January typically ushers in a wave of renewed enthusiasm for Football Manager. As the holiday season recedes and daily routines re-establish themselves, players often return to the game, eager to dive into fresh saves and explore the newly opened January transfer window. This annual rhythm has contributed to the franchise’s remarkable longevity, with engagement typically peaking in January before tapering off until the next release. However, this year, the anticipated rebound seems to be elusive.
Context around FM26’s release
To grasp the significance of these numbers, one must consider the broader context surrounding the release of FM26. This edition marks a pivotal transition to a new engine, following the franchise’s long-standing adoption of Unity. While this shift generated considerable excitement prior to launch, it has also sparked significant division among the player base.
Currently, only 29.78 percent of user reviews on SteamDB are positive, positioning FM26 as one of the lowest-rated games on the platform. In stark contrast, FM24 boasted an impressive 89.48 percent approval rating. Sports Interactive has swiftly responded to some of the more glaring user interface issues, yet first impressions tend to linger. For many players, the dissatisfaction runs deeper than mere cosmetic fixes, suggesting that regaining their trust may require more than just patches; it may necessitate a fundamental rethinking of the game itself.
Why January usually matters for PC games
January serves as a rejuvenating period for PC gaming. The Steam Winter Sale, which extends into early January, often leads to a backlog of purchases that players are yet to explore. Many find themselves occupied with travel or irregular work schedules during the festive season, delaying the initiation of new gaming experiences. As normalcy returns, players finally engage with their newly acquired titles.
Football Manager is particularly well-suited to this pattern. It demands a significant investment of time and is best enjoyed during evenings when players can immerse themselves in the intricacies of managing a football club. The arrival of January, with its transfer window and the opportunity for squad adjustments, resonates perfectly with the game’s mechanics, historically resulting in a noticeable increase in player activity.
What the FM26 data shows
Recent data from SteamDB indicates that Football Manager 2026 currently maintains around 33,500 concurrent players, with a 24-hour peak of approximately 55,800. The all-time high, recorded shortly after launch in November, reached 84,909.
While the game continues to attract players, the data reveals a concerning trend since the holiday season. Both the 48-hour and one-week charts for early and mid-January appear flat, lacking the sustained upward trajectory typically observed in previous years. SteamDB’s monthly analysis indicates a slight decline of about 0.9 percent in peak player numbers over the past month.
December witnessed a more dramatic decline, with peak concurrency dropping over 31 percent from November. While such a dip is common for most PC releases, the absence of a subsequent recovery is unusual.
Other metrics echo this sentiment. FM26 ranks around #83 for daily active users on Steam and #119 in top sellers, showing little momentum from wishlists. Twitch viewership remains subdued, with peaks of roughly 1,400 viewers in the past 24 hours, a far cry from the launch period.
While these figures do not indicate a crisis, they do suggest a departure from the norm for Football Manager: engagement appears to be leveling off much earlier than expected.
- A notable launch spike in November.
- A decline through December.
- A steady rise in early January, propelling the game into the spring.
Both FM23 and FM24 followed this familiar trajectory, with FM24 even reaching its peak player count in January at 89,478, while FM23 peaked at 83,715 during the same month. The franchise’s annual cycle and focus on single-player gameplay typically enable it to maintain stronger mid-season numbers than many comparable PC titles. Thus, FM26’s current performance stands out; it is not experiencing a dramatic decline but rather a stagnation at a time when historical trends suggest it should be gaining momentum.
Why January engagement matters
For a single-player game, the number of concurrent players transcends mere optics, reflecting the overall health of the game’s ecosystem. January is a pivotal month for returning guides, restarting long-term saves, and reigniting demand for tools and updates from the community’s most prominent modders. Discussions shift from initial reactions to deeper tactics and experimentation.
A quieter January does not imply that players have abandoned the game permanently; however, it does hinder the secondary activities that keep Football Manager relevant throughout the year. The franchise has historically thrived on predictable moments of player engagement, and January has been a cornerstone of that cycle.
