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Sports Interactive has provided the first footage of the new match engine for Football Manager 26 - and details of the system requirements needed to run the game.
The revamped match engine was meant to debut in Football Manager 25, but that game was cancelled as the developers struggled to get to grips with the new engine, a revamped user interface and the addition of women's football to the game.
Now fans of the long-running franchise have been given their first glimpse of the new game, which is due to be released this fall.
The new match engine is based on the Unity graphics engine and certainly looks more polished than the match engine that appeared in Football Manager 24, which has long looked dated.
The player animations in the new engine look more lifelike and smoother than before, with better lighting effects for details such as the shadows from the stadium roof. The released footage also shows fully detailed kits from the English Premier League, with whom Sports Interactive struck a licensing deal more than a year ago.
The key question for players, especially those playing on laptops, will be what effect the new match engine has on the game's system requirements, which have been relatively modest until now.
The new system requirements have been published on the Football Manager 26 Steam page.
For Windows desktops, the minimum requirements are an Intel Core -i3-530 or AMD FX 4100 processor, with only 4GB of RAM. The minimum graphics are Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 or AMD Radeon R9 380. Even integrated Intel graphics are supported.
However, the recommended spec for Windows desktops is beefier. An Intel Core i5-9600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is recommended, with 12GB of RAM. On the graphic side, it’s Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT or above.
For Windows laptops, the minimum processor requirements are Intel Core i3-33oM or AMD A6-5200, while the recommended processor steps up to an Intel Core i5-1035G7 or AMD Ryzen 7 3750H.
Graphics wise, the minimum Windows laptop spec is Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M or AMD Radeon R9 M375. Integrated Intel HD 530 chips are also supported. However, Sports Interactive is recommending laptop owners use Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Mobile or AMD Radeon RX 6600M chips or better.
So, while we won't know until we actually get to see pre-release code, it seems you're probably going to need a dedicated graphics chip to get smooth frame rates from the new match engine, even if the graphics requirements aren't super-steep.
For Mac gamers, the recommended spec is Apple M1 or above. There is support for older Intel chips in the minimum spec, but the experience is hardly likely to be stellar, especially if the Mac doesn't have a dedicated graphics chip.
There's no official release date yet for Football Manager 26, although Sports Interactive has suggested that it will be back in the game's regular release cadence. The game normally arrives between early and mid-November, with public beta previews available around a fortnight or so before the full release.