The 2021 NFL season kicked off a few weeks ago, and if you haven’t been watching, the action has been quite exciting so far, with many of the old reliables playing brilliantly as usual and a few new stars stepping up to the plate.
So if you’re looking for an American football game that you can play on mobile as a companion of sorts to the season, you should look no further than Madden NFL 22 Mobile, which comes to us once again from Electronic Arts — the same gaming giant that has also brought The Sims, Need for Speed, and other popular intellectual properties to the mobile landscape.
Unlike previous versions of Madden where one could have argued that the new version is almost a re-skinned version of the old one with a new cover athlete and a couple new elements added that don’t really change the fundamentals, Madden NFL 22 Mobile is packed with new features, including some that replace familiar game modes that you may have gotten to know from previous versions of the game.
This is in line with the changes EA Sports made to the console version of Madden NFL 22, though fortunately, a lot of the features should be familiar to most players. That said, it’s still going to be a tough learning curve, especially for beginners, which is why we shall be publishing two guides for the game, including this Madden NFL 22 Mobile beginner’s guide that focuses on tips to get you started.
1. Learning The Basics Of Madden NFL 22 Mobile
If you previously played Madden on your mobile phone while linked to the same account, then you may not need to go through this tip. The game will take you straight away to the action, gifting you with a Welcome Back Pack that’s loaded with resources and new players, then taking you to a quick game to re-familiarize yourself with the controls, then to Journey: Genesis Stage 0, which goes even deeper into the basic elements as a way of reorienting you after what would likely have been a long time away from the game.
But if you’re a new player, the onboarding process, if you can call it that, would be longer, as you’ll need to select your favorite team from one of the 32 real-life NFL teams. Now bear in mind — if you’re a newcomer, the team you choose will have a different roster from the one you may be following in the 2022 NFL season.
For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not have Tom Brady and the Kansas City Chiefs will not have Patrick Mahomes. Instead, you’ll be given a team that mostly consists of scrub-level players with ratings in the 50s and 60s. Don’t worry about the crummy lineup, though — as you go through the first two actual stages of Journey: Genesis after Stage 0, you will be able to unlock Brady and Mahomes, as well as other rarer players (Uncommon or better) that will improve your team’s rating instantly.
The control scheme for Madden NFL 22 Mobile remains the same as usual. On the bottom left side of the game screen, you’ll see a virtual joystick that you can use to move your player up, down, left, and right. Hitting the button on the bottom right of the screen allows you to perform a Skill Move, which would, on offense, involve running elusively in order to lose the defenders. (At least that’s how it should ideally be used.)
But since every offensive and defensive play starts with a snap, you’ll need to tap the button of the same name in order to kick things off and put the ball in play. (Before that, of course, you also have to choose a play, preferably the ones that the game suggests for you if you’re just starting out!)
On offense, while playing as quarterback, all you need to do is to tap on the letter corresponding to the receiver (X, Y, A, B, RB) to pass the ball to your target during a passing play. The ball is automatically handed off to the running back in rushing plays, though this also means you should be alert and on the lookout for defenders once you see the ball in the RB’s hands. Also, as QB, you can scramble with the ball by calling a QB rushing play or hitting Scramble, then running to the opponent’s end zone.
When playing defense, the button you will normally see is Strafe, which allows you to do just that while trying to fight off offensive linemen, though you may also see a Tackle button that, once again, serves a self-explanatory purpose. You may also Switch from one player to the next so you can control the defender who is closest to the ball, though one advance word of warning before we go into further detail on the topic — do not make the mistake of repeatedly hitting Switch in order to cheat on defense!
Related: Madden NFL 22 Mobile Strategy Guide: 16 Tips & Tricks for Advanced Players
As for the game’s primary resources, there are three that you will be paying attention to the most while playing Madden NFL 22 Mobile. Coins are the game’s common currency and are usually used in conjunction with TP, or Training Points, to level up your players. Stamina is designated by the lightning bolt, as shown on the top right corner of the screen — you use Stamina each time you play a drill or a game in Journeys or any other mode. This resource refills automatically, but if you can’t wait for your Stamina to replenish, there are ways to get an instant boost, which we shall be discussing a little later on in this guide.
