Madden NFL 26 review update

Madden NFL 26 delivers incremental gains that keep the series moving forward, but fans still crave a major breakthrough.

Madden NFL 26 review shows slow but steady improvement

EA's Madden NFL 26 arrives with a PS5 Metacritic score of 72, the highest for the series since Madden NFL 20, signaling a cautious rebound after earlier years. Critics praise the revamped Franchise Mode, especially the new skill points system and weekly bonuses, while the minigame layer remains a sticking point from Madden NFL 25. The Switch 2 version marks Madden's first appearance on Nintendo hardware, yet reviewers note weaker visuals, longer load times, and a locked 40fps frame rate, even as some players value the on‑the‑go option.

Overall, Madden 26 does not restore the franchise to its glory days, and comparisons to EA’s College Football 26 underline the remaining gap. Reviews are cautiously optimistic, but achieving a true revival will require bigger, bolder changes beyond modest tweaks.

The pattern here mirrors many annual sports games: developers push for reliability with small, iterative upgrades rather than sweeping overhauls. That strategy can rebuild trust slowly, but it risks players losing patience if the core experience stays too familiar.

The Switch 2 port highlights the tension between accessibility and performance. If EA wants Madden to be a platform flagship again, it must translate high-end console polish into every device and respond to criticism about minigames with serious fixes.

Highlights

A brighter future for Madden will require risk and polish.