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Madden NFL 27 Review

Official Score

Overall - 70%

70%

Those fiending for the start of the NFL season will enjoy Madden NFL 27, but this title can still use a few patches to iron out its balancing.

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A yearly tradition, EA Tiburon is back to the gridiron with the release of Madden NFL 27.

Madden NFL 27 Review

Madden NFL 27 is all about its modes and playing how you want to play.

On that note, its story-based Superstar mode lives up to its name, letting players become a star in the NFL.

Bringing in my QB from College Football 27, I got recruited second to the Jets. My personal Madden curse is to be first-round by the Jets any time I play.

This system is set up like a proper RPG management game – players will level up, gain stats, earn sponsors, take damage, practice, and even demand trades. This can prove to be overwhelming in the off-season, when players are flooded with messages and stat points.

Playing through five seasons, I enjoyed Madden NFL 27’s Superstar mode for the most part – minus its sheer amount of microtransactions.

On that note, Madden NFL 27’s Superstar mode features a Battle Pass that caught me off guard.

Players can also buy stat points to upgrade players quickly. That being said, those that do so will only have them go to the star; making a new one requires more stats.

While typically a non-starter in a single-player mode, the Battle Pass makes up a big part of the screen when not playing a game.

Gameplay in Madden NFL 27 is solid all-around, with the addition of Pass Placement standing out. Allowing players to use the stick as you throw the ball, players can then guide the ball to throw it outside, under, or over.

This make plays a lot easier!

Running, catching, and tackling all feel good in Madden NFL 27, with impact hits really rattling players. The goofy slip and miss tackle on close catches still happens, but this proves to be rare. While we still prefer College Football 27’s gameplay this year, Madden NFL 27’s gameplay is also solid.

The on-field stuff in Madden NFL 27 works well, but it’s the things after the game that don’t quite work as well.

When playing Franchise mode and taking complete control of a team, players can pick the playbook, coaches, and players. Franchise also lets players run the game – and even play the games if you want.

The best way to get the overall NFL owner experience, running these franchises currently features a noticeable problem…

Contracts are obscene as of this writing, we’re talking seven to eight years for over 150 million. The player then goes and retires two years later at the ripe old age of 35.

Players winning Super Bowls, MVP, breaking records – they’re all retiring way too soon. Some of these guys are in the overall 90s, and they just leave the NFL after the best seasons of their careers.

Rebalancing to keep players around longer would benefit Madden NFL 27 greatly.

Ultimate Team is Madden NFL 27 certainly works, that much is true.

How do I know? I lost all three of my games.

Those seeking this type of mode will find their fix, with crazy challenges and earnable packs just waiting to be ripped open.

While not for me, pack-pullers will have a blast.

As of this writing, Madden NFL 27 features loading bugs after a few games. After winning, I’d load out, and the screen would sit there as it loads back to the Superstar menu.

Restarting would fix this issue, and I didn’t lose progress; it was just annoying. While there was one crash during a pre-season game, it could have been worse.

Those fiending for the start of the NFL season will enjoy Madden NFL 27, but this title can still use a few patches to iron out its balancing.

Madden NFL 27 Review

Reviewed On: PlayStation 5 (A digital code was provided)
Release Date: August 13, 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch 2
Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports