EA’s football sim series is making its debut on Apple Arcade.
The World Cup is, unfortunately, drawing to a close. However, the NFL season is fast approaching, so who’s ready for some football of the non-round variety? A return to the gridiron also means the latest edition of EA Sports’ Madden NFL series is set to arrive soon. Things are a little different this year, as the franchise is making its debut on Apple Arcade. Subscribers will be able to play Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV starting on August 7, six days before the PC and console versions drop.
The Apple Arcade edition has controller support as well as touch controls, and player ratings that change based on the performances of their real-life equivalents. Along with Quick Play, you can dive into the Franchise mode to take on the role of a team’s general manager and try to secure a Super Bowl victory or three. The announcement doesn’t mention an Ultimate Team mode, but given that games on Apple Arcade don’t include in-app purchases (or ads), that couldn’t really work in the same way it does on other platforms.
Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition marks the series’ return to Mac after a 19-year absence, as Apple Insider noted. The last game in the franchise that was available for Mac was NFL Madden 08, which was released in 2007.
The new game will be joining Apple Arcade alongside other well-known sports titles, such as NBA 2K26 Arcade Edition and Football Manager 26 Touch. There’s another football game of the oval-shaped persuasion coming to Apple Arcade soon too. Retro Bowl College+ will hit the service on August 6. That’s a spinoff of Retro Bowl, an 8-bit game that debuted on iOS and Android back in 2020.
