Football Manager 26 beta drops Oct. 23 — see when it unlocks in your time zone
After a two-year wait, the Football Manager 26 advanced access beta is almost here. Sports Interactive has confirmed the beta lands this week as the series moves to the Unity engine, and you’ll need to have pre-purchased the PC version to join the early window ahead of the full release on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
- Football Manager 26 beta release time in your time zone
- Can you preload the Football Manager 26 beta?
Football Manager 26 beta release time in your time zone
Sports Interactive says the beta will arrive on Thursday, Oct. 23. In its announcement the studio said the beta will “go live in the evening, UK time.” Previous Football Manager betas usually launched at or around 5 p.m. BST, so that remains the most likely time to expect the advanced access window to open.
A landmark week 🤩
As promised, we're delighted to confirm that the #FM26 Advanced Access Beta arrives Thurs 23 Oct – your initial step into this new era.
Before the #FM26Beta kicks off, join Spencer Owen and Jarrod Bowen for an exclusive First Look Playthrough today at 6pm BST
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) October 20, 2025
To play the beta you must have pre-purchased FM26 on PC via Steam or an approved third-party retailer. The beta is limited to PC during the advanced access period; other platforms will get the game at the full release on Nov. 4.
The #FM26Beta will go live in the evening of 23rd October, UK time, with exact times to be revealed on the day.
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) October 20, 2025
Here are the commonly reported time conversions if the beta does unlock around 5 p.m. BST:
- 9 a.m. PDT — West coast North America
- 12 p.m. EDT — East coast North America
- 1 p.m. BRT — Brazil
- 5 p.m. BST — United Kingdom
- 6 p.m. CEST — Western Europe
- 7 p.m. EEST — Eastern Europe
- 1 a.m. JST on Friday, Oct. 24 — Japan
- 3 a.m. AEDT on Friday, Oct. 24 — East coast Australia
If Sports Interactive confirms a different time, the official channels will carry that update and the beta opening will follow that announcement.
Can you preload the Football Manager 26 beta?
Short answer: no. You cannot preload the advanced access beta.
Instead, the beta becomes available to download as soon as the access window unlocks for pre-purchasers. Thankfully, Football Manager installations are typically modest in size, so downloads should be reasonably quick once the beta goes live.