Also, you can earn XP after completing drills or games, and that’s the resource that will determine how quickly you level up in the game; level-up rewards (on your end, that is) typically include Madden Cash (one of the game’s premium currencies), coins, Stamina, and a higher Stamina cap, the latter of which you can exceed whenever you receive Stamina as a free reward.
2. Play Journey: Genesis To Unlock The NFL’s Two Best QBs And Unlock New Modes
Madden NFL 22’s cover athletes, regardless of the version, are the two quarterbacks we mentioned above — the arguable GOAT and a young thrower who could one day find himself among the all-time greats once his career is over. We are, of course, referring to last year’s Super Bowl quarterbacks, Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
As a double treat for those who downloaded this year’s mobile version, you can unlock them both by completing the first two stages of Genesis: Journey, though as we hinted above, this does not include the “Stage 0” that basically shows you how to control your players in various scenarios.
While the game frames each part of the Journeys stage as related to each player’s memorable career moments, you’ll notice that usually, the only thing the individual parts, or chapters have in common with the moments is the teams involved — each stage and chapter gets progressively longer as you push forward in the game, so make sure you are constantly improving your team and increasing its total Team Power!
The types of chapters may vary, but these include offensive drills where you will need to rush or pass for a certain number of yards, defensive drills where you need to prevent the opposing team from scoring touchdowns, and late-game scenarios where you have to hang on to the lead until the end of the game, or win the game by coming from behind. (In the last game of the Mahomes stage in Journey: Genesis, you’ll have to shut out the opposing team, so that’s something else to expect on occasion.) In this latter type of chapter, you will be playing both offense and defense, so take note of what you had learned previously and strategize based on how much time is left and how the opposing team is adjusting to your in-game tactics.
Another thing worth noting about Journeys is that in the actual game scenarios we mentioned in the last paragraph, the game will require that you have a certain number of players leveled up to a certain level — it will start out by requiring one level 5 player on your team, though by the latter parts of the Mahomes stage in Journeys, the game will require that you have six level 10 players — that’s a lot, and since leveling up a player requires coins and TP, you’re going to have to get them somewhere! (Don’t worry — we shall be discussing that later in the guide.)
Completing each Journeys chapter will reward you with a one-time coin and TP prize for the first successful completion — this means you can grind for XP by replaying previously completed chapters, though we wouldn’t necessarily advise this as it’ll cost you 25 Stamina for each replay. And once you complete a stage, you won’t just get Brady and Mahomes for completing the first two — you may also unlock a new game mode!
Stage 2 of Journeys: Genesis, for instance, unlocks the Arena mode, which allows you to compete against players all over the world by controlling your offense and trying to outscore your opponent over a series of drives — this is the new, streamlined sequel to the mode you may know from previous versions as Overdrive. And once you complete the third stage, called Captains, you will also unlock the Captains feature that allows you to choose an elite NFL player to serve as your team captain, among other things.
3. The Training Center Lets You Farm For Stamina, Coins, And TP
There’s a reason we didn’t mention the Training Center earlier while we were talking about the features you can unlock by completing Journeys stages. That’s because once you complete the Tom Brady stage in Journeys: Genesis, you will unlock the Training Center, which certainly deserves a tip of its own.
There are actually four main sections in this feature, but since this is a beginner/intermediate guide, we’re going to focus on the first three, since you’re going to be visiting them most often as you load up on resources so that you can improve your players and meet the requirements for certain Journeys chapters/parts.
The Stamina section does not feature any actual gameplay, but you can claim free Stamina four times per day without watching any videos or completing any drills. You also have the option to watch ad videos via this section to get free energy — you’re limited to two videos a day. Either way, each claim of Stamina is worth 75 units each, and that could mean a lot if you’re trying to race through a certain stage of Journeys.
Next, the Coins section involves two kinds of challenges — the first one, Limited Coins, is limited in the sense that you can only successfully complete the challenge twice per day. And that challenge is reaching a given number of passing yards in so many attempts — initially, this is 30 yards in 20 attempts, though Limited Coins does get more difficult (and the prizes get better) as you level up the challenge by completing more Journeys stages.
The tradeoff here is that you can potentially earn a ton of coins in that one successful try. You also wouldn’t be able to automatically replay the challenge in order to farm for more coins., but at least that’s just 25 Stamina per day if you’re able to complete Limited Coins in just one try.
