Third-party games often struggle on Nintendo platforms. Not Madden NFL 26. The first EA football game to grace one of the Mario maker’s consoles in over a decade, it’s already taking over the top of the Switch 2 sales charts, with its $100 Deluxe Edition bundle second only to Donkey Kong Bananza. But how does it play? New Madden entries have fraught receptions, even on the most powerful consoles. Last year’s version has 3.2 user rating on Metacritic. Apparently the Switch 2 version of Madden 26 successfully carried over that part of the franchise’s legacy. Fans are already divided on whether the port is a dream come true or hot garbage. And some are begging for refunds. Could it really be that bad?
I haven’t played the game on Switch 2 yet myself (Kotaku received review code on PS5) but I have been monitoring day-one impressions as they roll in (early access began August 7 but the full launch isn’t until August 14). NintendoLife praised the port in its review. “Madden 26 on Switch 2 is absolutely a triumph in most regards,” writes PJ O’Reilly. “It plays well, it runs decently, and it looks not too far removed from other console versions.” He notes that the problems he has encountered like “existing menu issues, long loading times, and/or a persistent issue that’s locking me out of Madden 26 because the servers are busy” are present across both platforms at the moment. Per usual, the paid early access period is more of a paid beta.
Dude yeah, it’s not optimized. We need frame rate improvements it’s nearly unplayable
— Jeremiah Krakowski (@JeremyKrak) August 7, 2025
So, what to make of some players raging about things like apparent input lag and framerate stuttering on Switch 2, where it hovers above 30fps but doesn’t hit 60fps like on the other platforms? “Submit your refund asap for Switch 2. Game is unplayable,” reads one of the more dire warnings on the Madden subreddit. The player in question, WhatIsGodWithoutOD, was seemingly able to extract a refund out of Nintendo according to a screenshot. “PSA : Avoid Madden on Switch2–at least for now,” reads another thread by a player lamenting “insanely low frame drops.” The comments sections in both posts, however, include players reporting perfectly fine play sessions with the game.
Direct capture of Madden 26 running on Switch 2 shows the frequent stuttering some players are talking about, but overall the resolution and performance seems decent enough for a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S game running on a handheld hybrid (this year’s entry is also the first to leave PS4 and Xbox One behind). “It’s a solid port overall although it could be better, and it’s still a very fun experience especially on the go,” wrote one especially level-headed player on the Switch 2 subreddit. So far at least, it sounds like the real divide is over the lack of a 60fps mode. Fans coming from PS5 and Xbox Series X/S might find the difference jarring. Nintendo fans coming to the series for the first time in years seem to be finding it good enough so far, though there are some questions about discrepancies in half-time shows and other features between the different versions.
Madden on Switch 2 is not 60fps but the game still plays good! Cant explain it, but it’s definitely smoother than 30fps too. I have about two hours of gameplay here on X and YouTube you can see for yourself. Definitely would recommend the game! Here is a clip of a pick 6… pic.twitter.com/6yHIhQhrgd
— OBE1plays YouTube (@OBE1plays) August 7, 2025
For those who are playing Madden 26 on Switch 2, fans are already circulating two urban legend fixes to help make the experience go smoother. These tricks might be legitimate, or they might simply be the modern day placebo analogues to blowing in the cartridge. The first is making sure the game is installed on the Switch 2’s internal memory instead of being read of a cartridge or sitting on the Micro SD express card. The second is doing a hard reboot of the game and system if performance starts to get especially funky. At least until EA starts patching the game, some players are already resorting to turning it off and on again.
Otherwise, the early access period is a good time to wait and let Madden 26 begin sorting itself out, a now familiar pattern to annual Madden obsessives. There will be the round of rushed fixes, fans saying, “Actually this entry is pretty great,” and then the mid-fall slump when the nagging issues come back to dominate the conversation. Any real movement in the franchise or player base will be marginal, at least until 2K releases its own football game and there is finally some competition in the space again. But you don’t have to actually play Madden to enjoy the best part about each new release: a fresh season of glitches.
