Madden NFL 20

 Xbox One
User Score
2.1

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 124 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 124
  3. Negative: 99 out of 124

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  1. Jhagman
    Aug 16, 2023
    5
    This game is ok. It is a vast improvement over 19, but it's not perfect. Defense is still broken.
  2. MonkiReviews
    Apr 24, 2021
    8
    This is the best game so far. The game play is awesome, graphics are nice, and story is fine. Each mode brings exciting twists to the sport of football and are each unique and fun. The overalls for players are accurate, mostly. The best mode is franchise. The season is so fun to play through, on any difficulty, and has spectacular features. It is like an update, and not a full new game,This is the best game so far. The game play is awesome, graphics are nice, and story is fine. Each mode brings exciting twists to the sport of football and are each unique and fun. The overalls for players are accurate, mostly. The best mode is franchise. The season is so fun to play through, on any difficulty, and has spectacular features. It is like an update, and not a full new game, but it is a good game still.… Expand
  3. Barkley712
    Aug 31, 2020
    0
    Horrible game same recycled garbage as the last several maddens. Madden 19 with roster updates and features nobody asked for like X factor.
  4. chains11
    Aug 25, 2020
    1
    ...at least they added the Scenario Engine. Which has loads of potential. But overall franchise... still neglected. MUT seems to be all that matters. Even gameplay is a complete joke. Instead of buying Madden 21, buy this for a fraction of the price. Basically the same game except for another money-grabbing mode in “The Yard”.
  5. Mjeb2
    Aug 23, 2020
    1
    I genuinely thought this game series couldn't get worse after Madden 20, but Jesus Christ, Madden 21 makes Madden 20 look like a perfect game. They didn't fix anything we wanted them to, and then on top of that, there are spelling errors on loading screens, literal white loading screens, bugged characters in cinemattics, and so much more. God if there were any other NFL game to play, II genuinely thought this game series couldn't get worse after Madden 20, but Jesus Christ, Madden 21 makes Madden 20 look like a perfect game. They didn't fix anything we wanted them to, and then on top of that, there are spelling errors on loading screens, literal white loading screens, bugged characters in cinemattics, and so much more. God if there were any other NFL game to play, I would buy it in a heartbeat, but I sure as hell won't be buying this year's Madden… Expand
  6. MinehDerp
    Aug 18, 2020
    0
    This is easily the worst game in the series. Everything about this game is s—-. I usually don’t swear, and I’m bleeping them out but I feel the need to swear to show my point. This game is awful. Everything about the game is trash. I don’t know how EA still has the license.

    Ultimate team is the worst thing to come to madden. It singlehandedly ruined the franchise. It’s not a game. It’s    This is easily the worst game in the series. Everything about this game is s—-. I usually don’t swear, and I’m bleeping them out but I feel the need to swear to show my point. This game is awful. Everything about the game is trash. I don’t know how EA still has the license.

    Ultimate team is the worst thing to come to madden. It singlehandedly ruined the franchise. It’s not a game. It’s a gambling machine. “But you don’t have to pay to get good at ultimate team!!1!!1” well, I hope you enjoy hours upon hours of grinding for something that gets RESET every year. Also if you just play for play now or franchise, prepare to be barraged by MUT ads because PLEASE GIVE EA MONEY!!! This is the scummiest POS tactic ive seen a game developer take. It’s EA though, so I’m not surprised.

    Franchise is the biggest letdown. The mode that launched the game into fame and made it a household name has been stripped bare of almost EVERY. SINGLE. FEATURE. You know it’s bad when EA is touting features that USED TO BE IN THE GAME that they removed. It’s honestly depressing. Franchise used to be so good with so many features and EA just ruined it. They absolutely ruined it. They can’t even get the faces right, but neglect it to the point where they have to show off “added another playoff spot” as a new feature. Of course you added another playoff spot, because the nfl ADDED another playoff spot. Un f—-ing believeable.

    Play now is pretty much just play now. Nothing wrong with it. Except I need to talk about the META. The meta is the worst thing that’s part of this game. Basically, just run the ball. The madden tournament was won by someone using a PUNTER as QB. This makes no f—-ing sense. Superstar X-factors are awful too. They are abilities for players, but some of them are wayyyy to unbalanced. For example, escape artist makes you super fast as a QB and you basically need it to scramble. If you don’t have escape artist, too bad because YOU ARE SLOW AS F—-. Enforcer for defenders basically makes it so a fumble happens every play. Even worse, in Madden 21, they are adding an ability which GUARANTEES a fumble every tackle. WTF

    Face of the franchise is fun the first playthrough, but it gets EXTREMELY boring and you won’t find yourself EVER interested in it again. Awful.

    Superstar KO is ok I guess. It’s not too big of an offender but it’s not that good. It’s an arcade game where you pick previous superstars and pin them against each other. It’s kinda fun, but that’s just me.

