Anstoss 4, which appeared exclusively on DVD in 2002, could no longer build on the success of its predecessor. The game had to be completely reimplemented because the code of Anstoss 3 was considered too confused to be able to use it. This, as well as the short development time of only 12 months, meant that the program suffered from a large number of bugs that made it almost unplayable. Furthermore, the text and 3D mode was seen as too weak by the fan base and the manufacturer Ascaron was asked to make significant improvements. The manufacturer decided not to fix the program errors with patches, but rather to bring a new, revised manager onto the market based on Anstoss 4.

Anstoss 4 is therefore considered to be the worst part of the Anstoss series, as it could not shine through playability, realism, or wit. Although the new database system, which now contained 145 countries, to which four leagues could be added, was praised by the manufacturer, it tended to cause very long waiting times, which massively delayed the game.

Anstoss 4 differed from its predecessors not least in that the two main developers Gerald Köhler and Rolf Langenberg left the Ascaron team and switched to the competition from EA Sports to develop the soccer manager series there. Since then, the fan community has also split into two camps.

Ascaron was sued by its competitor Electronic Arts for license infringement shortly before the publication of Anstoss 4 and had to crush the entire CD production and change all player names.