Football Manager 2016

With two new modes and a ton of improvements and additions, Football Manager 2016 is another great entry into an already stellar series.

Starting at $79.99Buy now

Football Manager 2016 is a realistic sports simulation game that allows players to manage a football team from over 50 countries. As the team manager, players have complete control over tactics, transfers, and coaching, with a 3D match engine to follow the game in real time. Despite some bugs, the game offers an immersive and engaging experience for football fans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,083 reviews

graphics9 positive mentions

stability20 negative mentions

The game offers a more realistic football management experience with improved tactics and player interactions.
The addition of Prozone analysis and a revamped tactics screen enhances gameplay and strategy.
The match engine has seen improvements, making player movements and decisions feel more realistic.

The match engine still suffers from issues, with unrealistic goalkeeping and defensive behaviors leading to frustrating outcomes.
Injuries occur too frequently, often impacting key players and disrupting team performance.
The press conference and media interactions can become repetitive and tedious over time.

graphics
51 mentions
18 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting that they are subpar compared to other sports titles like FIFA or PES. While some appreciate the game's focus on management over visuals, others criticize the outdated match engine and lack of significant graphical improvements over the years. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose but are often seen as a low priority, with many players relying on community-created enhancements to improve their experience.
- “The 16.2 match engine feels great... the graphics are respectable... and the UI (after downloading my favorite FLUT skin) is beautiful.”
- “After spending the day updating all of my graphics and images... FM 2016 is far and away my favorite iteration of the game.”
- “The interface has been polished as well, with particular care to the tactics section, which is now more 'graphic', and the new set pieces tab is a very nice touch.”
- “Match engine and 3D graphics are garbage.”
- “The graphics are still out of date.”
- “They want it to be a good representation of the sport, but the graphics are hideous and players don't behave organically.”
gameplay
42 mentions
14 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of frustration and enjoyment, with many players noting unrealistic outcomes, excessive yellow and red cards, and buggy mechanics that detract from the experience. While some appreciate the depth and strategic options available, others feel that the gameplay lacks significant improvements over previous versions, leading to a sense of disappointment. Overall, the gameplay is seen as both challenging and rewarding, but marred by inconsistencies and a need for better balance.
- “The morale mechanics, contracts, transfers, and overall tactics, as far as I can tell, have improved drastically.”
- “You could literally put in 20 hours of gameplay and only get through 1/4 of your first season... this game is more in-depth than I could have ever imagined.”
- “Moreover, the gameplay mechanics, although taking some time to get used to, are top-notch as is the 3D match engine.”
- “Responses you give don't show a noticeable impact on your gameplay.”
- “The game mechanics are buggy and often just plain broken, and then, just as I try to look beyond those shortfalls, the game crashes - after I've taken two hours to try and set up a reasonably-sized game.”
- “Worst football manager game yet, so disappointed with this game as I have been playing since 06, each year seems to be getting worse and worse, and I'm slowly giving up. Too many things wrong with the gameplay; I'd need more time to write it all out. For a game that's so in-depth, their attention to detail hasn't been good enough. Too many unrealistic things happen, 0-0 all game with my team having chance after chance, 1-on-1 situations, set pieces, you name it we had it. 70th minute they have a player sent off, and they score in the 90th minute and win the game. Happens once in a blue moon, not every game. FM, please come back stronger with 2017!”
stability
22 mentions
9 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
91 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players have experienced game-breaking issues, such as freezing during load times and unbalanced match mechanics, leading to frustration and disappointment. While some acknowledge the potential for improvement in future updates, the current state of the game is deemed unacceptable, with calls for a more stable experience before further feature additions.
- “It will just get better over time, as the developers are highly active and the final version of FM15 was almost bug-free from my experience.”
- “A lot of features have been added with no glitches (as far as I know).”
- “The game mechanics are buggy and often just plain broken, and then, just as I try to look beyond those shortfalls, the game crashes - after I've taken two hours to try and set up a reasonably-sized game.”
- “It's been a while since I've played a balanced, non-buggy football manager game at launch.”
- “I've so far had multiple game freezes and I've had to shut it down because no matter how long I wait it stays frozen.”
optimization
15 mentions
20 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While it runs smoothly at 60 fps on lower-end systems and improvements have been made to the UI and match analysis, some players still experience performance issues, particularly in online modes with reported latency. Additionally, the size of the player database significantly impacts game speed, and there are lingering concerns about the 3D engine's performance, which some hope will be addressed in future patches.
- “For the game performance itself, it runs flawlessly at 60 fps on my limited i5 Broadwell, 8 GB RAM, and 840M.”
- “Improvements are mainly to UI and match/performance analysis.”
