Should You Buy Football Manager 2025? Here's What Actually Happened
Wait — FM25 Doesn't Exist
If you're searching for Football Manager 2025, here's the short version: it was cancelled. Sports Interactive pulled the plug in February 2025 after multiple delays, citing an overly ambitious development cycle. Pre-orders were refunded, and the studio shifted all resources to Football Manager 26.
This was a massive blow to the community. FM25 was supposed to bring a new Unity engine, official Premier League licensing, and the women's game — features fans had been waiting years for. Instead, they got silence until FM26 launched in November 2025.
So What About FM26?
Football Manager 26 did ship with most of those promised features: the Unity engine rebuild, a revamped UI, new match day visuals, Premier League licensing, and women's football with 14 playable leagues. On paper, it's the biggest leap in Football Manager history.
In practice? It's rough. FM26 currently sits at 35% positive on Steam — "Mostly Negative" — with over 8,000 reviews. Players report crashes, bugs in the transfer system, and an interface that, while cleaner, lost some depth that longtime fans relied on. The match engine looks better but still has that distinctive "Football Manager-ness" to the movement.
The 30-day window tells a slightly better story: 52% positive in recent reviews, suggesting patches are helping. But this is still a long way from the near-universal praise that FM24 and earlier entries received.
FM24 — The Real Alternative
Here's the move most FM veterans are making: sticking with Football Manager 2024. It represents the peak of the old engine, runs flawlessly, has years of community mods and database updates, and regularly goes on deep discount. If you've never played Football Manager, FM24 is arguably the better entry point right now — more stable, more polished, and far cheaper.
Our Verdict
This one genuinely depends on your patience. If you want the new engine and women's football, FM26 is the only option, but expect jank. If you just want the best Football Manager experience available today, grab FM24 on sale and wait for FM26 to get patched into shape. Sports Interactive has a track record of fixing their games post-launch — the question is how long it takes.
- FM26 brings the long-awaited Unity engine rebuild
- Official Premier League licensing is a game-changer
- Women's football finally added with 14 leagues
- New UI is cleaner and more modern
- FM24 remains an excellent, stable alternative
- FM25 was outright cancelled — unprecedented for the series
- FM26 has Mostly Negative Steam reviews (35% positive)
- Crashes and transfer system bugs still being patched
- Match engine improvements are incremental, not revolutionary
- Full price ($40+) for a game that still needs work
Hardcore FM fans who need the latest database and women's football should grab FM26 and ride out the patches. Everyone else — especially newcomers — should start with FM24 on sale. It's cheaper, more stable, and still the best football management sim of its era. Come back to FM26 in a few months when the dust settles.
