The IncastroPC test
Mike Abbondandolo · November 2026FM 27 polishes the experience with plenty of small improvements, but it’s still an incremental update for anyone already familiar with the series.
What we liked
- +Refreshed UI cleaner and more enjoyable to navigate
- +Visually improved match experience dynamic weather, shifting lighting across the 90 minutes, more atmospheric stadiums
- +The cup draw with a presenter is a welcome return and a nice touch
- +Transfer behaviour feels more realistic and nuanced
- +Works on Linux without issues
Less convincing
- −If you’re coming from FM 26, the changes feel more like refinements than a reinvention
- −The 1% lows hint at occasional stutter
- −Anyone hoping for a generational leap will come away disappointed
How we tested it
Performance
Average FPS over 9 min 58 s of gameplay, measured with MangoHud. The line marks 60 FPS. Average FPS: how many frames per second on average. 1% low: the FPS in the worst moments (the slowest 1% of frames). The closer the 1% low is to the average, the smoother the game, without stutters.
Also applies to other mini PCs with the same Radeon 780M graphics: Ryzen 7 7840HS, Ryzen 7 8845HS, Ryzen 9 7940HS Same integrated graphics, so similar FPS. They can vary a bit with RAM (speed and dual channel) and with the power limit set by the manufacturer.
Test timeline
Power is the processor's (CPU and graphics) as read by MangoHud: at the wall it's a few watts more.
Launch and tweaks
Football Manager 2027 arrives on schedule, as it always does, and brings with it the kind of improvements series fans will know well: lots of polish, a handful of concrete additions, and no real revolution. On CachyOS with a Ryzen 7 8745HS and Radeon 780M via GE-Proton11-1, it runs at 57 FPS at 4K Medium with no upscaling a solid result for an iGPU on a management sim this complex.
The most visible changes are on the match day side: a new dynamic lighting system that shifts throughout the 90 minutes, realistic weather with pitches that actually get wet in the rain or snow over, and more lively stadiums with home fans in their kits and chants that change depending on the size of the game. Small details, but together they make the atmosphere noticeably more immersive.
On the management side, the cup draw with a presenter is back a welcome return that adds a bit of spectacle. Transfers feel more layered: young players weigh up playing time more carefully before agreeing to a move, clubs ask for more when selling players with resale clauses, and AI sporting directors place greater value on experience and leadership. The UI has been redesigned with cleaner club, competition, and nation screens, plus a personalised news feed that's now separate from general football news.
The issue, as always with FM, is that anyone coming from last year's version will struggle to feel a clear step change. The improvements are real and tangible, but this is an incremental package. For newcomers or anyone who skips a year it's a great entry point for FM 26 veterans, the case is a little harder to make.