    The gameplay is HORRENDOUS. I hope you like seeing the same 7 tackle animations each drive. A ball a yard from any defender, defender will just teleport towards the ball and intercept it, even though it’s right above the receiver. Sometimes players will stand there with nothing else to do like they s—- their pants when there’s a fumble. Also be prepared to hear the same 4 lines from the announcer.

    Let’s go over what happened in an online game I played today.
    -played superstar KO today and saw a rapper I could select. Why the f—- is a rapper in a football video game?
    -Threw the ball and got intercepted because a corner a yard away teleported to the ball.
    -all my opponent does is run with the QB because that’s op as f—-
    -Running back runs up the middle of the field and safety with nobody around it does f—-all
    -I lose the game because he has randy moss with 20 abilities even though he was in QUADRUPLE COVERAGE

    TL:DR: game sucks, don’t buy madden 21 either, subscribe to RyanMoody21 because his commentary videos on madden are great. Go watch Fall of EA Sports by SoftdrinkTV for more on the downfall I briefly mentioned

    Edit: forgot to mention, if you like football, check out some of the alternatives! Doug Flutie’s Maximum football and Axis Football are great alternatives to madden and the crazy part is, they’re indie projects, Maximum Football only has 3 people working on it! They are both pretty good and indie games! If you are on mobile and like a simulation game where you take over as head coach, try Retro Bowl! It is 2d and the graphics are pixelated, but it’s a very fun game and one of the only games I payed for in-app-purchases! In conclusion, support these teams instead of buying the burning heap that is Madden 20 or 21.    … Expand
  7. jakesan1983
    Jul 28, 2020
    0
    F this game. So much CPU cheating in modes like Face of the Franchise. I will NEVER buy another Madden! stopped 3 years ago, tried it again....nope. Fk this game. EA Sports sucks!!! If we boycott them, they will lose their NFL contract.
  8. MinePlay512
    Jul 27, 2020
    10
    I see many gamers angry, stop. Madden is a great franchise and year saw improvements to keep me busy and playing this game is a step forward for the series.
  9. Markj121
    Jun 18, 2020
    1
    Utter trash...Do not support this company! They have consistently defrauded the people that purchase the game. Gameplay is atrocious
  10. Free_tHarrypy
    May 29, 2020
    0
    Horrible. They Add Crappy Features to Put on The cover but do nothing to change the game. These Critics play one game of play now and they love it. I don't know how anyone could like this game
  11. meatybalboa
    May 29, 2020
    0
    Same old ea...................................................................
  12. Mikeboss
    May 28, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Nothing more than one word needs to be said about this game. "Scam". EA thinks that it's customers and NFL fans are moronic. All we want is an immersive NFL experience where we can feel like an NFL team owner, player, and live our unfulfilled dreams as professional athletes. Gameplay should be automatic and it isn't. Franchise is a joke. The only real effort EA ever makes is towards their monopolistic money grabbing MUT mode where they take advantage of children and make them pay to win, and when they decide to add celebrities into the game pointlessly. Please start caring or relinquish your exclusivity EA, you disappoint everyone.… Expand
  13. cincinnatus513
    May 23, 2020
    1
    Game based on animations and micro transactions. User skill does not matter. MUT has ruined madden.
  14. boudineater
    May 17, 2020
    0
    EA do you not understand why your score keeps going lower, and lower, and lower? You really can't even be totally satisfied in my opinion at EA with Raidel "Joke" Brito as your champion trying to sell simulation football to your consumers while he has a punter in as QB and runs only running plays. It's such a contradiction from what they sell us to what works in the game, and their goingEA do you not understand why your score keeps going lower, and lower, and lower? You really can't even be totally satisfied in my opinion at EA with Raidel "Joke" Brito as your champion trying to sell simulation football to your consumers while he has a punter in as QB and runs only running plays. It's such a contradiction from what they sell us to what works in the game, and their going to sit there and tell you "Oh he's a great Madden player, He Labs for hours." He didn't lab for hours, he didn't try to find out what the best plays in the game were. He manipulated the animations the game is depended on to put himself in a position to pick up positive yardage every single play, knowing that his opponent would't be able to do anything about it, and when it came down to doing something as egregious, something that would never happen in a true sport he determined I am going to make sure that I get a left handed punter to put in at quarterback because I know this will benefit me not only from a Madden ultimate team salary cap standpoint, but I will use this punter. He essentially took what we feel is one of the most important players in all of sports a players position that has been on the cover of your game multiple times including this year, including next year and dismissed it because it was not necessary. A quarterback was not needed instead his left handed punter was needed so imagine the ESPN article telling you he didn't use a quarterback in a game that features a quarterback on the cover, in a game that will be featuring a quarterback on the cover, a game that uses quarterbacks in its promotional trailers. All I can say is good job EA you have seemingly done the improbable. You've made our community look like an absolute bunch of morons. You've made our community look like people that know nothing about football. You've made a mockery of the sport and embarrassed every one of your gamers in the process, and for that we can only say thank you. Thank you for not listening, for not caring, and thank you for not putting any type of attention to detail into your product, and we certainly that we can all now stand back and look at the results of this horrible game that you've sold to us for year after year after year while telling us it's not as bad as we think it is. Well guess what now we all know not only is it that bad but it's probably worse. Good luck selling your simulation football game next year, and remember when you wanted 2K to just bring it. Well guess what they will, and if you think that any other football game is going to sit down and develop a strategy over how to make punter play as quarterbacks to make gameplay simulation football or more competitive then your sadly mistaken. Thank you RyanMoody21 for the truth.… Expand
  15. justaneconomist
    May 5, 2020
    0
    One of the worst sports games i have ever played. I got it on sale for 15 bucks and it was still a waste of money. Convoluted mechanics, unrealistic gameplay, just an all around lazy product. I played Madden 16 and thought it was pretty 'meh', thought id give 20 a chance since it was on sale, but this game is just COMPLETELY GARBAGE. Just a heads up, that "Face of the Franchise" mode forOne of the worst sports games i have ever played. I got it on sale for 15 bucks and it was still a waste of money. Convoluted mechanics, unrealistic gameplay, just an all around lazy product. I played Madden 16 and thought it was pretty 'meh', thought id give 20 a chance since it was on sale, but this game is just COMPLETELY GARBAGE. Just a heads up, that "Face of the Franchise" mode for MyCareer? Yea, EXTREMELY SMALL chance of your QB1 making it past the 3 year, the game forces you to retire your player, you will not get picked up regardless of what your rating is, not a single team will sign you, its just completely GAME OVER. All the time youve put into your QB is just gone. Nothing carries over and you have to start over completely from the beginning. Do not play this game. In fact, dont play any Madden games for a while. I waited 4 years before playing again and it still apparently was not long enough. Save your money, put it towards a different game, save it up for the next gen console or a pc, YOU COULD EVEN SET YOUR MONEY ON FIRE because the heat and warmth you get from the fleeting moments of your burning cash will be more than you will ever get from this game.

