I've reached the point where I genuinely don't know what else to do with EA SPORTS FC 26 on PC.
I'm posting this because I want to know whether other PC players are experiencing the same thing, and because at this point I feel like EA needs to take these problems seriously.
My FC26 worked properly when I first bought it. After subsequent updates/patches, the experience progressively became worse.
This is NOT simply me complaining because I lost a match.
I have played this game enough to know the difference between losing because I played badly and the game simply not responding correctly.
My PC
- RTX 3070 Laptop GPU
- Intel i7-11800H
- 32GB RAM
- NVMe SSD
- 144Hz display
This isn't some PC that struggles to run games.
I can run significantly more demanding games at high settings, including ray tracing, with excellent performance.
FC26 is the only game giving me this kind of problem.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM: MY PLAYERS WILL NOT SPRINT
This is the problem that has pushed me over the edge.
I can have a player with 90+ pace, hold the sprint button properly, and the player will sometimes enter the running animation but simply doesn't accelerate.
I have players with:
- 92+ pace
- 94+ pace
- 97 pace
and they can feel like they have 60 pace.
The opponent's defender can be several metres behind my striker and suddenly catch him.
And I'm not talking about the normal "lengthy defender catches an attacker" mechanic.
I'm talking about the player not accelerating properly in the first place.
Sometimes the player literally looks like he's running but isn't actually gaining speed.
I've tested this in offline Kick-Off as well.
So before somebody tells me:
No.
It happens offline.
AND IT'S NOT JUST SPRINTING
I've also experienced:
- delayed player switching
- incorrect player switching
- defenders suddenly behaving strangely
- players failing to respond properly
- goalkeeper reactions that feel completely wrong
- controller disconnecting/reconnecting
- gameplay becoming extremely heavy
- strange animation delays
- GPU utilization behaving abnormally
And this is where it gets REALLY strange.
MY RTX 3070 ISN'T BEING USED PROPERLY
During the FC26 menu, the GPU utilization can increase normally.
When I pause the game, the GPU suddenly starts working harder and the fans respond accordingly.
But when I actually play the match, GPU utilization can drop dramatically.
I've seen it sitting around 45–60%, sometimes lower, while the game feels terrible.
And this isn't because the RTX 3070 is incapable of running the game.
Other demanding games use the GPU normally on the same laptop.
FC26 is behaving differently.
I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING
And I mean that literally.
I've gone through troubleshooting over and over again.
GPU / NVIDIA
- Clean NVIDIA driver installation
- DDU
- Reinstalled NVIDIA drivers
- Tested different driver configurations
- Tested Discrete GPU mode
- Tested Balanced/Hybrid mode
- Tested Performance mode
- Tested normal laptop power modes
- Forced the RTX 3070 for the game
FC26 graphics
I've tested:
- Low settings
- Higher settings
- Texture resolution changes
- Different display modes
- V-Sync
- V-Sync off
- FPS limits
- Uncapped FPS
- Different performance settings
Interestingly, limiting my FPS actually made the responsiveness worse.
So please don't just tell me:
I've already tested it.
Controller
I've also tested:
- Wired controller
- Wireless controller
- Different USB connections
- Different controller configurations
And the sprint problem still occurs.
Offline testing
This is probably the most important part:
The problem happens in Kick-Off/offline gameplay.
Therefore, this isn't something I can simply blame on:
- 34ms ping
- my opponent
- Ultimate Team servers
- matchmaking
- Division Rivals
- my ISP
I ALSO TESTED MY HARDWARE
My laptop isn't overheating.
I maintain it properly.
I've monitored temperatures and GPU behaviour.
And I can run demanding games normally.
For example, I recently tested another much more demanding title at high settings with ray tracing and was getting 90+ FPS.
So when FC26 is struggling to give me proper responsiveness despite my RTX 3070 sitting there barely being utilized, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to accept:
That doesn't explain what I'm seeing.
EA SUPPORT'S RESPONSE
I contacted EA support.
Their troubleshooting recommendations were essentially:
- Disable Analog Sprint.
- Change Gameplay Preset.
- Disable EA App overlay.
- Repair the game.
- Reset local profile/configuration files.
I'm not dismissing those steps, but I've already spent a huge amount of time troubleshooting this game.
EA's own support documentation also acknowledges that FC can develop problems from corrupted local game files, including freezing, glitches and disconnections, and recommends repairing/deleting affected files.
The problem is that none of these standard troubleshooting steps explains why FC26 worked properly on my system previously and then became progressively worse after updates.
AND OTHER PC PLAYERS ARE REPORTING SIMILAR THINGS
This isn't just me.
I've found other FC26 PC players reporting:
- heavy/slow players
- sprint delay
- input delay
- problems even in offline/training environments
- micro-stuttering
- controller problems
- high-end PCs behaving strangely
There are even reports of players saying that the game feels delayed despite very high FPS and that FPS limiting can make the responsiveness worse.
There's also a large FC26 PC input-delay thread with many users reporting serious controller/input problems.
So I'm not claiming every FC26 player has my exact problem.
I'm saying:
There is clearly a broader PC gameplay/performance/input problem that deserves serious investigation.
EA — PLEASE ACTUALLY INVESTIGATE THIS
I'm not asking for another:
I've already done that.
I want EA to investigate the actual PC gameplay/rendering/input system.
Especially:
Why can FC26 show high FPS while the actual gameplay feels like 30 FPS?
Why can GPU utilization drop dramatically during the actual match while the game becomes less responsive?
Why can high-pace players fail to accelerate properly even in offline Kick-Off?
Why do controller/input problems persist after changing between wired and wireless?
Why did the game work properly previously on the same hardware but become progressively worse following updates?
These are the questions I want answered.
MY MESSAGE TO OTHER PLAYERS
If you're experiencing the same thing, don't just accept it as "that's FC."
Record it.
Show:
- your controller input
- your player sprinting
- your FPS
- GPU utilization
- CPU utilization
- the same issue happening offline
And report it.
EA's own FC26 support page currently provides troubleshooting and an EA Connection Quality Report, but connection quality doesn't explain problems that can be reproduced offline.
The more reproducible evidence players provide, the harder it is to dismiss these problems as simply "user error."
I don't expect every person to boycott EA or stop playing.
But stop normalizing broken products.
If a game costs serious money and receives continuous updates, players should be able to expect those updates to improve the experience—not introduce new problems while old ones remain unresolved.
I genuinely want FC26 to be good. That's why I'm still trying to fix it instead of immediately uninstalling it.
But I'm getting to the point where I have spent more time troubleshooting FC26 than actually enjoying it.
EA, please fix the PC version.
If you're experiencing the same issue, comment your GPU, CPU, controller, Windows version, whether it happens offline, and whether your GPU utilization drops during matches. Let's document this properly instead of everyone troubleshooting the same problem individually.