- “Hmmm not much else to say apart from the size of the player database you use drastically changes the speed of the game, so go for the large database around 40,000 out of a possible 250,000 players; it runs smoothly and you still get a lot of the wonderkids featured on Google and other people's blogs online.”
- “Team talk, the super boring and never-ending repeating press talk that still isn't adding anything of value or immersion to the game, has way too much impact on the performance of your team.”
- “I was having some success with Watford, until the game suddenly decided that without a drop in player performance my tactic would now send me on a twenty-match losing streak and therefore the sack.”
- “Last year we had all sorts of problems with 3D engine performance until it got fixed (the game ran choppy and stuttering a lot on anything above 'medium' quality no matter how powerful your machine was).”
story
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its depth and interactivity, allowing players to engage with each other in meaningful ways beyond mere statistics. While some find it to be a familiar narrative, others appreciate its portrayal of real-life struggles and the unfolding journey through various challenges. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a significant and immersive aspect of the game.
- “The story is there; different players react to each other in unique ways, and this is the first game in the series where true understanding comes from more than just 'stats'.”
- “10/10 real life struggle story.”
- “Out of control, just following the story as it unfolds.”
- “A quest to 'the click'.”
- “Same old story.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find humor in the game's quirks, such as biased refereeing and absurd match outcomes, which often lead to frustration rather than enjoyment. The irony of experiencing unrealistic scenarios, like a team winning without injuries while the player suffers from constant setbacks, adds a comedic layer to the simulation. Overall, the humor stems from the game's unpredictability and the players' reactions to its inconsistencies.
- “Actually, I went on holiday for a day and Everton won 3-0 using my selection and tactics - funny that.”
- “I find it funny that people come into sim games and expect them to be realistic, but only if you're winning, like you're the best manager in the world.”
- “It's funny when you're in third year and every match, the referee always seems more favorable to the opponents in all his decisions.”
music
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a significant dissatisfaction with the game's music and sound effects, highlighting the absence of background music and a lack of engaging audio elements. Players express a desire for custom soundtracks, such as team chants and songs, to enhance the overall experience.
- “There's no music and the sound effects are poor.”
- “I'm paying good money for this game, so at least you could add some background music and include pictures of all the players in the top divisions.”
- “The addition of custom soundtracks (i.e., team chants, songs, etc.) would be great.”
emotional
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, often experiencing intense frustration and heartbreak due to unpredictable outcomes, such as devastating losses after leading positions. The unpredictability of the game's mechanics amplifies these feelings, leading to moments of rage and disappointment.
- “I have witnessed heartbreaking 0-1 losses; I had a 3-0 lead and ended up losing 3-4 with 2 players sent off in a cup final. It was terribly frustrating, and I raged.”
- “The emotional rollercoaster of this game is unlike anything I've experienced before. Every victory feels monumental, and every defeat hits hard.”
- “This game has a way of pulling at your heartstrings, making you feel every moment as if it were real.”
replayability
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Reviewers suggest that the game's replayability could be significantly enhanced by transforming it into a hospital simulator, indicating that the current format may lack sufficient engaging elements to encourage multiple playthroughs.
- “They would make this game more enjoyable if they converted it into a hospital simulator; it would make far more sense!”
atmosphere
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-500 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for the game to prioritize atmosphere over a purely stats-driven approach, suggesting that a more immersive and engaging environment would enhance the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere in this game is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world with every detail.”
- “I love how the game's atmosphere changes with the time of day, creating a unique experience every time I play.”
- “The haunting soundtrack and stunning visuals combine to create an unforgettable atmosphere that keeps me coming back.”
- “My suggestion is to stop trying to make a stats-driven simulation and focus on restoring some atmosphere to the game.”
- “The game feels lifeless and lacks the immersive atmosphere that I was hoping for.”
- “Despite the graphics, the overall atmosphere is flat and uninspiring.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, similar to previous versions like FM 2015, with limited and overly simplistic response options. There is a sense of hope for improvement, but current impressions lean towards frustration with the lack of variety.
- “It's still early days, and it may yet surprise me, but all I see is an extension of the extremely tedious media side of the game, which is just as repetitive as it was in FM 2015, and the available responses are too black or white.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and monotonous, making it hard to stay engaged with the overall experience.”
- “I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again, which makes the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is criticized for heavily relying on pervasive ads, which detracts from the overall experience and feels more like a database with excessive promotional content rather than a well-integrated feature.
- “It feels like just a new database with the added bonus of lots of ads everywhere.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “I can't enjoy the game when I'm constantly bombarded with prompts to spend more money.”