That option is available in Coins Blitz, which flips things around and asks you to reach a certain number of rushing yards in much fewer tries — again, you start out with 20 rushing yards in 5 tries, with the difficulty and coin prize will ramp up after completing Journeys stages. You will be given a maximum of three successful runs in Coins Blitz, though you can pay some Madden Cash to get a fresh set of three.
Take note that if you aren’t able to meet the required number of yards, that won’t count against the number of tries you have remaining; you will, however, have to spend more Stamina for a re-do. You can also use the Auto function to simulate a successful challenge completion, though you’ll still expend 25 Stamina regardless whether you complete Coins Blitz automatically or manually.
The TP drills are just the same as they are in Coins — you have Limited TP and TP Blitz — but with one key distinction. The TP section flips the script, and that means the Limited TP challenge will initially require you to reach 20 yards rushing in no more than 20 attempts, and TP Blitz requires you to accumulate 30 passing yards in no more than five passing attempts. That said, everything else we mentioned in the Coins section can be copy-pasted to the TP section.
As a quick reminder, Madden Cash is a premium form of currency that’s normally used for special offers at the store, and you’ll get some as a reward for leveling up, and also as part of your welcome/Welcome Back Pack at the start of the game. You may need to use this a few times during the first few stages of Journeys in order for you to farm more coins and TP, but don’t overdo it, as Madden Cash is, after all, a premium currency, and that means it’s not easy to earn!
4. Log In Daily For Free Rewards – And A Couple Good Players
New and returning players alike would have likely seen by now the Warm Up Calendar upon returning to the game after previously exiting for the first time in the day. This calendar shows a variety of rewards you can earn for logging in on one day, and as you may have also noticed, the rewards include two rarer players — Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Sammy Watkins on day 2 (70 OVR, Uncommon) and Atlanta Falcons linebacker Deion Jones on day 7 (81 OVR, Rare).
Both players should prove to be very useful in the early goings, especially Watkins, who can give your team a reliable WR target. But while it would be better to log in for exactly seven straight days to get Jones as your seventh-day reward on the Warm Up Calendar, the game won’t take it against you if you skip a day or two — that means the calendar won’t reset back to day 1 if you ever miss a chance to grab the rewards!
Other rewards available via the Warm Up Calendar include Stamina, Coins, TP, and Madden Cash — that’s the basic resources in the game, as well as a premium form of currency. The rewards here will be much greater than those you could earn for completing a Journeys chapter or completing one of the drills in Training Center, so make sure you’re logging in, even if it won’t be for more than a few minutes — or even seconds.
5. Complete Both Goals And Achievements Alike
Want even more ways to add to your currency and your other resources? Simply complete the daily tasks, as stated in the Goals section, and be sure you’re completing them within 24 hours. You can either tap on the yellowish green Daily Goals button on the lower right of the main menu, or go to the check mark — also yellowish green — on the upper right. Immediately, you will see a list of tasks that need to be done within the current day, such as collecting free Stamina, using a certain amount of Stamina, leveling up players at least once, or going to the store and claiming your bonus Common player for the day.
These are all things that can be completed organically, though it doesn’t hurt at all to go to the Goals section, tap on the incomplete Goal, and head to the part of Madden NFL 22 Mobile where you can do the things needed to complete the goal. Finishing a goal could earn you coins, TP, XP, and various other forms of currency. Complete all of your dailies and you can get bonus Stamina, plus some of that rare Madden Cash that you should be spending as wisely as possible.
Achievements, on the other hand, are not time-bound like the Goals are — you have all the time in the world you need to complete them. These are, obviously, long-term things to aspire for, such as successfully scoring 100 field goals in any game mode — doing this will allow you to acquire an Epic rarity Justin Tucker. (In case you missed it, he recently made NFL history by kicking a record 66-yard field goal for the Baltimore Ravens, so unlocking him is as fitting a reward as they come!)
Other long-term Achievements include earning 100 Madden Cash for completing Stage 3 (Captains) of Journey: Genesis, as well as earning points for the ongoing Field of Fear season by leveling up players, acquiring a certain number of players for a given rarity, or completing the Daily Goals a given number of times, to name a few in that section.
6. This Time, You Really Have No Choice But To Upgrade Your Better Players
Earlier versions of Madden NFL Mobile allowed for the leveling up of any player regardless of their OVR (overall) rating, regardless of their rarity. Back then, it was common advice to focus on one’s more talented players when leveling up, as those would be the ones who would really help your team going forward and give you the talent you need to win more games in Overdrive mode.
That’s one of the many things that has changed in Madden NFL 22 Mobile, as here, you can only level up non-common players, or those that are of Uncommon (green border), Rare (blue), or Epic (purple) rarity. While it’s a good idea on the surface to focus on your Rare or Epic players when leveling up, be warned that the base cost of leveling up a player in terms of both coins and TP will increase as a player becomes rarer!
That means it might be better to focus on your Uncommon players while you’re still at a point where you’re short on both coins and TP. (Granted, it doesn’t hurt to focus on one Uncommon player per two or three Rare or Epic ones!)
If you’re wondering why you can no longer level up common players, that’s because Madden NFL 22 Mobile has revamped its trading mechanic in such a way that you don’t have a choice either but to treat your common players as fodder. We’re going to explain the Trades section in our advanced guide, but in the meantime, you should make it your goal to replace them in the starting lineup sooner or later.
This should happen organically as you play different game modes and complete more challenges in those modes, so don’t sweat it too much if it’s taking a while to have a roster dominated by non-common players.
7. How To Throw More Accurate Passes
Even if your starting quarterback is a Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes, as would likely be the case when you unlock one or both of them, it can be harder to pass the ball than to hand it off in Madden NFL 22 Mobile.
On most occasions, your offensive line should keep you protected for a good few seconds while you determine which receiver to pass to, but there will sometimes be occasions where the opponent will blitz, which means fielding extra defensive players and targeting the quarterback, in hopes of forcing him into throwing an incomplete pass or better yet, sacking him and pushing his team farther back on the field. With these risks in mind, what’s the best way to throw more accurate passes in the game?
The simplistic answer would be to throw the ball to the receiver with the least coverage, and while that makes perfect sense, it doesn’t guarantee pass completion. It would still be possible for defensive players to swat the ball away, or push the receiver aside to prevent him from catching the ball. Receivers can also drop passes or go out of bounds, the latter of which nullifies the pass attempt and renders it incomplete even if the ball is caught.
Once again, the best way to improve your odds of a complete pass is to hit on the circle that says “TAP” after tapping on the receiver’s letter, if you see that second circle appear. That gives your target receiver a slightly better chance of successfully catching the ball. Honestly, it won’t be that much of a boost (usually 3 percent or 4 percent), but a tiny boost is better than none at all.
Based on our experience, it seems that throwing to the tight end, regardless whether you’re calling a long passing or a short passing play, gets the best results, especially if you have a highly-rated TE such as Rob Gronkowski in your lineup. The drawback here is that tight ends are larger and slower than wide receivers, and are therefore best used in short passing situations. As for those deep passes to WRs, we don’t have much to add aside from hitting the “Tap” button if you see it and avoiding situations where the WR is nearly out of bounds.
8. Stay Focused On Third Down!
Anyone familiar with American football will tell you that the third down is the most crucial one in almost every instance. Sometimes the fourth down could take over as the highest-stakes down when the opposing team is only a few points behind with a few minutes left and is trying for a last-ditch comeback.
But most of the time, the third down is when everything comes down to either getting a new set of downs or resetting things with a punt — or, if you’re close enough to the opponent’s goal, attempting a field goal. That means you should be especially focused and prepared, regardless whether you’re playing offense or defense.
If you’re on offense and it’s third down, it becomes more important than ever to think quickly and choose the right play. Expect a lot of blitzes from the defensive side — third-and-long would usually have the defense trying to blitz the quarterback, while third-and-short situations might see the opposing defense ramping up the run coverage. That’s not technically blitzing, but you’ll notice how much more aggressive the defense is in these cases.
Madden NFL 22 Mobile’s AI is pretty smart, especially on harder difficulties, so if you already mastered the art of making quick and accurate passes to your receivers, you’ll need to ramp it up a little more. The same applies if you decide to run the ball — don’t make rash decisions and always follow the path of least resistance! (That might mean doing some outside running if you were mostly calling inside running plays where your RB runs between the tackles.)
