EA Sports FC 26

The fact that EA Sports FC 26 remains the best football game on the market says more about the state of the competition than about the game itself. Nothing substantial has changed this year: old issues persist, and the systems that worked before still work reasonably well. In the end, it feels less like a triumph and more like a quiet acceptance of whatever the hegemon chooses to serve.

Another year, another edition of EA Sports FC, offering some predictable improvements but little in the way of true evolution. The gameplay remains addictive and the overall production quality is high, but once again, defensive play feels sacrificed in favor of "thrilling" attacks and high-scoring matches, all while the aggressively monetized system returns in full force.

EA Sports FC 26 is another confident entry in the long-running series, delivering the essentials with polish and scale. With a staggering amount of licensed teams, players, and global competitions — including women’s leagues — the game remains the definitive virtual football experience. That said, FC26 doesn’t take many risks. Career modes return almost untouched, with some elements even feeling recycled from last year’s release. The absence of a story-driven mode like VOLTA leaves a noticeable gap for players craving something beyond the standard match grind. Still, what FC 26 does, it does very well — and while it may not be a revolution, it’s a finely tuned evolution.

EA Sports FC 26 makes some big changes to its systems, modes and gameplay. The most obvious of these are quite effective, and even those that aren’t seen are surely felt. The fresh additions to Career Mode are a step in the right direction, while the on-field adjustments and introduction of Authentic and Competitive modes serves to freshen things up just enough for another year. Long-time players will likely still have some recurring gripes, but the best compliment that can be paid to FC 26 is that it’s fun. If this was developer EA Sports’ sole aim, then mission accomplished.

As for the gameplay breakdown, even if I were able to give you an analysis as in-depth as those once delivered by King Puyo, what would be the point given that patches will inevitably transform the game during the season? What's the point of thinking about what the "right rating" is for a product over which the press has no influence whatsoever? So many questions and so few answers. Only one certainty remains: football sucks, but we can't live without it. And as for the rating, wait and see, I'll roll the dice... it's 7!

EA FC 26 presents remarkable improvements in terms of gameplay. Once again, it doesn't revolutionise football, but smarter goalkeepers, fluid movements, better ball control and more precise passing - all these small improvements help establish one of the best on the pitch gameplay of the series. However, with one exception or another, the changes to the other modes are conservative and don't change much, although it is clear that monetisation is becoming more aggressive.

EA Sports FC 26’s on-pitch gameplay is the best it's been in a long time, but its overly aggressive Season Pass is also EA at its most money-hungry yet.

Leagues ahead of last years iteration, FC 26 puts the power in the hands on the players and says 'just go have fun with it'. The difference is startling, and it's credit to EA Sports that they took as much as they did back to the drawing board to deliver an experience worthy of the Champions League. The additional monetisation is not welcome, though. And we can only hope that what's been added in that regard is rejected by the audience and removed for next year.

By truly dividing the gameplay between two very distinct presets, EA Sports FC 26 is trying to appeal to everybody. The more methodical Authentic toggle will attract offline Career mode tinkerers, who want to work hard for those scrappy 1-0 wins. Meanwhile, the snappier Competitive option is built for online sweats, who want to force their opponents into submission by burying them in goals. Both feel good in their own ways, and when paired with several new features and refinements, you get a flexible game of football that should please everyone – well, aside from those who simply can’t jive with the franchise’s over-reliance on monetisation.

While it splits its gameplay in two with competitive online and the possibility of realistic (slower and animated) offline, the ex-FIFA won't calm players' frustrations. The reasons are the rivers of scorelines and scenarios still too much in favor of attacking dribblers, ordeals for defenders or AI goalkeepers. Among the satisfactions, we will still note the accomplished Manager Career mode with Live careers to prolong the fun, even if the lack of inspiration and renewal in the cinematics or licenses will weigh on the regulars. With the potential future competition from FIFA for the World Cup or Take-Two on the football game scene, not to mention a Football Manager 26 that promises to be Dantesque, EA FC will have to reinvent itself or go further to regain momentum in the years to come.

EA Sports FC 26 delivers on a lot of promises made by EA Sports. Gameplay in particular has seen some much needed improvements and feels a lot better than its predecessors, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The various modes get a lot of new features, but it remains disappointing that pay-to-win is still a big part of the beloved Ultimate Team mode.

EA Sports FC 26 introduces solid ideas and noticeable improvements, but still carries the familiar weight of past mistakes. It evolves in small but meaningful ways, yet avoids the bold changes the franchise has needed for years. The result is a polished but safe entry that entertains without surprising. A strong foundation held back by a lack of creative courage.

EA Sports wants to please everyone, which is why FC 26 is caught between two game modes representing opposite extremes. It's good that the developers are trying, but unfortunately, the results of their work are rather disappointing at this point.

It still offers a comprehensive package of enjoyable football with plenty of tweaks here and there in Ultimate Team, Career and Manager modes. But for me the changes amount to just that – tweaks that don’t substantially alter the package.

The depth of customization — from controls and game tempo to tactical nuances and role assignments on the field — is genuinely impressive and engaging. The positional setups and other elements of football strategy have strong potential, but that potential simply isn’t realized. Of course, some players might enjoy this kind of “football-flavored” experience, but it’s definitely not what I — or many fans of the world’s most popular sport — are looking for. If you plan to play only against AI opponents, or if the issues mentioned above don’t bother you, feel free to add one or two points to the final score.

The new FC hits the essential marks: gameplay is more polished and fun than ever. Still, a step up in game modes and presentation as a whole is needed for the franchise to reach the grandiosity it once had. EA is probably on the right track, but there are a few steps left to bring the series back to the top.

It feels a bit tiring to give the same summary every year, but it’s true: despite its shortcomings, EA Sports FC 26 is once again the best football game on the market. That said, there still isn’t much real competition. Aside from Konami’s wonky eFootball (formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer), there are only a few smaller titles, such as the 5-on-5 game Rematch and the excellent, emotional, story-driven football tale Despelote. However, in terms of style, these play in a completely different league compared to EA Sports FC.

Despite another year of development, EA FC 26 remains plagued by bugs. The main menu continues to give me issues. At times, I’m unable to navigate it at all because it simply bugs out. Considering how often this issue has been raised across multiple installments, it’s frustrating to see so little progress.

In a franchise that doesn't change much year-to-year, EA Sports FC 26 takes that to the extreme. While it's by default the best football game on the market, and competing at the highest level of Ultimate Team remains enjoyable, we expected a more revolutionary entry. Promoted as the game that would fix years of issues that have plagued players, most of them remain. Cynical changes to Ultimate Team make the mode worse for free-to-play players, and the game's other modes are barely looked at.

But as a yearly sports release, I cannot in good faith say that FC 26 is a worthwhile improvement on last year's game. The changes really are so small that if you're only looking for a game to play with your mates or to dip in and out of Career Mode with, this certainly feels like a year worth skipping, and that's before even talking about the horrendous monetisation practices.