Play Football Manager 26 early and score a goal with this major discount

After shooting for the goal and unfortunately missing, last year was completely Football Manager-less, an annual streak that has been going strong since 2004. But, sometimes, winning the match is more important than losing the point. Fortunately, Football Manager 26 is running onto the pitch, and in celebratory fashion, you can grab it at a pre-launch discount and get early access to boot.

While EA FC remains one of the best sports games around, I'll be the first to say that I prefer what Football Manager 26 and the rest of the series deliver. The deep management aspect keeps me hooked and makes winning or losing matches even more impactful.

Football Manager 26 can be overwhelming to start with. The UI feels a little cluttered, the tutorial is more of a teaser than a true 'instructions manual,' but once you get further into your role as a manager, things get more interesting. The Match Day vibe has been improved, allowing you to resonate with that perfect goal, while the visuals have seen a huge improvement, thanks to a switch to Unity (and the extra development time with a skipped entry).

It's not all about looks, sure, but the mark of any great simulation game is how it can accurately portray… well, whatever it's simulating. Animations more closely resemble the intensity of an exciting football match, and the allure of perfecting your team is still as engaging as ever.

If that's not enough, and I feel like I'm giving you a lot of positives right now, there's also the introduction of women's football for a new league to compete in, and fully licensed Premier League kits, clubs, and more have been added to give it a more authentically British experience. You'd normally have to wait until November 4 to get in on this action, but the early access period is already live. So if you're looking to start building your team ASAP, it's worth grabbing Football Manager 26 now for just $49.19 / £40.99 at Fanatical.

Before diving into a match of Football Manager 26, ensure your PC meets the minimum specs by visiting our Football Manager 26 system requirements page. Alternatively, you can check out our list of upcoming PC games to see what's worth saving up for.

While Football Manager 26 comes with a pricetag, joining our PCGamesN Discord is most certainly free. It's a chill way to keep up to date on the latest news and deals, or catch up with other football fanatics like me.