Madden NFL 26

There’s always room for improvement, but it’s hard to overstate what a leap Madden NFL 26 feels like both on and off the field.

Madden NFL 26 finally pairs the series' great on-field gameplay with a destination mode thanks to an impressive Franchise makeover.

Indeed, there's so much to enjoy in the base game that splashing cash just feels unnecessary, and a little grotesque. You won't play Superstar mode for as long as franchise, but fleshing out the folks in your 'Sphere of Influence' – from your agent, to tattoo artists – adds a neat off-field wrinkle, where every decision has a degree of consequence.

Despite a disappointing launch, Madden NFL 26 isn’t unsalvageable. I would imagine many of these problems will be fixed through post-launch patches, but that doesn’t change the fact that despite how strong its fundamentals appeared to be prior to stepping onto the field, much like a nervous rookie, this entry just wasn’t quite ready for primetime.

Server issues at launch aside, and with the loss of cross-play noted, Madden 26 is a very solid port of one of the best outings for this franchise in recent memory. Yes, you'll need to get used to a drop in the frame rate to 40fps on Switch 2, but it's a reasonable downgrade in order to get this type of game running as well as it does on a portable machine. It really is a very close match in all other ways to other consoles.For newcomers, this is one of the best Madden games I've played in terms of teaching you the ropes, and for the returning hardcore, the improvements on the pitch, and with regards to presentation, should impress where its predecessor felt a bit lacking.

Madden NFL 26 isn’t the game I’ve been dreaming of, but it’s a meaningful improvement over recent games and actually addresses some of the issues I’ve had with the series for years. I’ll actually come back to this one throughout the NFL season to screw around with rebuilds in Franchise mode, and the Switch 2 version will remain installed for the novelty of playing on the go.

Madden NFL 26 drops with major Franchise Mode overhaul, but is it a game-changer?

EA SPORTS Madden NFL 26: Madden NFL 26 won’t silence the critics, but for the first time in years, it feels like EA’s listening. Built from Sundays — and finally built with some real heart.

While the actual players look good, there’s a lot of visual issues. The music choices are eclectic, but primarily not up my alley and I have no control over that. There’s a very predatory approach to microtransactions and being able to be even a little competitive in ultimate team. Overall, with the $70 price tag and the amount of extra money that seems expected of you to spend to be able to really enjoy the game against other players, it would be cheaper for you to get a season ticket and just go to the games yourself.

All that said, the biggest compliment I can give EA Sports Madden NFL 26is that I look forward to playing it again. That wasn't always the case. But for all its shortcomings, I still like seeing my created player running around on the screen as part of a beautiful and immersive on-field presentation. I enjoy the football being played. I like having the sense of control over the fate of my team, and I like all of the options Franchise Mode presents for me to exercise that control. I enjoy Madden again, and that's a start.