What is Brutal Ball Manager 2?
Imagine if a sports tycoon game and an autobattler had a baby in a fantasy world. You don't control the players; you manage the madness and pray your team doesn't get wiped out. It's a weird, addictive pivot from the usual fantasy arenas.
Gameplay
You're not playing the game in the traditional sense; you're the GM of a fantasy American Football team. It's a pure autobattler loop where you build the roster, tweak the stats, and then sit back and watch the chaos unfold. If you've played TFT, you know the vibe, but instead of chasing 3-star units, you're chasing a league title. The real kick is the permadeath. Your star quarterback can get absolutely demolished and just be gone, which makes your roster building feel high-stakes.
It's a bit of a spreadsheet simulator, but that's where the hook is. You spend your time in deep stat tracking and scouting to build a squad that won't crumble the second a monster hits them. For $9.99, it's a fair price for the depth provided, though it's not a free-to-play experience like many modern autobattlers. You'll spend hours obsessing over variable approaches to win games, though you have to be okay with a UI that feels very 'indie' and clunky.
Key Features
- Fantasy American Football setting
- Permadeath for star players
- Deep league-wide stat tracking
- Full league customization control
What Players Say
Fans are calling this an 'innovative football gem' that does what Blood Bowl should've done by focusing on American Football over rugby. Some players have sunk hundreds of hours into the series, praising the roster development and scouting. However, it isn't all sunshine; one player warned that the interface is 'clunky and gummy and all the gross things', though they still felt there was a deep game hidden under the rough UI. Overall, the consensus is that while it's in Early Access, it's 'fully playable'.
Screenshots
Verdict
“This is the game Blood Bowl should be. Rather than rugby with occasional forward passes, it's American Football with fantasy races. This is a game about roster building, development, and scouting. …”
“Great game, amazing dev, highly recommend. Love the depth in tracking stats, the variable approaches you can set up your team to still get the win. So much time has been spent in BB1 and know this w…”
“ABSOLUTELY INNOVATIVE FOOTBALL GEM! 10/10 After an outrageous amount of time spent in BB1 I can tell you that I have never found a football game that checks more boxes than the Brutalball series and …”
“Bona fide all-timer. Feels like it was engineered in a lab just for me. I sank 420 hours into the original and that was BEFORE I became a new Dad with even less time and patience for the bloat of gam…”
“There's a really deep and interesting game here once you get past the clunky UI and interface, and believe me it's clunky and gummy and all the gross things. Normally I'd say this game needs time b…”
Grab this if you love deep stats and the stress of permadeath. If you can't stand a clunky, Early Access UI or prefer real-time control, you should probably sit this one out. Score: 7.5/10.
View on Steam →* Price at time of publication (checked 10.09.2026). Prices may vary by region and are subject to change. This is an editorial review, not a commercial offer.