Madden NFL 21

55%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,332 reviews
  • stability
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Madden NFL 21 Game Cover
The swan song for Madden on the PS4 is all-too-familiar. ExpectMadden 20 with a roster update plus new arcade mode.
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Madden NFL 21 is an American football video game offering new features like «Face of the Franchise: Rise to Fame», where you create your own player and guide him to NFL stardom. The game also includes improvements to core gameplay mechanics, such as AI behavior, pass rush moves, and run game talents, providing a more authentic football experience. Online modes, like Madden Ultimate Team and online multiplayer, allow you to compete against other players worldwide.

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Reviews

55%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,332 reviews
gameplay44 positive mentions
stability208 negative mentions
  • The game is fun and enjoyable, especially for casual players and those who haven't played Madden in a while.
  • Graphics and gameplay have improved, making it a solid football experience.
  • Franchise mode offers a nostalgic experience for long-time fans, despite some bugs.
  • The game is riddled with bugs and crashes frequently, making it frustrating to play.
  • Franchise mode has seen little to no improvement over previous years, leading to disappointment among fans.
  • Ultimate Team is heavily focused on microtransactions, making it a pay-to-win experience.
  • stability212 mentions

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. Common issues include frequent freezing during loading screens, gameplay-altering glitches, and crashes, particularly in online modes. While some players have noted minor glitches, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game is poorly optimized and riddled with problems that have persisted without adequate fixes from the developers.

    • “It's an enjoyable experience and I experienced little to no glitches.”
    • “Great game - no glitches like I keep reading about, I guess they must have been patched out before I started playing.”
    • “If you're going to put out the same game every year, at least make it polished and not buggy.”
    • “There is no impetus for EA Sports to fix the massive amount of glitches in this game, and it shows.”
    • “The game constantly freezes or won't load.”
    • “This game is a buggy, seemingly unfinished piece of trash.”
  • gameplay172 mentions

    The gameplay of the latest Madden title has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a blend of enjoyable mechanics and frustrating glitches. While some appreciate the fluidity and fun of modes like Face of the Franchise, others criticize the game for its frequent crashes, unrealistic animations, and lack of significant improvements over previous iterations. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a step up from earlier versions but still plagued by issues that detract from the overall experience.

    • “Face of the Franchise is a fun gameplay mode as you get to create your own unique player and rise to stardom by proving yourself on the field.”
    • “The gameplay is fluid; it's easy to play and maneuver your player through the field.”
    • “Despite its many issues, the core mechanics and gameplay of a game of football are still fun.”
    • “Gameplay is a busted dumpster fire.”
    • “The game constantly crashes and when it's not crashing it's got gameplay altering bugs and glitches that make the game borderline unplayable.”
    • “The gameplay is unrealistic.”
  • graphics122 mentions

    Overall, the graphics in the game show incremental improvements over previous iterations, with many players noting that they are generally good but not groundbreaking. While some users appreciate the visual enhancements and smooth performance, others criticize the presence of graphical glitches and outdated elements, suggesting that the graphics do not fully meet the expectations for a modern title. Despite mixed opinions, the consensus leans towards the graphics being a solid aspect of the game, albeit with room for further improvement.

    • “The graphics are pretty amazing, especially in comparison to my last Madden experience, and they run well on my system and really work well in the game.”
    • “The graphics are impressive, and player models are way more accurate than in Madden 19.”
    • “It's very good and the graphics are amazing; it looks real life.”
    • “Last gen graphics for a PC that can run 4x what current gen consoles can run.”
    • “The graphics of the campaign mode look like they are 10 years old.”
    • “The graphics are terrible (YouTube some videos of Snoop Dogg in the game. Terrible graphics).”
  • story105 mentions

    The "story" aspect of the game has received mixed to negative feedback, with many players finding the "Face of the Franchise" mode to be poorly executed, cheesy, and filled with bugs. While some appreciate the attempt at a narrative and character progression, others criticize it for being repetitive, lacking depth, and often feeling disconnected from actual gameplay. Overall, the consensus suggests that the story elements detract from the overall experience rather than enhance it.

    • “The face of the franchise story mode can be very addicting and fun to play since you can create your own character from high school all the way to the Hall of Fame.”
    • “Face of the franchise is a really cool story mode type of game style and it just gives you more things to do in the game.”
    • “The story is good and the different modes such as the yard and ultimate team bring out even more fun.”
    • “Face of the franchise has annoying un-skippable story scenes.”
    • “The story isn't good, and I have to wait until my junior year in college to switch positions!”
    • “Face of the franchise story makes zero sense honestly; your decisions and gameplay, unlike last year, seem to have no effect on anything.”
  • music46 mentions

    The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players criticizing the limited and repetitive soundtrack, primarily dominated by hip hop tracks that do not resonate with the audience. While some users appreciate a few tracks enough to keep them, the general consensus is that the music detracts from the overall experience, with calls for more variety and the option to add personal music. Overall, the soundtrack is viewed as one of the weakest aspects of the game, with many players expressing a desire for a return to more classic and diverse musical selections.

