FC 26 Gameplay Feedback – Core Systems Are Fundamentally Broken
This is not a “needs tuning” issue. This is not “early lifecycle balancing.” This is a clear case of core systems shipping in a broken, poorly understood state, reflecting a worrying lack of competence and football understanding from EA’s gameplay direction. The game does not just feel unpolished — it feels like multiple foundational systems were implemented without consistent logic, without football principles, and without proper quality control. Below is a breakdown of the issues, all of which point to the same conclusion: the gameplay framework is not functioning as intended, and it is unacceptable for a full release. 1. Passing Logic Has No Spatial Awareness Passing consistently ignores player input and basic football logic: Wrong targets selected despite clear directional input Obvious passing lanes ignored Through balls massively overtuned, normal passing underpowered Players abuse mechanics (incisive passes) because system logic is unreliable No real awareness of angle, pressure, or body positioning This is not difficulty. It’s fundamentally broken decision logic. 2. Bounce-Back Tackles Remove Skill Reward Even perfect tackles: Often bounce straight back to the attacker Negate clean defensive actions Create artificial pressure loops Defending is no longer rewarded consistently. That reflects poor combat resolution design. 3. Overpowered Tackles From Behind & Physical Imbalance Defensive interactions are inconsistent and unrealistic: Tackles from poor angles still succeed magnetically Weak physical input wins against strong attackers Conversely, attackers lose possession instantly from minimal contact The system lacks coherent physics or balance logic. 4. Defensive AI Completely Lacks Structure This is one of the clearest signs of poor AI implementation: Centre-backs randomly abandon shape Fullbacks drift inside instead of tracking wingers CDMs fail to track runners consistently Offside line is ignored entirely. Defenders are supposed to push up. Not back into box creating space. Seriously this is so low iq its not funny. The result is chaotic defending where players fight their own AI more than opponents. This is basic football structure failure. 5. Corners Still Break Defensive Transition Logic After corners: Players are out of position instantly Clearance triggers instant counterattacks No recovery logic activates This is a repeatable systemic exploit, not realistic transition play. 6. Attacking AI Is Equally Poor Forward movement lacks intelligence: Static positioning Poor run timing Offside runs with no context No exploitation of space between defenders There is no reading of play — just scripted movement errors. 7. Dribbling & Creativity Heavily Punished Skill expression is suppressed: Random collisions and dispossessions Unreliable control inputs Exploit mechanics outperform creative play This removes agency from the player and rewards mechanical abuse instead of football skill. 8. Goalkeepers Lack Consistent Logic Keeper behaviour is highly inconsistent: Near-post goals conceded too easily Routine saves missed Unrealistic reflex saves elsewhere There is no predictable performance model. 9. “Impossible” Solo Goals Break Defensive Systems Players can: Run through multiple defenders Ignore physical pressure Score from unrealistic positions Defensive structure simply does not function reliably. 10. Reward Structure Is Poorly Designed High win requirements lock out large portions of players Near-perfect performance required for basic rewards Poor accessibility design discourages engagement 11. Pack Weight & Progression Feel Misaligned Rewards feel disconnected from effort Progression is grind-heavy and unrewarding Engagement drops due to lack of meaningful payoff 12. Server Instability & Input Delay Heavy gameplay responsiveness issues Input delay during key modes Competitive integrity breaks when responsiveness is inconsistent 13. Rubberbanding & Objective Exploits Players actively avoid gameplay via: Rubberbanding Intentional loss farming This is a symptom of low gameplay satisfaction, not just community behaviour. Core Problem: EA’s Systems Lack Football Intelligence The overarching issue is not individual bugs — it is systemic incompetence in how football logic is translated into gameplay. Nothing is consistently rewarded: Clean tackling isn’t reliable Intelligent passing is overridden Structured defending collapses Creative dribbling is punished Patient build-up is unstable Instead, chaotic, exploit-heavy play is often the optimal approach. This reflects a serious disconnect between EA’s design decisions and actual football principles. Additional Critical Issues Midfield AI ignores ball to “hold position” incorrectly Player switching causes speed inconsistencies Tactics feel ineffective and poorly implemented Negative gameplay mechanics actively disrupt control (tumbling, forced slowdowns, unresponsive passing under pressure) Passing under pressure becomes artificially inaccurate First touches degrade in defensive phases, suggesting forced difficulty rather than realistic pressure modelling Server & Responsiveness Decline Higher perceived latency (~30ms → ~38ms reported) Heavier input delay Dribbling responsiveness significantly degraded Movement feels delayed and inconsistent Whether server-side or engine-side, the result is the same: unresponsive gameplay that undermines skill. Final Point: This Feels Like a Lack of Competence, Not Just Bugs The most concerning part is not that issues exist — it’s that they are foundational, repeated across systems, and unchanged despite iteration. It suggests: Poor internal validation of football logic Weak quality control on gameplay systems Misalignment between design intent and implementation On a 1–6 scale, this is firmly a 1-level release in gameplay quality. At this stage, it does not feel like a competitive football game. It feels like a system that does not understand football fundamentals. EA needs to seriously reassess not just balance — but the competence behind how these core systems are being designed and shipped. Because right now, it is not fun... Just frustrating. It is structurally broken.IN MY PS 5 CONSOLE, FC 26 GIVES A WARM-UP WARNING
Hello, at the beginning of the match of the FC 26 game, my PS5 console enters excessive fan running mode and the device turns off after a warming warning, this problem does not happen in other games, it only happens in the game of FC 26. Moreover, while the console is turned off and cold, the FC 26 game is in the first operation at the time of the start of the match (there is no problem while browsing the menus), the excessive fan is running and the console turns off. I deleted the game and installed it again, cleared the PS5 cache and installed new software again, but the problem was not solved. Can you help me with this? Console information Playstation 5 CD CFI 2016 European model 9-month device, there is no dust or contamination.
