When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
» Madden NFL 22 , » the latest entry in EA’s series of …
When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. » Madden NFL 22, » the latest entry in EA’s series of football games, is now available worldwide on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, PC, and Google’s Stadia. As usual, the launch of « Madden » coincides with the start of the NFL season; Super Bowl LV MVP Tom Brady and Super Bowl LIV MVP Patrick Mahomes are this year’s cover stars. EA is the NFL’s exclusive partner for football simulation games, a deal that began in 2005 and will continue through at least 2026. Football fans have driven « Madden » to the top of the annual sales charts for more than two decades, with each year’s new release offering updated rosters and improved features to bring the game closer to the real sport. However, EA’s annual release schedule for « Madden » has come under increased scrutiny as more games adopt live online services to support and monetize the same title for years. While « Madden » was one of the first games to adopt weekly updates for online play, the yearly launch cycle means major issues are often left unaddressed until the next release. » Madden NFL 22 » brings meaningful improvements to the series but, even though I appreciate these new features, some areas show signs of neglect. « Madden » offers a lot of variety to satisfy football fans, but as a gamer who has followed the series from Genesis, it feels like the current version of « Madden » lacks the focus to grow beyond its aging formula. Below, we’ve detailed some of the biggest quality of life changes in » Madden NFL 22, » highlighting why the game is still worth buying for football fans. That said, I think competition from another football simulation game could help motivate « Madden » to make more aggressive changes. Last year’s « Madden » was released before the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, so « Madden NFL 22 » represents a full leap to next-gen consoles, and it doesn’t disappoint. In-game player models, animations, and the overall presentation have been noticeably improved. The solid state drives used in next-gen consoles lead to better loading times across the board, making things like highlight videos appear faster between plays.