    TLDR Trash game from a trash company. Not even worth buying on sale.    … Expand
  16. Austinshighligh
    Apr 5, 2020
    2
    Madden 20 is slightly than madden 19. But let’s be honest the bar wasn’t set very high. Xfactors just show how broken the game is. Players don’t get charged up. EA did add the pro bowl back so that’s kind of cool. The only thing good about face of the franchise is that you get to play with college teams. But the cut scenes are cringey. EA put celebrities into the game rather than work onMadden 20 is slightly than madden 19. But let’s be honest the bar wasn’t set very high. Xfactors just show how broken the game is. Players don’t get charged up. EA did add the pro bowl back so that’s kind of cool. The only thing good about face of the franchise is that you get to play with college teams. But the cut scenes are cringey. EA put celebrities into the game rather than work on the real issues of the game. EA is putting they’re time into ultimate team because it makes them the most money. They don’t care what the fans want. All admit I have had some fun playing franchise mode but it’s underwhelming compared to what used to be in madden. It’s considered a simulation game but the gameplay is incredibly unrealistic. I’m giving it a 2 star review and that’s being generous… Expand
  17. Iceyboy
    Mar 20, 2020
    1
    This game is bad. It would not be as bad if there wasn't a game like madden 07 or any around that time that is just plainly better. This game has very little to do in connected franchise, relocation teams have been the exact same since they were added. The face of the franchise was kind of cool but it is only like 20 minutes of different gameplay then connected franchise mode. MUT is justThis game is bad. It would not be as bad if there wasn't a game like madden 07 or any around that time that is just plainly better. This game has very little to do in connected franchise, relocation teams have been the exact same since they were added. The face of the franchise was kind of cool but it is only like 20 minutes of different gameplay then connected franchise mode. MUT is just a cash grab scam that runs the game.… Expand
  18. Patriot173
    Feb 23, 2020
    4
    They added a 30 minute intro for Be-A-Player franchise mode, but overall franchise is still super bare-bones and neglected.

