Ever dreamed about owning an Esports team, making all the calls, hiring, firing, negotiating deals and planning tactics? Then you might be in a niche market, but not to worry because Neurona Games have got you covered as much as you need to protect those bases. Will Esports Manager 2026 live up to those dreams or glory, or is it just a ticking time-bomb of debris about to be scattered all over the map.
Is it the bomb, or will it just bomb
When it comes to Esports, my knowledge is very limited. What do I know? Teams pitch against each other playing both attackers and defenders. Spend money between rounds for better equipment. High numbers of rounds will be played. Most of that was guesswork if I am honest. So what am I going to know about running an Esports team, or more to the point, what is assumed that I know before playing Esports Manager 2026.
Gameplay
Given the format of Esports Manager 2026, it’s a simple point and click experience. Menus, pictures, options galore, so where to start? The tutorial. The tutorial will get you familiar with the basic game, but you will need to explore for yourself after you have finished. Click everything and explore every option to understand the full depth of the experience.
As with all manager games, it is a case of managing the books whilst achieving success, so it is a genuine balancing act. What you start with is 5 players that couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with a bazooka. Not ideal. A trainer who, in my case, seemed to be off sick more that a child with polio during the plague, a lawyer and a scout, who seems to be only able to find blind one handed gamers. The challenge awaits. Choose a difficulty (starting value), and let the games begin. Equip your training facility with the best, or second worst equipment, tables, chairs, PCs, headsets and other paraphernalia. Find some sponsors, train your players to hit the barn, set tactics and see what happens.
What happened?
So this is what happened:- (up to 1st September)
I lost my first two qualifying matches. I bought in new talent. I lost every match. I changed tactics, I still lost. I hired all my staff and got less than lucrative sponsorship. I lost every match. I changed tactics and hired better players. I lost every match. Upgraded my training facilities and equipment. I lost every match. But did I quit? Hell no, I just kept losing with hope in my heart.
I guess the question is, why keep playing? Well to be honest, I just like winning, I could see improvement in my team, we came close a few times and there was hope. Hope is a dangerous thing.
Expecting to be successful the first time playing was always optimistic, and one of the best things about Esports Manager 2026 is that there is a lot to do differently every time. Prioritise aspects differently, spend money in other places, fire more people in fits of rage, it’s all good. It is a very relaxed game that you can play at your own pace, however, be warned, it can make real hours pass very quickly. There is no frenetic aspects to it, just play at your own pace, lot’s of food and beverage breaks. The nature of the gameplay means that you can jump in and out in however long or short a session you would like.
Whats good?
Well clearly it’s not me, but I can’t judge based on how good I am, but how good Esports Manager 2026 is.
The format and layout is smooth, borrowing heavily from other manager style games definitely helped. I am not a fan of overly cluttered and detailed menus, so Esports Manager 2026 hits the mark, almost to the point where the tutorial was self explanatory more than any thing else.
Simplicity is a key element, just like the menus, everything just makes sense, but just because it’s simple to understand, doesn’t mean it’s simple to win. Much like chess, it’s easy to learn how the pieces move, but it’s a completely different ball game when it comes to strategy. It gives a sense of real progression when tactics start to pay off and the gap between base incompetence and the other teams narrows.
The ability to change the speed of the matches so that you don’t have to endure every second of your team getting shot to pieces. Options are available to ensure that you don’t miss any of the key moments.
What’s not so good?
This section might actually be a challenge. I know the obvious answer is ‘me’, but I don’t come with the game, so it doesn’t count.
I did notice that some of the text conversations missed off vital information. When being informed that a team member is stressed, it’s useful to know who it is. I do like a good guessing game, but it seems unnecessary in this situation.
I think that the post game analysis should be better. More information should be recorded against the other teams. Success rates for certain tactics vs maps. Whilst watching is great, it would be useful to have a breakdown recorded rather than use pen and paper.
I think that the way that the squad information is displayed could be more flexible. There is no way to see all the squad’s stats on the same screen, and there is no way to easily flip between players. It is a just a little bit clunky. These should be simple changes to make and I look forward to seeing how Neurona Games improve this aspect of Esports Manager 2026.
There doesn’t seem to be much logic to the quality of opponents in the qualifying rounds. The closest in overall position to my 328th in the standings, yes that’s last before you ask, was 30 places above me. My last 4 qualifying matches have all been against top 50 opposition, so the odds on progressing are reduced significantly.
Graphics and Audio
As I mentioned earlier, the menus are all very well organised, clear and understandable. The whole colour scheme is very pleasing on the eye and slick. The staff and players have decent images, even I looked a lot better than I do in real life as well, so that’s always a bonus.
When it comes to the game play of the matches, the maps are very well defined, the cinematic swoop in to get everything started is very nice. They serve the purpose that they need to very well, all clear and all good. I am guessing it would be too much to spectate from a player’s point of view, so I’ll be on the lookout for Esports Manager 2027 for that update.
The audio quality is good, dramatic music whilst browsing the menus and doing the daily tasks just encourages you to want your squad to get out onto the battlefield. The commentary whilst playing a map is relevant to how the round has played out, other than that its a lot of shooting, exploding and loading of weapons.
Longevity
Esports Manager 2026 seems to tick all the right buttons for a future-proof game. The simplicity and the ability to play for as short or as long as you like as well as the relevance of the genre will all play a huge part in it’s success. I know for a fact that I will persevere until I win at least one qualifying match (watch the comments section for updates). Neurona Games have really hit the nail on the head here, it’s fun, playable and definitely a challenge, so be prepared to lose hours of your life to improve your status and win those big prizes.
Final Thoughts
Love it, simply love it. Whilst Esports Manager 2026 is not perfect, it achieves what it has set out to do perfectly. I think that there are some elements that can be added (call me) to enhance the gameplay, but in general, love it. Very excited to see what enhancements Neurona Games have in store in the future.
I have given Esports Manager 2026 a Thumb Culture Gold Award
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast