Madden NFL 21 is a solid product. It excels in several areas, like the presentation and Ultimate Team. The core gameplay is as fun and smooth as it’s ever been, and I’ve been playing since Madden NFL 2005. But the new jewels in the crown are flawed and need to be polished a bit more. Face Of The Franchise and The Yard both have tons of potential, but they aren’t realized here. Content updates may help with The Yard, but in the end it’s like scoring a touchdown but missing the extra point.

Madden takes a step towards a more arcade-y approach, becoming the most accessible NFL game in many years. EA is trying to find the right identity for the series, and so far we have a very solid title, that still needs some work to be the game this sport deserves.

Given the sheer depth of the title, this Madden NFL 21 review could theoretically go on for another 1,000 words but there’s a good chance most readers already know whether or not they plan to invest in another season of tried and true NFL gameplay. Make no mistake, Madden NFL 21 is the best rendition of football this generation, and is A solid experience for anyone who takes the plunge — it just comes down to whether or not the new features warrant another purchase for regular fans.

Madden NFL 21 is an imperfect game, with some modes like Franchise and MUT lacking any meaningful upgrades. Fans of those modes will still have fun, but they will have to wait for next year's Madden to see where the major evolutions take place. Meanwhile, Face of the Franchise is awkward from a story perspective and lacks player agency. But the core gameplay experience feels better than ever, with things like the new Skill Stick controls allowing for creatively on the field. Lastly, The Yard is so good it could be its own stand-alone game.

While it seems like the Madden franchise is trending in the wrong direction, the future remains bright for EA Sports virtual gridiron game. A new generation of consoles is right around the corner and the timing couldn’t be better. I have to give EA some credit here as folks who purchase Madden NFL 21 for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, are able to upgrade their copy to PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X at no extra cost. That said, it feels as though EA Sports has done everything they can with this generation of consoles and is merely on cruise control until they have the technical capacity to do so much more. Madden NFL 21 isn’t necessarily a bad game; it will improve over time with updates. Yet the product at launch is riddled with deficiencies and the incremental additions aren’t significant enough to warrant a purchase recommendation from me.

Madden 21 is the first time I have found it hard to recommend upgrading. It truly does feel like a roster update in a lot of areas. Franchise mode is super disappointing for me. I spend hundreds of hours in it yearly and I can’t tell a difference between the game I played last week and today. The developers have said they are listening and have heard our requests. This could be patched in. I still want to see this game on new hardware, but as of now I am having a hard time saying Madden is worth the annual upgrade for gamers.

Madden 21's gameplay takes some appreciable steps forward as the generation comes to a close, with The Yard providing some casual fun. The experience is marred by an abnormal number of bugs though, and the single-player modes remain a major sore point. Ultimately, it's able to pick up a few yards on the way to the next generation of consoles, but just a few.