One of the biggest misses for me personally with the original Switch is that none of the more popular sports games of our time, and I mean these big EA and 2K efforts like Madden NFL 26 here, and the likes of FC 24 or 25, aren’t up to standard seen elsewhere.
There have been decent enough-ish attempts, some of those footie games mentioned will do in a pinch (and they’re leagues ahead of the awful legacy FIFAs which preceded them), but if you’re someone who plays on Switch exclusively, you’ve been missing out on some fluidity, responsiveness, clarity of image, and a bunch of other stuff wot makes fancy modern sports games play good, innit.
And so, Madden 26 on Switch 2 is absolutely a triumph in most regards. It plays well, it runs decently, and it looks not too far removed from other console versions. I’m also playing the game on my PS5 in early access at the moment (forgive me, Mario), and so I can tell you that existing menu issues, long loading times, and/or a persistent issue that’s locking me out of Madden 26 because the servers are busy, well, that’s all happening on both systems.
It’s lucky that I’m comparing it to PS5 here, actually, because I probably would have, and did initially, think it was all just too much, once again, for a Nintendo console to handle. However, this is not the case. Early access is just a little messy right now, pals.
Indeed, for a Madden effort that’s really been impressing me thus far with its new additions (and a slick new overall look and vibe to its menus), it’s a real shame that, if the servers are having any issues at all, the game is booting you out of whatever you are doing. Sort it before launch, folks, pretty please.
These teething problems aside, I think we’ve got a banger on our hands here; this is the best Madden I’ve played in a good few years. Now, Madden 25 was no slouch either, and in terms of its on-field action, it had got everything feeling better than it had done in years. Offensively, there was more time and room on the ball, runs felt easier to pick out, the AI was smarter in making them, and tackles with the hit stick had never looked or felt more impactful and powerful. We were already in a decent spot with this franchise, even if the modes on offer were getting a little stale.
With Madden 26, we’ve got improvements that make last year’s effort immediately redundant to anyone who spends much time playing these things. And for newcomers, this is a fantastic Madden to get started on your gridiron journey with, because they’ve juiced the hell out of the tutorials. Oh yeah. The new training games and skill challenges here blow the old ways of learning out of the water. You earn some cool rewards, the challenges are actually fun, and the game does a much better job of pointing you towards things.
This refresh on the training front really does make it much easier to get to grips with, and it’s worth old heads having a look around, too, and not just for all the rewards, coins, and all that nonsense. You’ll probably also find yourself learning little things you didn’t know. It’s deep and it covers all bases (wrong sport, but whatever) with regards to taking you from how to run or pass, when to run or pass, how to make up yards, and all that basic core stuff, right through to fancy skills and strategies and things that my brain refuses to listen to.
On the field of play, it looks better than ever, which is no surprise, and although there’s plenty of weird limb and funny collision moments going on thanks to the fancy new physics model, it plays a better game than last year, and you can feel that immediately.
Now, the first and really only issue with the Switch 2 version crops up here as the game is running at what I’m guessing is 40fps in both docked and handheld modes. In handheld mode, this feels absolutely 100% fine. The game also looks very, very close to other consoles when played on the Switch 2’s LCD screen. I’ve given this the biggest test I could, playing games whilst alternating between a PS5 Pro and a Switch 2, and honestly, give it five minutes — ten minutes if you’re grumpy — and you get used to the slight drop in slickness.
I should note here that there is a more important sticking point with the lowered frame rate, and that is cross-play being ditched on Switch 2. It’s a shame, for sure, but an understandable measure given you’d be fighting an uphill battle against lots of Captain 60fps opponents.
Now, in docked mode on your TV, it’s a bit more noticeable. The resolution drop makes the play-arts and other things that appear in-game look a little less refined, and the reduced frame rate takes a little longer to bed in with. Again, I’ve been switching between this and a PS5 Pro in 4K, so it’s a harsh test, and for me the Switch 2 version of Madden 26 passes it pretty easily. This is a version of the game that I will very happily play when I can’t get to my other console, and for gamers who only have a Switch 2, there’s nothing in terms of performance or quality of the port that should stop you from picking this one up. Hooray!
Moving on, Franchise has been the one mode that I reckon long-time fans have felt needs a reboot most, and in this year’s game it’s definitely much better. This time out, you choose a coach philosophy to get you started (so you may choose to run with an aggressive, strategic, defensively-minded character – all based on real coaches and real data, apparently) before jumping into an improved character creation suite to make your manager look how you like. There’s still not a devastatingly terrible widow’s peak to make my guy look just like me yet, but I’ve found one close enough that I’m willing to let this slide – for now.
Everything about Franchise mode feels tidier this year. It’s much more addictive to play, too, thanks to lovely things like new equippable abilities that can be unlocked with skill points and will change depending on what coach philosophy you are coming from. Franchise this year also has brand new presentation packages, with fresh halftime shows and presenter bits to camera, primetime TV-styled stuff, and lots of other bells and whistles, making for a game that feels way, way closer to watching NFL on the telly. Heck, teams even have their own entrances and pre-game presentations, and the jumbotrons and hoardings in stadiums are more exciting.
Weather now plays a factor in games, with hot climates making your little smashers tired more quickly – and while we’re on that topic, the snow games look great. Yes, even on the Switch 2!. This is also a much faster game in general, and the new animation system (which I don’t understand, but apparently it’s got more branching so it can be more reactive in any given moment) makes it feel much closer to EA’s other American footie game.
Indeed, I have also been playing lots of EA Sports College Football of late, and last year it was better than Madden. It was zippier and fresher, and it just felt like the more fun game to play. On the pitch it was more…expressive, let’s say, and it blew Madden out of the water with its presentation, honestly.
This year, you can feel how both games are much closer, sharing lots of UI features and gameplay similarities, not just on the field, but in how all of the modes work and flow. And this is a good thing! It’s much tighter this year, with both games offering a very high standard of action, and I can’t say I can pick a favourite just yet between the two.
Away from Franchise mode, Ultimate Team is still an incredibly, dangerously addictive thing to get involved in. It took me about an hour to have my first actual match, as there are so many packs to open starting out. But I can’t help myself with this kind of thing and I’m fully involved in the yearly grind for all the best cards. You already know if this mode is for you and — if you can control yourself — it’s a blast, with a ton of ways to play both on and offline with your team of superstars. Team-themed rewards are also a nice touch here, with my Las Vegas Raiders getting lots of bespoke gear and profile items that match my fave team, which keeps me hooked way better than getting lots of random crap. Note, there is still lots of random crap, if that’s what you are into.
Across the rest of the game, well, it’s business as usual in terms of the crazy amount of modes there are to toy around with, all the usuals are here, with an almost endless array of offline and online ways to play. I do loathe how progression and rewards in some modes require an online connection, but at least you can create your franchise and whatnot at the outset so that you can have it work offline.
When playing online, it must be noted, there’s also a world of difference here in trying to get a match. It all works just like it should – there’s no Switch slowdown or waiting for an extra ten minutes because the images aren’t loading in.
And so, overall, we’ve got a port that scared the bejeezus out of me initially. I really thought those early server issues and laggy menus were just more of the same for Switch 2 owners coming from a bevvy of bad ports on Switch 1. However, this is not the case. Madden 26 on Switch 2, once you get used to the drop in frame rate compared to elsewhere, is a perfectly good way to play this excellent outing – a version I’ll happily play alongside others on more powerful hardware.
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