While the FM26 Steam Deck rating is not yet confirmed, in a recent interview, it was hinted that the Steam Deck could be part of plans moving forward.
The FM26 system requirements are now out, following the release of a match day experience trailer, and while the minimum specs seem to favor the Steam Deck, it's the recommended specs that give us cause for concern. However, as the situation stands right now, we're not expecting an official rating until after release.
Is FM26 Steam Deck compatible?
Football Manager 26 does not yet have a Steam Deck rating. This is normal, given that we still don't even have an FM26 release date, although the game is expected to be released before the end of 2025.
Previous editions of Football Manager have worked well on the Steam Deck, but they have never been verified, typically due to the small text and a lack of native controller support, a feature that is exclusive to the console versions of the game.
Based on the system requirements, the Steam Deck may be in for more of an uphill battle with FM26, at least when it comes to speedy processing times and the new graphics engine, which requires an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 if you hope to meet the recommended specs. This is more powerful than the aging custom AMD CPU in the Steam Deck, although the minimum demands only call for a GTX 960, which is much more favorable for the Steam Deck.
Most recently, Sports Interactive studio head Miles Jacobson sat down with WorkTheSpace to talk about FM 26 and got on to the topic of resolutions. During this chat, Miles mentions that some FM 26 alpha testers we using higher resolutions than the development team does, and went on to list the Steam Deck as a device that people use to play the game. Later in the conversation, the Steam Deck is raised once again in passing, which may give hope to handheld owners that the game will run on Valve's portable.
Time will tell whether FM26 earns a positive Steam Deck rating, but we don't expect to see anything until the game has launched later this year.
If you want to get the full experience playing FM on the best handheld gaming PC, then you're going to want the best Steam Deck dock from our buying guide so you can hook up a mouse and keyboard without any issues.
Are you looking to play Football Manager 26 on the Steam Deck when it's out, or will you be sticking to a gaming PC or laptop? Let us know over on our community Discord server.