EA Rant
EA FC 26 is painfully boring. Career Mode feels lifeless, especially Player Career. Who thought it was a good idea to replace transfer offers with this ridiculous one-contract-at-a-time system? It completely kills the excitement and freedom that made Career Mode fun in the first place. Manager Career is a disaster too. Managers are constantly switching clubs for no reason, and the whole transfer system feels broken and unrealistic. And why do I need to install mods just to make Career Mode somewhat enjoyable? A game from a billion-dollar company shouldn't rely on the community to fix basic features. Ultimate Team isn't any better. Tactics and player roles feel completely broken. It doesn't matter what setup I use—my players still make the dumbest decisions imaginable. Meanwhile, everyone runs the exact same boring formation, copies the same tactics from YouTubers, and gets rewarded for it. Where's the variety? Where's the creativity? The most frustrating part is that EA barely has any real competition. We've been playing FIFA for so many years that the movement, animations, and gameplay mechanics are burned into our brains. When you try something like eFootball, it just feels off, even if EA's game has plenty of problems. EA keeps releasing the same game every year with minor changes, charging full price, and people keep buying it because there's no real alternative. I'm honestly tired of spending money on the same recycled experience year after year. Yet I still come back because I've spent years getting used to FIFA's gameplay and movement. At this point, EA knows they can get away with the bare minimum because football fans have nowhere else to go.The new patch
Patch 160 was actually a massive improvement. It didnt even last a week before u patch again. Patch 161 seems to have brought more problems back. Could also be servers need time to adjust. Cause now my players wont do any tackles and its unplayable again. Will try again in a couple of days, Please stopp patching! Patch 160 is the first all year that has improved gameplay instead of making it worse. If first impression of 161 is anything to go by you will keep patching it worse like you done all year. Far from perfect, but id keep 160 Just stop with the patching...The latest patch
Patch 1.6.0 was actually a massive improvement. It didnt even last a week before u patch again. Patch 1.6.1 seems to have brought more problems back. Could also be servers need time to adjust. Cause now my players wont do any tackles and its unplayable again. Will try again in a couple of days, Please stopp patching! Patch 1.6.0 is the first all year that has improved gameplay instead of making it worse. If first impression of 1.6.1 is anything to go by you will keep patching it worse like you done all year. Far from perfect, but id keep 1.6.0. Just stop with the patching...
Allianz Arena and a disappointment for the fans.
The Audio, Anthems, and Missing Chants: Nobody wants John Miles playing as the players walk out. We want the actual fans singing the club anthems "Immer vorwärts FC Bayern". Furthermore, you didn't add any new, authentic ultras chants. Ruined Goal Song: Why did you replace the real "Yabba Dabba Doo" goal celebration with a orchestral version of Can-Can? Where is the authentic Allianz Arena tunnel with the iconic stairs? It screams laziness. You also completely ignored the real stadium layout by not including standing tribune (Südkurve) for the ultras. The red light lines running along the Allianz Arena facade during night matches, are almost invisible. We hope for improvement in Fc 27, because right now it's a misunderstanding.This game panders terrible players
Typically I will finish around 11 wins, knowing I'm an average player, but in the middle of a game my players all of a sudden feel so so heavy on top of the opponent making a comeback on a game that makes no sense. This horrible gameplay continues causing me to finish horribly and know that the game is entirely at fault. I know when I lose games to players who are better, but my players genuinely felt as if they were walking in concrete. On top of that, I was gifted a loss due to the game kicking me off the servers before a match even kicked off. EA needs to remove scripting as it debilitates the game for good players like myself and many others in the community. The constant pandering to the casual player in competitive gamemodes is attrocious and needs to be investigated.
