EA FC 26 has been out long enough for most people to form a clear opinion on it. We had our fair share of positive things to say about the game in our FC 26 review, and they mostly still stand true. However, the game has built a somewhat negative reputation in the short time it’s been out since launch. Some complain about frequent bugs and glitches, while those on PC have been screaming about performance issues for a while now.
The game currently sits at “Mostly Negative” on Steam, and the PlayStation reviews average at around 3.2 stars on the PSN Store. This isn’t necessarily new, though, as EA FC 25 also had some similar ratings. Game franchises that have annual releases always seem to have the most complaints — we’ve seen this with Ubisoft and Assassin’s Creed time and time again.
So, the question arises: Is EA FC 26 really as bad as the internet says? It’s not the sort of question I can answer without angering at least one reader, but here’s my best attempt at a grounded, nuanced take:
The Source Of The Frustrations
If you’re just a casual FC 26 player, here’s a fun exercise for you: Browse through the FC 26 reviews on any platform, go to the EA Sports FC X account and read the user replies, or just go through this thread on Reddit. You’ll find that people aren’t just disappointed, they’re agitated. And it’s not because the core gameplay is bad, it’s mostly because the experience around it feels unstable.
On PC, one match feels smooth and fluid, and the next few are weighed down with random crashes, performance issues, or disconnects. EA has been trying to fix this for a while now, but the issues still persist. When comparing FC 26 in its current state to the one it launched in, we found it to be a remarkably better game. And while the core gameplay might have improved, players still have complaints with the SBC grind, and one player on Reddit had the following to say about the “sweatiness” of the game:
“Rivals sweatfest. Champs sweatfest. Squad battles even bigger sweatfest. Tournaments sweatfest.
Rush pointless.
What a year.”
Manual goalkeeper remains a point of contention, Career Mode players constantly report bugs around contract renewals and transfer logic, and rage quitters were able to leave matches at 0-0 without any penalty. Part of that has now been fixed, with EA shortening the quit detection window to 20 in-game minutes, but it took weeks of feedback and several patches to get there.
And that’s the real core of the issue. It’s not that these issues exist; it’s the fact that they are reported, fixed, and then pop up again. Back in October, EA had to extend certain events after match and reward tracking issues stopped people from making progress. Some people continue to report similar problems in newer events.
What The Game Still Gets Right
Here is where nuance matters. Despite the chaos, the outrage, and the negative reputation, FC 26 is not a bad football game. In many key areas, it’s the most refined entry in years. The physics engine is notably more expressive, especially when it comes to dribbling, contested tackles, and shielding. Features like Touch Intervals and Foot Preference Logic further add to the realism and improve the gameplay. Keeper positioning was improved with a recent patch, and the attacking AI has better support and positioning.
Ultimate progression is still grind-heavy (by design, to generate more revenue), but it has improved structurally. Objectives are at least more transparent and less tied to arbitrary conditions. Clubs, despite having its microtransaction-driven issues, remains one of the most social and engaging football experiences available.
Finally, Career Mode is still buggy in some places, but it offers better presentation, improved training logic, and more believable player development arcs. None of it is perfect, but it has certainly improved.
To summarize, the core football is strong. This game feels responsive, expressive, and at times, genuinely exciting. The issue is that when you play it daily, you start the notice the flaws more. Which brings me exactly to my next point…
It’s A Design Philosophy Problem
This is where things get a bit opinionated. The truth is that EA FC is not just a football game you buy every year to have fun, and it hasn’t been like that for years now. It’s a live service, a storefront, and a seasonal content machine all built into one product. These mechanics don’t just exist around the football; they blend into it.
Physics and dribbling systems meet real-time tuning updates. Matchmaking logic is combined with quit detection, reward tracking, and cross-progression. Gameplay balanced often seems to shift to suit Ultimate Team while Career Mode players get caught in the crossfire. There are so many systems here, all interconnected, and sometimes they work against each other.
That is exactly where the instability and inconsistent experience stem from. The constant incentives to keep playing, keep grinding, keep opening packs are what make the experience unstable. Players get engaged, then they get enraged, only to get roped back in again.
But there’s one more layer to this conversation that rarely gets addressed. Even when EA makes major improvements, the reaction is often chaos. A single targeted nerf to R1 dribbling somehow becomes “dribbling is dead”. YouTubers declare that attacking is broken, and players act like they can’t play the game anymore.
This isn’t to say EA gets everything right. Far from it. FC 26 deserves criticism, but the hate is harsher this time around because the systems are deeper, the stakes are higher, and the reactions, on both sides, are louder. Does FC 26 deserve its harsh reputation? In parts, yes. But it also deserves perspective. We’re very curious to hear your thoughts so far on the game, so feel free to add to the discussion in the comments below.
