly become repetitive and end up not contributing much to the gameplay experience (besides turning into busywork).

The other department where Football Manager 26 makes radical changes is the user interface- which might be the area where the game stumbles most prominently. In the lead up to its release, FM 26 has drawn plenty of not so positive attention during its beta period due to its new UI and the many issues that it comes with- and it does unfortunately come with plenty of those. For a game like Football Manager, some of those issues aren’t particularly easy to overlook.

There is, of course, the fact that for anyone coming off of prolonged exposure to past Football Manager games, the new UI is going to take some getting used to. That has certainly been my experience. FM games have obviously made UI adjustments here and there in the past, but after having stuck to largely the same core interface, FM 26’s complete UI overhaul is a bit disorienting at first. For new players, it’s not going to be an issue, but if you’re coming in as a series veteran, you’re going to have to rewire your brain on more than a few occasions.

"At its core, Football Manager 26 is another solid management sim experience that football fanatics are going to have no trouble pouring dozens (if not hundreds) of hours into."

Beyond that, however, the UI does also have plenty of maddening issues. From basic quality of life features being missing to some of past games’ legitimately useful tools having been done away with and more, several issues come together to make navigating FM 26’s menus quite a  frustrating experience from time to time. Given how much time you spend scrolling and sifting through menus, submenus, graphs, lists, charts, and what have you in a Football Manager game, such flaws feel doubly troublesome. My hope, of course, is that with time and updates, Sports Interactive will be able to iron out at least the most significant of these wrinkles, because beyond the problematic UI, there really is quite a lot to love in Football Manager 26.

Speaking of much needed updates, FM 26 is also going to need at least a handful of those to address some of its more prevalent technical issues. From buttons and links randomly not functioning and instances of unreadable text to frequent frame rate drops during matches and a startling amount of jarring freezes, the game has a number of technical issues that mar the experience somewhat. In isolation, they’re rarely game-breaking, but put together – especially with the aforementioned UI issues also taken into account – they could easily detract from the experience.

At its core, Football Manager 26 is another solid management sim experience that football fanatics are going to have no trouble pouring dozens (if not hundreds) of hours into. It comes with some notable issues, some of which are to be expected from an engine change and a gameplay reinvention- though the more significantly of those should ideally be tackled with updates at the earliest to bring those aspects of the experience up to the same level of quality as the rest of the game. Even as it stands, however, FM 26 is a predictably engaging and addictive experience that lays down exciting foundations for the series’ next era.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

Of Ash and Steel

An open-world third-person action RPG developed on Unreal Engine 4, that too from a relatively unknown studio? That’s Of Ash and Steel, set in the Kingdom of the Seven, and promising an old-school approach to exploration. Essentially, you need to find your own footing in the world with no markers or quest guidance, and there are plenty of secrets to discover alongside enemies to smack around. Of Ash and Steel is available on November 24th, exclusively for PC.

Lumines Arise

Lumines but somehow even trippier, from the team that brought you surrealist and trippy Tetris. Launching on November 11th for PS5 and PC (with VR support for both), Lumines Arise offers its own Journey Mode, complete with a gorgeous soundscape and visuals, before shuffling you into the real game: Survival. And that’s before creating playlists of stages, completing challenges and playing online, all while ascending to a brand new plane.

Possessor(s)

After the underwhelming Hyper Light Breaker, Heart Machine returns to its 2D roots with Possessor(s), a side-scroller with fighting game-like combos. Players venture through the remains of Sanzu City as Luca, possessed by the mysterious Rhem, using anything and everything to fight off monstrosities. With non-linear exploration, other tragic characters to unravel, and a gorgeous art style, it’s one to keep an eye on ahead of its November 11th release on PS5 and PC.

Where Winds Meet

Everstone Studios’ stunning open-world action RPG has made some seriously strong impressions in China. Its global release is slated for November 14th on PS5 and PC, and thus far, the Wuxia fantasy and depiction of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms still looks as stunning as the combat and traversal. With more than 150 hours of gameplay and co-op-exclusive activities, we can’t wait to unpack it all.

Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road

Announced in 2016, renamed several times, and delayed several times more, Inazuma Eleven is seemingly set to launch, at last, on November 13th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. Level-5 Games boasts more than 5,400 characters in a brand new story with, of all things, time-travelling, and anime cutscenes by none other than MAPPA. Whether it lives up to expectations or not, the sheer scope and spectacle are intriguing enough.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Something something Raul Menendez is alive, and only David Mason and his team can stop the spread of fear, something. The story of Black Ops 7 doesn’t inspire much hope, but the prospect of four-player campaign co-op is intriguing, especially the 32-player end-game. But except for new maps and modes in multiplayer, a new Wall-Bounce mechanic, and a fresh Zombies experience, this is about as Call of Duty as you’d expect in this day and age. It’s out on November 14th for Xbox and PlayStation consoles alongside PC.

Escape from Tarkov

Numerous years and controversies later, Battlestate Games’ Escape from Tarkov Version 1.0 is finally launching on November 15th for PC. As a hardcore extraction shooter experience, it’s received extensive praise for its survival elements (including a realistic injury and treatment system) and realistic gunplay. It’s no Escape From Duckov, but with 11 maps and a PvE mode, its official launch could either be game-changing or grounds for even more controversies.

Syberia Remastered

A full remaster of the title that started it all, Syberia Remastered offers improved visuals, transforming classic locations while retaining their atmosphere. It also offers more refined puzzles, better controls, and an updated UI to make experiencing Kate Walker’s journey through the real and fantastical that much smoother. Syberia Remastered launches on November 6th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Kirby Air Riders

If more than 105 minutes of footage meticulously laying out features across two Directs wasn’t enough to sell you on Kirby Air Riders before its November 20th release, then nothing will. Between a new Story Mode featuring the Fountain of Dreams and Nova, the return of Top Ride, all the classic tracks from the original, and everything in between, Kirby could once again be a dark horse among Switch 2 releases this year.

Project Motor Racing

It’s not quite Project CARS 4, but with some of the talent from Slightly Made and the backing of Giants Software, Project Motor Racing could be the next best thing. It packs more than 70 cars and 27 meticulously recreated tracks with dynamic weather, a day/night cycle, a Career Mode, multiplayer and events. All this, complete with realistic physics and sound design. What more could you want? We’ll find out when Motor Racing launches on November 25th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Terminator 2D: No Fate

Bitmap Bureau revisits the legendary action film, but through the lens of a retro-style 2D side-scrolling shooter. After several delays, Terminator 2D: No Fate is finally launching on November 26th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and if its visuals and action weren’t enough, you can also explore alternate scenarios based on decisions, resulting in completely different endings.

Football Manager 26

After cancelling last year’s edition, Sports Interactive is set to deliver Football Manager 26 on November 4th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. While numerous leagues and tons of players are a given, it’s all the other changes that have us excited, including an overhauled manager creation system, extensively reworked UI, and – for the first time – a partnership with FIFA.

Rennsport

What if RoboCop: Rogue City developer Teyon offered a racing sim? You get Rennsport, which releases out of early access on November 13th for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. Developed alongside Competition Company, it offers a range of different vehicle classes, iconic tracks like Daytona and Spa-Francorchamps, and multiplayer. Early access impressions aren’t the most positive, but maybe Version 1.0 will turn things around.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

Exactly one year later, GSC Game World’s survival sandbox has grown a lot, not to mention improved by leaps and bounds on a technical level. On PS5, it offers even more, from DualSense support to gyroscope aiming on top of PS5 Pro support. And while it may sound gimmicky, hearing the radio through the microphone or playing the guitar with the touchpad feels right. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl arrives on PS5 just in time to celebrate its first anniversary – November 20th.

Constance

Looking for a less strenuous side-scroller after Silksong? Constance could very well be it with a beautiful hand-drawn style and surreal mindscape created by its protagonist. Even if several of the basics look familiar, combat offers unique mechanics, from dispelling darkness to transforming into paint to climb up walls. Launching on November 24th, Constance will be available on PC, with console releases to follow in 2026.

