FC 26 running very slow and laggy—performance issues.

Dear EA Sports team,
.
⚠️ Main Issue: Gameplay Responsiveness and Input Delay  

As someone who has spent hundreds of hours in Division Rivals and knows how FIFA flows, I can clearly feel when something doesn’t respond as it should. At this stage, FIFA 26 feels disconnected, slow, and frustrating, especially for players who rely on fast input, quick turns, and dribbling. 

While the game looks good visually and offers a decent range of features, my biggest concern is with the gameplay responsiveness, particularly when I have possession of the ball under pressure.

Even while playing with low ping (8ms, 20ms, 21ms), the game feels extremely sluggish when I try to turn quickly left or right with my player. I often press a direction early, but the command is delayed, and I lose the ball in situations where quick reactions should have been rewarded. This issue persists regardless of my ping.

I expected Competitive Mode to provide more fast-paced, snappy, and responsive control, but it feels the opposite — slow and unresponsive.

🕹️ Note on Controls: I Use D-Pad, Not Analog

Please note:
I only play using the D-Pad (left, right, up, down) — not the analog stick.
I use the right stick only for skill moves, but all movement is done with the D-Pad.

In FIFA 24, dribbling felt responsive due to the dribbling context feature (even though I understand it was removed in 25). In FIFA 25, I already felt a downgrade in movement fluidity. Sadly, in FIFA 26, I expected a step forward — especially for players like me who prefer directional input — but instead, it feels just as slow or even worse than FIFA 25.

If there’s any possibility to optimize movement for D-Pad users, please consider that. Many online players still prefer D-Pad movement and do not want to be forced to switch to analog sticks.

🏃‍♂️ Sprinting and Player Speed – Balance Concerns

Another major issue is player speed and acceleration. In 1v1 sprinting situations:

My players struggle to outrun defenders, even when I’m using high-speed attackers.
Opponents using bronze, silver, or regular gold cards can easily catch up with me or dispossess me, even when I get past them.
Meanwhile, when I'm defending, if my opponent gets past me, I cannot catch up no matter who I control — the sprint speed difference is too punishing.

It feels like everyone moves at the same speed, regardless of card quality or stats. This removes the sense of skill or reward for building a high-level squad.

🙏 Final Thoughts

I hope this feedback helps, and I strongly recommend:

Improving responsiveness, especially for D-Pad users
Boosting acceleration/sprint speed slightly, or balancing it better
Ensuring Competitive Mode lives up to the promise of "faster, more reactive" gameplay

Thank you again, and I hope to see significant improvement in the final version.

Best regards,
Razvan Dache