    • “The game runs smoothly with no problems, great design, music fits the situations at each moment.”
    • “The soundtrack is great, the visuals are great, the new mechanics are spectacular as well.”
    • “It would be nice to have a music variety or let us add our own music.”
    • “The soundtrack is horrible; after all this time, you would think they would allow you to add your own music.”
    • “The music of the game has to be the worst not just in Madden or sports games but in the whole gaming industry of video games.”
    • “The soundtrack is absolutely atrocious; you couldn't put together a worse soundtrack unless it was John Madden chewing for 18 hours straight.”
  • monetization35 mentions

    The monetization strategy in this game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, heavily relying on microtransactions, particularly in the Ultimate Team mode. Players express frustration over the game's focus on encouraging in-game purchases rather than delivering a quality gaming experience, with many feeling that the mechanics and graphics do not justify the costs. Overall, the consensus is that the game prioritizes profit over player satisfaction, leading to a disappointing experience for many.

    • “Mut is amazing and not that hard to get a good team without buying microtransactions.”
    • “The game is a bit heavy on microtransactions though, technically it's not pay-to-win, but subliminally it really is.”
    • “Almost all development and support is focused on microtransactions in the ultimate team mode, and everything else is an afterthought.”
    • “This game doesn't focus on simulation or arcade style football; this is 100% focused on Ultimate Team... it's a cash grab.”
    • “It's just a cash grab and there was no real effort put into this 'experience.' EA deserves to crash and burn because they don't care about the consumers in any way, shape, or form, just the idiots pouring money into microtransactions.”
    • “God help you if you're playing MUT multiplayer, because the pay-to-win microtransactions mixed with the terrible matching system means your starter-pack 70 OVR team is going to get mauled by a bunch of 90+ OVR teams.”
  • optimization19 mentions

    The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting severe bugs, inconsistent performance, and significant frame rate drops, particularly on PC. Many users experience crashes, stuttering, and lag in menus, making the game nearly unplayable for some. Despite some positive remarks about design and sound, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, especially for mid to low-end systems.

    • “The game runs smoothly with no problems, great design, music fits the situations at each moment.”
    • “A snag for $29 (as of the 29th). Good graphics, a little performance heavy on computers.”
    • “Seems like another year of a game horribly optimized for PC.”
    • “This game is buggy, terribly optimized, and the menu lag is ridiculous.”
    • “This game is poorly optimized for PC, where intro screens see a massive dip in FPS, and the same thing with transitions.”
    • “The game performance is horrible and very inconsistent, many times unplayable, then sometimes you'll be lucky and it will run fine for a few minutes.”
  • grinding15 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of Madden Ultimate Team (MUT) to be excessively tedious and often frustrating, with many feeling that it heavily favors a pay-to-win model. While some appreciate the new content and the challenge of building their teams, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grind for rewards is not worth the time investment, leading to boredom and dissatisfaction. Overall, the grind is seen as a barrier to enjoying the game, particularly for those who prefer offline modes.

    • “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding, as it allows you to unlock powerful abilities and gear.”
    • “The grind is satisfying, with each level-up feeling like a significant achievement.”
    • “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels tedious and always offers something new to strive for.”
    • “Madden Ultimate Team challenges are tedious and inconsequential, as it always comes down to pay-to-win for the credits to outsnipe the bots for elite high OVR players.”
    • “Expect to spend your life savings or the rest of your life grinding if you want to play competitively online.”
    • “I did some grinding and didn't pay a cent only to be bored to tears and wondering if there weren't better ways to spend my time.”
  • humor7 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from its absurd and often buggy storytelling, particularly in the "face of the franchise" mode, which features ridiculous scenarios and cheesy dialogue that elicit genuine laughter. Players find amusement in the game's technical glitches and the exaggerated nature of its career mode, leading to comical situations that highlight the disconnect between the game's mechanics and real football. Overall, the humor is a mix of intentional comedic elements and unintentional hilarity from the game's flaws.

    • “The storyline for my career was ridiculous in a funny way to start off.”
    • “The 'face of the franchise' is so cheesy it made me laugh out loud a few times.”
    • “Scores and wins/losses to fit the story, which can create pretty funny situations.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some users find it infinitely replayable due to features like ability loadouts in head-to-head matches, others criticize the limited player roles and repetitive storylines, which diminish its long-term appeal.

    • “✅ Infinitely replayable (or almost)”
    • “- The Yard ability loadouts; it's a good idea for head-to-head matches to have different abilities to level up and experiment with, which makes replay value higher.”
    • “Replay value (8/10)”
    • “I haven't bought a Madden game since Madden 15, and that game is more playable than this one.”
    • “You can only play as one of three offensive positions, and the story is always the same for all players, giving no pretense for replayability.”
    • “The yard ability loadouts are a good idea for head-to-head matches to have different abilities to level up and experiment with, which makes replay value higher.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players express frustration with the game's mechanics, particularly regarding player control and ball handling, which detracts from the emotional investment in gameplay. Despite these issues, some still find enjoyment in offline modes, indicating a mixed emotional response to the overall experience.

    • “One example was I threw to Cooper on a slant wide open and I did a possession catch and he caught it and fell to the ground for an incomplete pass as when he hit the ground without anyone touching him he decided to just let go.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting its impressive graphics and controls that enhance the overall experience. The game's ability to create an engaging environment is particularly appreciated, especially in the context of current events.

    • “Thankfully, you can do this, and the graphics, controls, and atmosphere are great.”
    • “I love the changes; the atmosphere the game creates is fantastic, especially with the current global situation.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

66% average critic score

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Play time

19hMedian play time
90hAverage play time
5-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 23 analyzed playthroughs

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