Switch to Unity Engine

For decades, FM used its own game engine. FM26, instead, marks the series’ shift to Unity, eschewing limitations with the old engine while signaling Sports Interactive’s intention to futureproof the series. More engine power brings graphical detail, of course, but FM players don’t patrol the dugout to count every blade of grass – Unity Engine also brings reworked UI and sharper tactical systems. Everything from manager creation to transfers and formation changes – the pulse fuelling football management’s heart – is fast, responsive, and frictionless.

Overhauled Match Day Experience

That said, switching to Unity Engine introduces the clearest on-pitch visuals to date, with dynamic lighting combining with realistic sky effects and all-new pitch shaders to produce authentic-looking surfaces that’re reflective in rain, parched in heat, and sodden in Winter snow. Stadium designs are freshened-up – from arenas to grassroot grounds – revitilising atmosphere in every match. While graphics aren’t FM’s main attraction, FM26’s high fidelity imbues electricity; an atmospheric charge unrivalled by earlier titles.

Authentic Player Animations

Hundreds of new player animations make their mark on FM26. Fuelled by real-life data provided by Hawk-Eye Innovations, these on-the-ball animations intensify every dribble, pass, and shot, personifying the drama of attacking play. Dovetailing off-the-ball animations introduced in FM24 with SI’s bespoke motion capture tech, FM26’s players move with purpose – striding naturally, baiting defenders, showing attackers down the line. More authentic player animations give managers clearer perspectives, informing stronger tactical adjustments and decision making.

Revamped Match Overview

Sharpening tactical focus further is FM26’s revamped match overview, where live match info and backroom advice merges with real-time league information, delivering contextual insight crucial to maintaining an edge over match day competition and future opponents. Statistics are modernised, factoring xG and xA together with player stamina, heat maps, and momentum graphs, enabling managers to use their intelligence – knowing whether to up the tempo or park the bus. Match overviews are supported by dynamic highlights that adjust to match context on-the-fly, elevating dramatic games by showing more highlights. Reworked cameras provide the best angles yet to review every breakthrough, giving managers the most comprehensive overview of their team’s performance.

Dual Formations are a Tactical Evolution

Previously, including in FM24, making structural changes to formations affected a team’s shape both in and out of possession. To provide tactical nuance missing in this approach, FM26 introduces separate “In Possession” and “Out of Possession” formations – but adopting them isn’t as simple as setting up two shapes for the entire match. Sports Interactive have considered the intricacy of attacking build-up and defensive re-shaping. For instance, choosing a 4-2-3-1 “In Possession” formation doesn’t mean teams will always build through attacks in this shape. Managers can tweak individual player roles, adapting to 4-2-4 formations once their team breaks into the attacking third, for instance. “Out of Possession” functions similarly, with adjustments for high-press, middle-third holding, or box defending, and more at a player’s disposal, mimicking the fluidity of the modern game.

Redesigned Tactics Menu

A redesigned tactics menu reflects FM26’s increased tactical granularity. Four distinct views illustrate a team’s setup: In Possession, Out of Possession, Both, and Combined. The Both view shows each formation side-by-side while Combined shows average player positions between the two formations. Each view provides readable comparisons of how teams function throughout a match, with the attached Visualiser showing managers exactly how their tactical ideas play out in practice – from the strategies that increase goal threat, to defensive fine-tuning.

Evolved Player Roles

To support FM26’s transition to dual formations, Sports Interactive have re-tooled In Possession player roles, with new roles featuring alongside roles from FM24 which return with increased functionality. All-new Out of Possession roles complement players’ on-the-ball behaviour by shaping how they operate defensively – combining their positional familiarity with individual attributes. Every role is rated via FM’s five-star system, linking manager philosophy to training, scouting, and transfer more strongly than ever.

Women’s Football Debuts

Integrated for the first time to Football Manager is women’s football, and it’s a sizable add-on which indicates Sports Interactive’s dedication to treating the women’s game with the same level of depth as the men’s. Reports indicate 34,000 players and staff across 4,000 clubs across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia will be included, all in playable league structures which mirror their real-life counterparts.

