Cricket 26 - The Official Game of the Ashes
Last updated: 2025-11-22
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- Significant series upgrade delivered
- Improved graphics and animations
- Challenging, rewarding batting mechanics
- Poor fielding mechanics and AI
- Stagnant gameplay experience with bugs
- Frequent game crashes reported
Emotions
Satisfaction30%Frustration19%Disappointment19%Hope15%Excitement6%
- Reviews
(sample size) - 91
- Helpful reviews
- 62%
- Unhelpful reviews
- 35%
- Protest reviews
- 3%
- 66%Helpful reviews with positive sentiment
- 34%Helpful reviews with negative sentiment
- Positive points
- 194
- Negative points
- 135
- Gameplay points
- 14
- Perf. points
- 6
- Rec. points
- 28
- Misc points
- 24
Sentiment × Playtime
review counts| Bucket | Neg | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 2h playtime | 1110.6% Avg playtime 1h | 21.9% Avg playtime 1.2h |
| > 2h playtime | 1312.5% Avg playtime 8.4h | 7875% Avg playtime 13.1h |
Velocity
review pace| Avg/day | 37.4 rev/day |
| Last 30d | 3.5 rev/day |
| Quarterly | 0 rev/qtr |
| Days covered | 2.8 days |
| Point | Description | Importance |
|---|---|---|
Significant series upgrade
| Players widely consider this game a substantial improvement over previous titles like Cricket 22 and 24, often hailing it as the best Big Ant cricket game to date. It feels more like a complete, mature release with enhanced gameplay, visuals, and overall experience, rather than just a minor annual update. | 97% |
Improved graphics and animations
| The game features notably better graphics, including sharper visuals, improved lighting, and updated player models with better realism and cloth physics. New, smoother animations for batting, bowling, fielding, and in-game cutscenes contribute to a more fluid and immersive visual experience, complemented by enhanced stadium details and match presentation. | 78% |
Challenging, rewarding batting
| Batting now feels lighter yet with more weight and improved timing, providing much-needed consistency. It's described as genuinely tough, requiring practice to master, which makes the gameplay more interesting and rewarding due to the increased difficulty and intelligent AI. | 23% |
Enhanced fielding mechanics
| Fielding has received significant attention, with players noting faster, more realistic animations and reactions. The AI fielding also shows marked improvement, making it a standout upgrade compared to previous iterations. | 21% |
Enhanced realism and immersion
| The game offers a strong sense of realism, balancing familiar elements with fresh additions. Aspects like the immersive Ashes presentation, detailed build-up, and responsive crowd reactions significantly enhance the overall atmosphere and player engagement, giving hope for the future of cricket games. | 16% |
Tactical bowling feels great
| Bowling mechanics are highlighted as greatly improved, offering a more tactical and engaging experience. Players report a satisfying feeling once they settle into a rhythm, making bowling a strong point of the game. | 12% |
Stable performance, few bugs
| The game generally runs smoothly, even on lower-end systems, with stable frame rates and minimal crashes. Players note a significant reduction in bugs compared to previous titles, indicating a more polished launch. | 10% |
Engaging Management Career mode
| The new Management Career mode is a significant highlight for many players, proving to be immediately engaging and a compelling reason to keep returning to the game. It adds substantial depth and replayability beyond standard matches. | 10% |
Enjoyable Pro Team mode
| The pack-based Pro Team mode, where players pull and build a team to take online, was an unexpectedly enjoyable side loop. It offers a fun and engaging alternative gameplay experience. | 6% |