For the past few days, every time I’ve sat down to write this review forMadden NFL 26, I get the random urge to play the game. I’m honestly not sure why; it’s the most mid a video game can ever be. Yes, it works (most of the time) and lets me play a game of NFL football on theNintendo Switch 2, but that’s where the praise ends. Yet, for some reason, I keep playing it.
Even now, I’m looking at my Switch 2 on the corner of my desk and telling myself, “Boot the game up. It’ll be different this time. Those bugs will be gone. The presentation will be better. It’ll be as exciting as last year’s College Football game. The soundtrack will be incredible.”
Sadly, only one of those things is true, and it has nothing to do with the actual game.
It’s Great To Play Madden On A Nintendo System
Let’s start with the pros: playing Madden on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a dream come true.
I understand why we didn’t see the game release on the original Switch: third-party developers have been burned before on Nintendo consoles despite their popularity (looking at you, Nintendo Wii with yourmotion controlsthat only sounded good in theory for Madden), so why take the risk with an undercooked piece of hardware?
Thankfully, with a more powerful engine under the hood for the Nintendo Switch 2, Madden NFL 26 honestly looks better than I expected it to.
Before the bugs pop up, that is.
Most of the time, at least on the Nintendo Switch, they’re only visual bugs, with 90% of them popping up in docked mode. There were, however, some critical bugs that also took place in handheld mode. First, there was the time the game decided it was going to zoom in on its display, so I was unable to see the entire screen.
The second was the time when, every time I previewed a play before the snap, a different play popped up. No, before you ask, I wasn’t on the road in a hostile environment. I was at home, and it kept changing between different run plays and even a couple of pass plays. To call it frustrating is an understatement.
Madden NFL 26 Answers The Call From College Football 25
One of the biggest criticisms the Madden franchise has faced over the years was how its lack of competition led to a state of complacency. For every issue I have with the game, and there are plenty, the one thing I’ll give it credit for is trying to impress disenfranchised fans.
The biggest thing that stood out to me was the game’s franchise mode, giving me an impressive amount of depth to take control of my team. As someone who enjoys the strategy and tactics in a game of football as much as the action on the field, this is a very welcome change.
I really wanted to like this game, but I just can’t.
Having said that, there are still some dumbfounding decisions being made here. Why can’t we set out the order for the fantasy draft? Why is progressing through the menus a cumbersome experience? It’s a mode I want to like, but I’m ultimately frustrated with.
you may say the same thing about the game’s Superstar mode, which still pales in comparison to MLB The Show’s Road to the Show. Take, for example, my Running Back Superstar. I get the whole point is to help me achieve my progression goals, but it’s third down and 6 inside the red zone. I’m on the Cincinnati Bengals. Why are you calling a screen pass when Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins are on my team? Again, I get that the game is setting me up for success, but it feels like the recommended play calls are coming straight out of a video game rather than an actual NFL game.
Trouble With The Snap
That’s the biggest issue with this year’s Madden offering. It leans too far into the video game aspect, rather than being a simulation.
There’s no real chess match that develops during the game. I can find a handful of plays that work and keep coming back to them. You’d assume that after my tenth completion in a row over the middle, defenses would learn what I’m doing. Nope; Main Street remains open for business.
It’s like the game’s AI relies less on actual football strategy and more on random metrics based on a player’s reputation and their current Madden score. That’s no way to make a football game, and the frustrations stemming from this couldn’t be any more obvious.
The problem is that it strips most of the strategy from the game and focuses more on highlight reel plays, which I suppose is on brand considering the game’s cover this year is Saquon Barkley hurdling over a defender. It becomes less about outsmarting your opponent and more about exploiting the right plays and repeating them non-stop.
Madden NFL 26’s New Presentation Is A Personal Foul
To Madden NFL 26’s credit, there’s a legitimate effort to make the game look and feel more exciting. It was something that was honestly necessary after last year’s EA Sports College Football 25 blew me away.
From the very beginning, there’s a concentrated effort to make this look and feel not just like an authentic NFL experience, but a realistic game day product. Rich Eisen’s voiceover, combined with a rotating commentary team that, for better or worse, matches the feel of the game you’re playing (if you’re two bad teams playing at 1:00 PM, you’re getting the D crew, versus Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen for a primetime match-up).
Scott Hanson even chimes in during halftime. It feels like, dare I say,ESPN NFL 2K5’s stellar presentation. The keyword here is “feels,” because try as it might, this is no ESPN NFL 2K25.
Madden NFL 26did the impossible: made Mike Tirico, Greg Olsen, and Scott Hansen seem disinterested in a game of football. I understand that trying to sync up the pre-set scripts from the commentators is difficult, especially as I’m skipping the cutscenes, but past football games have had no issue with this. I have no idea why this is an issue in 2025.
If it seems like I’m harping on the game’s presentation more than usual, that’s because of the concentrated effort by EA to step things up. The only thing they nail here is thegame’s soundtrack, featuring an incredible mix of hit songs across several genres that feel like a throwback to the glory days of EA Trax.
So, Why Do I Keep Coming Back To Play The Game?
That’s the million-dollar question, then, isn’t it? Ultimately, it’s because I want the game to be better than it is.
I want to spend hundreds of hours with the game’s franchise mode, setting up a brand new dynasty for the New England Patriots. I want to rise the ranks in Superstar mode. The problem is that all of these modes are outclassed by other, better sports games.
Then there are the flashes in the pan that show us what could be. It’s been a long time since the athletes in Madden felt this athletic. I’m able to make plays with the right playmakers, their athleticism jumping off the screen, and creating a highlight reel play. At least I think it’s their athleticism; it could be the defender who decides to cover someone 15 yards away from where my quarterback is scrambling. Every time I jump back in, hoping it’s better, I end up feeling worse about Madden NFL 26.
Don’t get me started on Ultimate Team, either; it’s still solely meant for whales.
Closing Comments:
Once again, Madden NFL 26 overpromises and underdelivers. The new updates to Franchise mode and the general gameplay are nice, but let’s be honest: the core issues are still there. This is a house with a shoddy foundation, only excelling at delivering a disappointing football experience. It’s the only game in town for the NFL, so there’s sadly nowhere else to go. I’ll still probably begrudgingly play on occasion, but only when I want to enact revenge after the Patriots lose.
