The overreliance of modern games on a constant online connection has always been a point of contention. This problem persists with a majority of AAA games from big publishers, but today, we’re talking specifically about Madden 26. A recent Reddit thread gained traction after a user shared a meme complaining about the offline Superstar mode’s dependency on an internet connection:
Some Madden 26 players have a misconception that the Superstar is an offline mode, which it isn’t. However, the argument that it should be an offline mode is valid. Superstar is marketed as a personal career mode, where you develop your athlete, make positional choices, negotiate contracts, and chase awards. There’s no real need for real-time online syncing here.
We Miss You, Offline Gaming
This Reddit post didn’t catch our eyes because it reveals a bug or an issue, but because it shows a design philosophy that has quietly become the norm in modern sports games. Getting kicked from solo matches that you should be able to play offline isn’t unusual in games like EA FC 26 or Madden. These games demand a constant connection even in single-player modes, because they’re tied to online progression systems, store accessibility, and unlock tracking.
Sports games are more about engagement these days than ever before. With an internet connection, you are constantly connected to the store, daily objectives, seasonal unlocks, login streaks, and potential microtransactions. None of these features directly affects gameplay, but they do affect how long you stay in the ecosystem.
Circling back to Madden, there are two offline modes: Exhibition and Franchise. In Exhibition, you pick two teams and simply play the game. There’s no progression, no server handshake, no interruptions. Franchise, on the other hand, is an offline mode with caveats. For those who care about updated rosters or frequent roster tuning, you’ll be pushed into the “online” version of Franchise, which syncs to EA’s servers. There’s no distinction in the game for this mode, but if you lose connection at the wrong time, you are at risk of losing progress or getting kicked to the main menu.
Outside of those two, most of Madden 26’s major modes — Superstar, Ultimate Team, Online Franchise, The Yard — require a persistent connection. Superstar is built around CPU games and personal progression, and it still behaves like an online service. The irony is that every sports game used to support proper offline modes, but they don’t seem to be the focus anymore.