Streamlined UI Design

FM26’s streamlined UI is the result of community desire for more intuitive and efficient systems that present the most important information when it matters the most. This is more than readable fonts and contrasting colours – tiles present key snapshots, expandable to reveal cards containing greater detail. The new-look Portal combines the home screen and comms inbox of earlier titles into one place, with filters, guidance sub-menus, and news feeds streamlining information gathering, ensuring crucial decisions – team selection, training workloads, staff recruitment – are just a click away.

Shrewd Recruitment System

As a part of the game’s streamlined UI, FM26 consolidates FM24’s numerous different areas into one recruitment hub, combining tiles familiar to returning players with smart additions that’ll smoothen the often turbulent transfer market. Direct links to Squad Planners highlight depth issues clearly, while new visual cues breakdown contract durations into easily digestible formats. FM26’s recruitment overhaul gives managers the tools to identify areas of the squad which need focus more intuitively than ever before.

TransferRoom Levels Up

Furthering the TransferRoom collaboration established in FM24, FM26 introduces two recruitment features: Requirements, and Pitch Opportunities. The former provides clearer ways to communicate exactly what managers need with the market – age, ability, star striker or squad deepener, with specific roles tailored to in and out of possession formations. Pitch Opportunities are Requirements’ counterpart, showing managers what other clubs are looking for in the transfer market. With the Director of Football taking a hands-on role, TransferRoom’s level up makes shaping squads to match manager vision a breeze.

Smarter Scouting

In and Out of Possession roles transfer into FM26’s scouting searches too. Another example of streamlining, a manager’s backroom team will do the calculating, delivering smarter reports which indicate whether available players will be a natural fit for the squad’s dual formations. Likewise, information is easily accessible and colour-coded for readability. With improvements to contract clauses, loan negotiations, and AI squad building, FM26 maintains realism, giving managers freedom to build their squad season-by-season without needing to study new systems or complicated processes.

Official FIFA License Incoming

With 2025/26 being a World Cup season, when FM26 announced without international tournament football included, collective groans denounced an obvious own goal. Yet, despite international management seldom being played in earlier FM titles, Sports Interactive has signalled their intention to revamp the mode by signing a multi-year deal with FIFA. Arriving in advance of next summer’s World Cup, a post-release update adds official licenses for FIFA World Cup 26, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup – authentic kits and broadcast graphics accompany a reported more feature-rich international management mode, with specific detail on what that entails yet to be revealed.

Release Date, Platforms, and Price

Budding managers can step into the digital dugout once FM26 launches November 4th. Playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with FM26 Touch coming the same day to Apple Arcade and December 4th to Nintendo Switch. PC players can purchase via Steam or the Epic Games Store, with pre-orders giving early access. Retailing at £49.99 / $59.99, pre-ordering on any platform also nets a 10% discount available until launch day. And for those FM23 and FM24 managers who’re decades deep into their careers, FM26 supports savefile transfers.

PC Requirements

To comfortably enjoy FM26, PC users will require an Intel Core i3-530 or AMD FX-4100 processor, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960, AMD Radeon R9 380, or Intel HD 530 GPU, and 4GB RAM. To experience FM26’s improved graphical fidelity, PC rigs will require an Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU, and 12GB RAM. For Mac players, a unit operating OS11 Big Sur at a minimum is required, with Apple M1 processing and graphics and 12GB RAM recommended.

October 24th will see the launch of Super Fantasy Kingdom into Game Preview for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Halls of Torment follows for all subscription tiers (sans Core) on October 28th and The Outer Worlds 2 on October 29th.

Getting an early start on announcing next month’s line-up is the news that 1000xResist will be available for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass on November 4th. It coincides with the PC and console versions of Football Manager 26. As day-one launches, they’ll be available only for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Only three titles are being removed from the service on October 31st, but they’re fairly significant. Check them out below.

