Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition Lands on Apple Arcade With No Ads or In-App Purchases
Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition is available today on Apple Arcade, arriving days before the NFL pre-season and carrying no ads, no in-app purchases and no in-game currencies. Electronic Arts built the game specifically for Apple's subscription service, and it runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro with progress carrying across all of them.
Apple confirmed the August 6 date when it announced the title in mid-July, and the App Store listing went live overnight. It is not a port of the existing free-to-play mobile Madden — it is a separate build with the monetisation stripped out, which is the whole point of it sitting behind an Arcade subscription instead.
What you actually get
The core is a season-based franchise experience using current NFL teams and rosters. You run a club through the regular season and into the playoffs, handling trades, free agency and roster decisions between games, with player ratings shifting as the year goes on and weekly story beats framing each fixture.
On the field it is the same 11-on-11 gameplay Madden NFL Mobile players will recognise, with streamlined touch controls. There is also a Quick Play route for single games, and exhibition matches can be played offline — useful on a plane or a patchy connection. Game Center leaderboards and achievements are wired in.
Devices, controllers and download size
The download is roughly 2.6 GB, so it is worth checking free space before you start. The current release is version 27.0.2, rated 4+, and localised in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
- iPhone and iPad — iOS or iPadOS 16.0 and later
- Mac — macOS 13.0 and later
- Apple TV — tvOS 18.0 and later
- Apple Vision Pro — visionOS 1.0 and later
Controller support covers PlayStation and Xbox pads as well as MFi controllers, and it extends to menu navigation rather than just play calling — which matters most on Apple TV, where a pad is close to essential. If you are setting one up for the first time, our guide to Android games with gamepad support covers the same pairing basics for the console pads you already own.
What Apple Arcade costs
Apple Arcade is $6.99 a month in the United States, following a one-month free trial. Prices differ by country, so check the figure shown in your own App Store rather than converting that number. Buying a new Apple device typically includes three months at no extra cost, and the subscription is bundled into every Apple One plan, which runs from $19.95 to $37.95 a month in the US.
One subscription can be shared with up to six people through Family Sharing, and the catalogue now sits above 200 titles. There is no way to buy Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition outright — an active Arcade subscription is the only route in.
More football on the way
Madden is not landing alone. Retro Bowl College+ arrives on Arcade the same day, and NFL Retro Bowl '27 starts a new season on September 3 with a Gauntlet Mode built around 15-game win streaks and weekly leaderboards.
Taken together it is a deliberate run at the start of the NFL calendar, and it lands in the one corner of mobile gaming where the usual energy timers and currency bundles are contractually absent. If that is the appeal rather than the football specifically, our roundup of games with no ads for Android and iOS covers the equivalents outside Apple's walled garden, and there are plenty of offline football games for Android if you would rather not pay a subscription at all.
How to start playing
Open the Arcade tab in the App Store on any signed-in Apple device, find Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition and download it. If you have never subscribed, the trial starts at that point; if a household member already pays, the game appears without you being charged. Downloading it once on your iPhone does not push it to your Apple TV automatically — install it separately there, and your franchise carries over through your Apple Account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition free?
It is included with an Apple Arcade subscription rather than sold separately. Apple Arcade costs $6.99 a month in the United States after a one-month free trial, and prices vary by country. There is no option to buy the game on its own.
Which devices can run Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition?
It runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 16.0 or later, Mac with macOS 13.0 or later, Apple TV with tvOS 18.0 or later, and Apple Vision Pro with visionOS 1.0 or later. Progress carries across all of them through your Apple Account. The download is about 2.6 GB.
Does it have in-app purchases or ads?
No. Apple Arcade titles cannot carry ads, in-app purchases, in-game currencies or paywalls, and Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition follows that rule. It is a different product from the free-to-play Madden NFL Mobile, which does use those mechanics.
Can I use a PS5 or Xbox controller with it?
Yes. The game supports PlayStation and Xbox controllers as well as MFi pads, and controller input works for menus and franchise management too, not just gameplay. A controller is the practical way to play on Apple TV.
What else is coming to Apple Arcade for football fans?
Retro Bowl College+ launched on Apple Arcade the same day as Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition. NFL Retro Bowl '27 begins a new season on September 3 with a Gauntlet Mode based on 15-game win streaks and weekly leaderboards.
