Spanning more than three decades and over 40 titles — depending on where exactly you start to count — the Madden NFL franchise is consistently one of the greatest performers on the U.S. video game charts. Many people own a console with the express purpose of playing the latest Madden games. It is as much a cultural phenomenon as it is a game franchise.
An NFL season is a journey to find the best team of the year. Which squad is consistent and can bring top performances to the field in every match? Which players can go beyond their limits and withstand mental pressure? Which coaches and owners make the best strategic decisions? Madden condenses all that down into a fun gameplay experience players can enjoy solo or with their friends, putting them into the middle of the action.
What if one was to send all the series’ entries into a competition, though? Which is the best Madden NFL game? Here’s our ranking.
10. Madden NFL 10
Madden 10 featured the debut of Madden Ultimate Team (MUT), which can be considered both a blessing and a curse. Sure, it’s basically gambling — and it’s gotten much more ingrained in the years since. Back then, though, MUT wasn’t quite as pushy about selling microtransactions to you and actually brought something new to the franchise that players could dig into. Madden 10 also brought the rating adjustment mechanic, which immediately made the game feel more dynamic over the course of several seasons.
9. Madden NFL 12
This list is going to be on the more nostalgic side of things — Madden 12 is the most recent entry in this top ten. Some of the more modern games might have played a little better, but the sheer amount of content Madden 12 had in store puts it above the rest. And it wasn’t simply quantity either: the depth of Franchise Mode back in the day actually made it worth sinking time into, which included custom teams, free-agent bidding wars and much more.
8. Madden NFL 2003
Madden 2003 represented a turning point for the franchise. Why? Well, you could play against friends and strangers alike online for the first time in the series’ history. While gathering buddies at your couch was always great fun, this opened an entirely new path for the competitive side of things. Besides, this entry laid many of the foundations for future games in terms of quality-of-life additions and game modes.
7. Madden NFL 2002
You might think this pick to be ludicrous after reading the section on Madden 2003. Sure, online play was a great milestone. But that eventually led to MUT, so it’s best not to talk it up too much. Madden 2002 still had some really fun — and goofy — stuff to offer, such as the Madden cards. A Franchise Mode feature allowed players to unlock historic athletes or straight-up cheats to use mid-season. Ah, the shenanigans.
6. Madden NFL 06
Madden 06 is probably best remembered for its hilariously bad Xbox 360 version. It played so much better on PS2 and GameCube, but it looked mighty fine on Microsoft’s console at least. Anyway, that’s a bit of a shame. What Madden 06 should be remembered for is the fact that it introduced Superstar Mode, allowing players to play as a rookie and ascend with them to stardom. All those modern story modes? Madden 06 walked so they could run.
5. Madden NFL 99
Madden 99 can’t exactly hold a candle to anything else in here when it comes to its looks. Or its accessibility. Or its features. Or many other things we take for granted today. But Madden 99 gave birth to Franchise Mode, everyone’s beloved favorite. Think back on all the cool memories you made playing this series across the years and then send a silent thanks to Madden 99 for them.
4.Madden NFL 07
This one is pretty similar to Madden 06 in almost every way, but did things just a little better. Well, aside from the Xbox version, which was still something of a disaster. Madden 07 is a beautiful example of how these annual sports game releases can lead to great iterative progress and improvement. It took Madden 06, improved on its base features, and got some brand-new elements like the Highlight Stick into the mix.
3. Madden NFL 08
Back to some eye candy. While EA Sports’ games are always on the arcadey side as opposed to being hyper realistic simulations, the developers have been innovating a lot over the years to provide an experience that is both authentic and immersive. Madden 08 was a hallmark in this regard, introducing the branching animation system. It allowed player models to move in a more lifelike fashion than ever before, which was a massive step up at the time and paved the way for the fluid movements one can see in today’s games. There was also an overhauled fatigue system and probably the best incarnation of Superstar Mode ever. Yeah, this one was really good.
2. Madden NFL 2005
Madden 2005 is the final entry into the series adhering to the four digit naming scheme, which EA will certainly regret a century from now on. More importantly, though, the mid-2000s featured the clash of titans between EA Sports and 2K Games for dominance in the football sim genre. Competition was very healthy in this case, forcing both developers to innovate and bring the best possible offer to the table to keep their market share. This one had a magnificent Franchise Mode and introduced the Hit Stick to improve gameplay on the defense.
1. Madden NFL 2004
Madden 2004 and 2005 are a little like Madden 06 and 07, but in reverse — in this case, the previous iteration was considered better. Madden 2004 had the almighty Michael Vick, one of the greatest video game athletes of all time. Crucially, this iteration brought Owner Mode to the series, which really kicked Franchise Mode up another notch and gave players even more control over their football destiny. It was a milestone on the management side.