• Jusant (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Metal Slug Tactics (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Return to Monkey Island (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Both in possession and out of possession tactics will be available in their own distinct screens, giving players all the tools they need to fine-tune exactly what each player of their teams will be doing in any given situation. The new screens can also make use of the revamped overall UI of the title to give players an even greater look at how their tactical options can flow into each other.

“The first thing is, if we look at real football, if people want to recreate their real life managers and create their tactics, you need to have that in possession/out of possession split to correctly replicate what they’re doing,” explained match QA analyst at Sports Interactive Jack Sarahs when asked about why this was an important feature to implement.

“The second part is the more practical part where, for example, in [Football Manager 24] if you created a tactic and had a winger in a 4-3-3, and you wanted to move him to attacking midfield for an in possession reason, you couldn’t do that without affecting how he defended. Whereas now with our in possession and out of possession formations, you can make that change for the in possession reason without affecting out of possession.”

Senior lead match QA analyst CJ Ramson also spoke about how this new addition will change things for players when it comes to player roles. Samson explained that player roles are now split between in possession and out of possession. While in possession has some new roles along with some of the older roles getting reworks, out of possession has a completely new set of roles.

“One of the biggest things for me is you can have two identical formations in possession for two different teams, but the roles and how they behave out of possession will make it behave differently,” said Ramson.

Along with this, Ransom and Sarahs also showcased a new feature called the visualiser. Through this feature, players can get a better look at their formations and tactics with extra details, such as shot percentages, pass reception, and even other stats like how the team’s attacking transition works, how often in-game players might choose to waste time, and what the general tempo of the whole team will look like.

Football Manager 26 is being developed for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Android and iOS, and will be coming out on all of the platforms on November 4. For more details about the management sim, check out what the new match day experience is going to look like thanks to Sports Interactive having switched to Unity Engine.

Alongside the release date, Sports Interactive has also revealed a new trailer, this time  giving us a look at what the main UI will look like. The studio took fan feedback into account to develop its refresh of the core interface, offering a cleaner look that still maintains the density of information that players appreciate from the title.

The top of the screen will be taken up by a redesigned navbar, which will give players access to various options, ranging from squad management to recruitment, and even club management as a whole. The Portal serves as the main home screen, providing a better look at how their team might be doing, as well as details like upcoming matches and league standings. All of the information in the Portal has been divided into different cards, each offering a glimpse at some of the finer details that players can access.

Football Manager 26 is also bringing with it the new bookmarks feature, which allows players to pin specific pages that they might want to visit often without having to dig through varying levels of sub-menus to access them. Going by the trailer, players can set up to six bookmarks, with complete freedom over which of the game’s many management-centric screens can be accessed through the feature.

The search tool has also been overhauled, offering deeper functionality. A single search query allows for looking through players, clubs, teams, messages, staff members, and other aspects. Search now also includes guides that players can access in case they might be looking for introductions or details to specific features. These guides can all be accessed in-game through the FMPedia.

As for the other Football Manager 26 releases, the upcoming Mobile release is set to be the first one in the series to include save game compatibility for the previous main title in the series – Football Manager 24 Mobile. Similarly, Football Manager 26 Console and Touch will also include the same feature to bring over save files from Football Manager 2024 and 2023.

For more details about Football Manager 26, check out the trailer released earlier this month which gave us our first look at the revamped match day experience offered by the management sim. The title now makes use of Unity Engine to render matches in full 3D, complete with player-accurate animations and other quirks. Along with this, the developer has also revealed the PC and laptop specs required to run the title.

Meanwhile, Football Manager 26, Sega Football Club Champions 2025, and Persona 5: The Phantom X fall under the “novelty” category. But the biggest tease involves four titles with the “Coming Soon” tag. It’s unknown whether they’ll fall into the “novelty” category or become playable for attendees, never mind what they could be.

There are several possibilities, from the rumored Sonic Heroes remake to Sonic Frontiers 2. Sega could also finally reveal its reboots for Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Jet Set Radio and Golden Axe. Among those announcements, only Shinobi: Art of Vengeance has been released thus far.

Stay tuned for more details when Tokyo Game Show kicks off on September 25th to 28th, and check out the program schedule here.