    All of EA's attention went into Ultimate Team, as it has for years now. But with the constant disconnects and server issues, even that mode is basically unplayable.
  19. Not_aCritic
    Feb 23, 2020
    5
    I have played Madden for years and I can say that this game gave some hope for one in a long time. It offered several changes that help many things fans wanted. But there are some changes that we know need to be fixed. I love football, I like Madden, at times. The fanbase can be the worst part, if we are excluding the AI.
  20. Rileym
    Feb 21, 2020
    1
    Players can just send user blitz every play and make tackles. If you buy this game, go return it before you break anything in your house.
  21. IxAMxNIGHTMARE
    Jan 19, 2020
    0
    Can I rate this in the negatives? The game isn't really about football at all. Soon as you start, EA starts advertising Ultimate Team with pop ups that say things like "Get your FREE Peyton Manning". If you accept they start you off making sure that you can't possibly lose and before you know it you're building a team. From there you become addicted to spending money as you try to getCan I rate this in the negatives? The game isn't really about football at all. Soon as you start, EA starts advertising Ultimate Team with pop ups that say things like "Get your FREE Peyton Manning". If you accept they start you off making sure that you can't possibly lose and before you know it you're building a team. From there you become addicted to spending money as you try to get better players so you can finally start to dominate online.
    While the RyanMoody21 YouTube channel exposes just how fake fixed & garbage this game is. Allow me to explain further on this monopoly.

    The game is designed to keep you online as much as possible to increase the odds that you will spend money. Its best exploit is by not matching you up against players of your skill level or simply anyone, but they make sure that you play who they want you to play AND when you play, EA will help the team that they want to win. Why? I've never heard anyone explain this yet, but if EA can keep everyones record close to even, everyone will think that spending money to attempt to get just another player or 2 that they will be able to dominate and tip the scales on their winning percentage. It never works that way though. You still win the same amount. Your new player will perform like a true champion but other players will be slacking. The new players play hard for a month when released and then EA slows them down which makes you want to upgrade again and then you find yourself paying EA again.
    There's a number of different types of crypto currencies in the game except this is not able to be cashed in ever. It just serves to get you to again reach for your wallet.

    All of the different game modes that were a part of Madden and the fun things you could do before Ultimate Team took off are gone. You can play without Ultimate Team but Ultimate Team is EAs ONLY focus with the game.

    Do not buy Madden NFL 21.    … Expand
  22. Kwd531
    Jan 18, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. About as fun as having cancer. Pong does a better job emulating football. If given the choice between Auschwitz or this game... Gimme dat gas chamber baby☠️… Expand
  23. nojumper
    Jan 1, 2020
    9
    The skill gap is much higher than in other games. Movement is now so much better. X-Factors add a new skill that makes players even better.
  24. IhateEAsports12
    Dec 20, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!! IT **** SUCKS… Expand
  25. Jouan88
    Nov 5, 2019
    1
    I expected a football game but ended up with a gambling game.

    What EA has been doing the past few years is just shameful. They are making millions of MUT but we still put up with weak content with the only changes made focused on pushing for more micro transactions
  26. JasonJojnson
    Nov 4, 2019
    1
    Game is a piece of **** It’s November and the game is still having serious server issues.
  27. KazMcFly
    Nov 3, 2019
    0
    This game is an embarrassment. The NFL really needs to look into pulling out of this exclusive deal
  28. PyRo998
    Oct 24, 2019
    9
    I am very impressed with this years madden game. Every year I play madden ultimate team and this year it is noticeable that it is very much not pay to win and there are so many opportunities to succeed. As far as gameplay goes I am also very happy as things seem very good. The only reason I did not give a 10/10 review is because on launch in my opinion it was just a little over powered toI am very impressed with this years madden game. Every year I play madden ultimate team and this year it is noticeable that it is very much not pay to win and there are so many opportunities to succeed. As far as gameplay goes I am also very happy as things seem very good. The only reason I did not give a 10/10 review is because on launch in my opinion it was just a little over powered to stop the running game. At this point now things are really amazing and madden is as fun as ever.… Expand
  29. GrantD243
    Oct 24, 2019
    7
    This is the first Madden that I've put a lot of hours into in a long time, so I don't think I'm as outraged as others as a result. I think some of the mechanics, especially player movements, are the best they've ever been. The career mode is pretty half-baked, though, and the franchise mode is the same as it has ever been.
  30. Disco94
    Sep 22, 2019
    1
    Same game as last year with updated roster... Would love to see more stuff in franchise mode for coaching and building team! But seems they just touch up graphics and add a half made "storymode" very disappointing... Excited for maximum football 19 to come out
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Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Best Xbox One Game of 2019
25
#25 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2019
11
#11 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Oct 12, 2019
    80
    Madden NFL 20 is light on marquee features but builds a solid foundation for the future. [Issue#182, p.81]
  2. TheXboxHub
    Aug 29, 2019
    80
    If you’re a football fan there’s a load of fun to be had with this game and Madden NFL 20 is a solid experience with a massive improvement over last year’s offering.
    Read full review
  3. GameCritics
    Aug 27, 2019
    60
    If EA wanted to do something revolutionary with the series, it would have offered Madden NFL 20 as a roster and feature update to Madden NFL 19. Not because there isn’t an enjoyable, playable game here, but because Madden NFL 20 is just more of the same when the series should be making strides toward true greatness.
    Read full review
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