I’ll be completely honest: I really enjoy Madden NFL 27. As someone who’s been one to be quite critical of the various offerings from EA Sports, this year’s game has done a great job of giving me that “just 10 more minutes” or “one more game” feeling I look for when deciding what I want to play.
But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. In fact, it’s honestly far from. There are plenty of bugs, weak features, and issues I have. But that’s the thing. I’m still having fun.
I could spend this time writing hundreds of words going through each mode, bit by bit. But I wanted to do something different for this review. I want to explain how I’m making my own enjoyment out of Madden 27 while bringing up some of my concerns and the bigger issues still plaguing the 38-year-old franchise.
Madden 27 Review
First things first, I’m an offline player. The only form of online Madden I play is the online franchise I’ll run with a couple of friends. Also, if you’re looking for thoughts on Ultimate Team, you won’t find that here, either. I’ve never been a fan of CCMs (card-collecting modes), and that’s unlikely to ever change. I’ll dabble now and then, but that lasts maybe a couple of hours, at most.
No, where you’ll find me is in Franchise or Superstar mode. And that’s where there’s fun to be had. But before that, let’s talk gameplay.
On the field, Madden 27 is the most fun I’ve had with an EA Sports football game since the late 2000s. It’s certainly the first time I’ve enjoyed the game this much since the franchise went to the Frostbite Engine nearly a decade ago.
The addition of the Placement & Accuracy passing a couple of years back made quarterback play more than just a simple button press. The new timed-based receiving does that for catching the ball. It’s no longer just relying on luck with your button press to manually catch the ball. Now, there’s a timing element that I find to be a perfect addition to the gameplay experience. It took me quite a few games to get comfortable with the extra ask, but once it clicked, it added what I find to be a brilliant addition to the game.
The Modes
Going to the modes. As I said, I play Superstar and Franchise.
Superstar gives me that enjoyment of just worrying about one player. I don’t have to manage the salary cap, my lineup, or anything else. Just play my game, my way, while developing a personality for my player. That’s where I have the most fun. Deciding whether to be humble or a complete jerk is part of the fun. Watching your teammates’ and coach’s relationship crash because I decided to attack the media (ironic, I know) or others in my conferences will never cease to entertain me. I just want more consequences for my choices. They’re there as it stands, but it’s not enough at either end of the spectrum to really feel like one decision could change everything.
I also like how you have to earn your way to have more play selections, calling audibles, and influencing team decisions. I’ve never liked being drafted and just being handed full reins to everything when on the field. What Madden 27 has now is a happy medium.
I still wish you could transfer your College Football player to Madden between platforms (PC to PS5 or vice versa), but I understand that it’s based on the save file and not anything truly cloud-based in that instance. Oh, and microtransactions are available to speed up your player development, but none of it’s necessary, so, to me, it doesn’t matter.
Franchise Mode is what you’d expect. If you want control, this is where you go. A lot of it feels familiar, but the Persona Engine, at least so far, is a fantastic addition. Watching how player personalities change over the weeks and months adds intrigue to a mode that can often lose it quickly.
Seeing the rumor mill circulate about Justin Jefferson wanting out of Minnesota or even Josh Allen looking for a new start brings a sense of real-life coverage to the digital world. In my Bills franchise, I drafted a receiver in the second round in my third season. Four years later, when it was time to negotiate his second contract, a player who averaged 600 yards and 5 touchdowns per season suddenly felt like he should be paid like a number one. It was a frustrating negotiation that ended with a trade before the deadline. Again, I don’t think that happens without the Persona Engine. Will that feeling last four or five months from now? Who’s to say. But at this moment, it’s added a flair to the mode that was missing.
There’s also the addition of coach mode across the game. For me, managing my roster and staff and then seeing how it all unfolds on the field brings me back to the NFL head coach days of old. It’s a feeling I didn’t know I missed as much as I did until I started using it this year.
The Problems
I mentioned I still had problems with this game, and I mean it. But rather than just sprinkle them here and there throughout, I figured it would be better to just tell you, collectively, where I feel the game falls short in the biggest ways. And, yes, this comes even after the first major title update.
Superstar Mode:
- Pass blocking: even with offensive linemen all in the high 80s/low 90s, feels short. Rarely do routes have a chance to develop.
- No Huddle Bugs: There are actually quite a few here.
- Trying to no-huddle with no timeouts late in a half results in the game becoming unplayable until a penalty is taken or the clock expires. Pausing and unpausing fails to fix this.
- When calling no-huddle, your quarterback will line up where the running back should be and has to reset before you can snap
- After selecting your no-huddle play, the play art will be incomplete, or players will line up in the wrong spots.
- The game won’t recognize the play you selected, putting you into a QB run that you don’t know you’re in until you snap the ball.
- Sphere of Influence: Despite unlocking various levels, the benefits won’t be available. An example is unlocking Media Level 3 but still being told you need to reach that level to have the answers available.
- Contract Details: No way to view my contract details. I don’t need to know everyone on the team, but being able to check where I’m at in my deal would be a great quality-of-life improvement.
- Playcalling: There is an obsession with calling play-action passes no matter the team. Also, the play selection can get quite repetitive, with little variation from drive to drive or game to game.
- Duplicate Numbers: Retired numbers or currently used numbers don’t matter. You can see multiple players wearing the same number throughout.
Franchise Mode
- AI Salary Cap: Yes, even after a month, there are still issues with AI teams completely destroying their salary cap with signings, repeated restructures, and
- Free Agent Logic: Players will sign deals that make no sense. I’ve watched players sign one-year, $5 million contracts after being offered $20-$30 million elsewhere. There are also instances where teams that already have a franchise player at a position, like Caleb Williams in Chicago, will draft or sign a franchise quarterback one or two years into the mode.
- Scouting and NFL Draft: I know for a fact that changes are coming, and it’s happening (most likely) in Madden 28. But still, that doesn’t change the fact that in Madden 27, scouting and the draft experience remain lackluster. I still can’t even view my draft class while the draft is going on. I still have to write them down off to the side. Even when looking at “best fits” for a player, if they fit a position of need, the same teams will all be a “best fit”, even for different styles of play.
- Retired Numbers: The game doesn’t recognize retired numbers from franchises. It felt dirty seeing a rookie don 78 with the Bills.
The Verdict
I’ll wrap this up with the way I began: I really enjoy Madden 27. I love the on-field gameplay; I like the depth of Franchise Mode, and the Persona Engine gives all 53 players a personality; I have fun in Superstar mode when I don’t take it too seriously and try to create my own personal story around what’s playing out in the game.
Sure, there are things I want to see changed and plenty I’m hoping are fixed in future updates, but what’s here at its core is a fun game. There’s this belief that the game needs to lean more into the simulation style of gameplay, and I don’t think so. I think moving too much towards that would hurt the game more than anything. But that’s just one man’s opinion.
Overall, Madden 27 is a fun football experience that sees better on-field action than anything over the past two decades. The bread-and-butter modes have their hits and misses, but it’s hard for me to deny the fact that Madden 27 is a good football game in 2026. Can we just stop pushing MUT and extra purchases every time you open the game?
Madden NFL 27
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Madden NFL 27
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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