While not quite a the same level of visual fidelity as a title in the EA Sports FC series, the trailer does showcase an impressive level of improvement over the previous releases in the Football Manager series, with players being fully modelled and animated. This will allow Football Manager 26 players to be able to better come up with new tactics and strategies on the fly, since a typical match will make it much clearer about the strengths and weaknesses of the various athletes across both team rosters.

To achieve this level of visual fidelity, Sports Interactive has moved the Football Manager franchise over to Unity Engine. This engine change was a major reason for the studio skipping out on last year’s instalment – Football Manager 25 – in favour of simply working harder on the next title.

With the release of this new trailer, the studio has also revealed a few more details thanks to updates made to the Football Manager 26 Steam page, which also includes the PC hardware requirements to run the title.

At minimum, Football Manager 26 will require a PC to have either an Intel Core i3-530 or AMD FX-4100 CPU 4 GB of RAM, and either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 380 GPU for desktops. For laptops, the title will require either an Intel Core i3-330M or AMD A6-5200 CPU, and either an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M or AMD Radeon R9 M375 GPU. For systems without discrete GPUs, desktops and laptops can both make do with an Intel HD530-equipped CPU with 512 MB of VRAM.

However, to get more out of the visual fidelity of the game, Sports Interactive recommends that desktops have either an Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 CPU, 12 GB of RAM, and either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU. For laptops, the studio recommends either an Intel Core i5-1035G7 or AMD Ryzen 7 3750H CPU, and either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile or AMD Radeon RX 6600M GPU.

Football Manager 26 was officially announced back in August. While we didn’t get to see any gameplay in this announcement, the 30-second teaser did end up being a sign of things to come, since it showcased a football placed on a podium right before a Premier League match was about to begin.

“FM26 promises to take players on a journey to define their footballing destiny with our most immersive and visually rich Football Manager experience yet,” wrote the developers when it announced the game. “The potential for storytelling is redefined by taking players closer to the heart of the beautiful game.”

Football Manager 26 is coming to PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and the Windows Store. It doesn’t yet have a release date, however.

While no further details have been provided, the teaser trailer did end by announcing that Sports Interactive would be releasing another video “soon” that would give us our first look at what a typical Match Day will look like in Football Manager 26. There has also been no confirmation about platforms or release date for the management sim, however, going by tradition, it is likely that a PC version is all but certain.

“FM26 promises to take players on a journey to define their footballing destiny with our most immersive and visually rich Football Manager experience yet,” wrote the developers in the announcement for the game. “The potential for storytelling is redefined by taking players closer to the heart of the beautiful game.”

The announcement comes after Sports Interactive and Sega had confirmed back in February that Football Manager 25, which had already seen several delays since its original announcement, was being cancelled. The decision came down to the fact that Sports Interactive wanted to focus on offering a complete game while it was in the midst of switching game engines.

“We have always prided ourselves on delivering the best value for money games that bring you countless hours of enjoyment, that feel worth every moment and every penny you spend,” posted the studio at the time. “With the launch of Football Manager 25, we set out to create the biggest technical and visual advancement in the series for a generation, laying the building blocks for a new era.”

The studio also went into detail about some of the problems it was facing with the development of Football Manager 25, ultimately leading it to come to the conclusion that it would not be able to hit its deadlines while still maintaining a high level of quality.

“Due to a variety of challenges that we’ve been open about to date, and many more unforeseen, we currently haven’t achieved what we set out to do in enough areas of the game, despite the phenomenal efforts of our team,” the post continues. “Each decision to delay the release was made with the aim of getting the game closer to the desired level but, as we approached critical milestones at the turn of the year, it became unmistakably clear that we would not achieve the standard required, even with the adjusted timeline.”

The last game in the Football Manager franchise was Football Manager 2024, which was released all the way back in November 2023. While the series has traditionally seen yearly releases, the cancellation of Football Manager 25 has since thrown a wrench into that release cadence. However, Football Manager 2024 did launch to positive reviews, and eventually even managed to get more than 6 million players. For more details, check out our review of Football Manager 2024.