On the defensive side of things, you will likewise need to assess the situation and call the right plays — whenever in doubt, you can always choose the plays that the game suggests for you. If you expect your opponent to pass, use the player you control to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, and if you expect them to run, keep an eye out on their RB and target him once he has the ball in his hands. This isn’t the time to be complacent, as we’ve noticed the AI becomes extra sharp during high-stakes downs!
9. Making Accurate Field Goal Or PAT Attempts Could Take Some Practice
In the real-life NFL, it’s seemingly the easiest thing to do — kicking the ball with enough accuracy to score a successful field goal or point after touchdown attempt. But not everyone is able to get this technique right off the bat, which is why we’re including this tip in our beginner/intermediate guide.
When kicking field goals in Madden NFL 22 Mobile, the first thing you’ll need to do is to look at the path of the indicator pointing toward the goal — that’s the one with three lines and three circles on it. Take note whether the indicator is pointing slightly to the left, slightly to the right, or right in the middle, and take the wind’s speed and direction into account as well. If there’s no wind, then you don’t need to change the direction of your swipe, but if it’s moving to the east or west, then you’ll want to adjust your swipe to the opposite direction, but not by much.
While looking at the slider on the right side of the screen, make sure you are using the optimum amount of power — if you’re attempting the field goal from more than 40 yards, swipe all the way up for maximum (green) power, but if it’s a PAT attempt, which is 15 yards away from the goal, swiping toward the middle of the slider (yellow) should be fine. Even if the slider turns red after you swipe but remains fairly close to the midpoint, there shouldn’t be a problem.
The challenge when attempting field goals, we’d say, is swiping in a fluid enough motion to ensure that you’re using enough power or aiming the swipe in the right direction. This could take some practice, and you may miss some PATs while at it — that’s something that’s fairly rare in the real NFL, but not in Madden Mobile if you’re a beginner. But once you get the hang of it, you should be confident enough to attempt field goals or PATs without having to go for an illogical passing or rushing play (or extra point attempt after a touchdown) just because your kicks aren’t accurate enough.
10. Miss Those Hot Spot And Mine Field Minigames? They’re Now In Field Of Fear
Madden NFL 22 Mobile has been so completely overhauled compared to last year’s version that it may be a bit difficult to find those game modes and features you’ve become familiar with from previous editions. As we hinted earlier, Overdrive is gone, and it’s been replaced with Arena, which, without going into great detail, does away with most of the mechanics of the previous mode and replaces it with something arguably simpler, albeit with a few twists some longtime players might not be comfortable with.
As for those minigames that required you to control your players through obstacle courses of sorts, they can now be found in Field of Fear, where you can collect points that will allow you to redeem Milestone Rewards, as well as items that can be used in trades during this limited-time (four weeks long) event.
Again, we won’t expound on this too much until the next guide, but for now, we can tell you where to find the minigames of old, and tell you that for completing these minigames and other challenges, you can earn Field of Fear points, XP, and reward packs that include the aforementioned trading items, which are described as equipment belonging to a certain player, e.g. Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and his cleats.
Those minigames aren’t the only challenges available in Field of Fear — more often than not, you’ll be put in conventional in-game situations where you need to score a certain number of touchdowns, oftentimes through a specific means, i.e. rushing or passing.
But be prepared for something that’s more than a little challenging compared to the chapters in the early stages of Journey: Genesis, as well as sharper opposing offenses and defenses! That could mean leveling up more players in order to improve your Team Power and get up to speed with the AI opposition in Field of Fear.
11. Make Sure You’re Choosing The Right Player From Uncommon Player Packs Or Better
We haven’t discussed lineup/roster management that much yet, but for this beginner/intermediate guide, we’re going to give you another important piece of advice for that point where you’re still building your lineup, aside from our tip about upgrading your non-common players because you have no choice.
That is, when opening player packs that come with multiple players of the same non-common rarity, you need to choose wisely and be sure you review your starting lineups a few times when you’re not playing any one of Madden NFL 22 Mobile’s game modes.
For example, you wouldn’t want to choose an offensive guard when you already have two Uncommon or better OGs in your starting lineup! This is a very easy mistake to make, as offensive linemen don’t pick up stats and are responsible for the rather unglamorous work of fending off defenders to give the offense a better chance of running a successful play. And we did notice that uncommon player packs (or better) oftentimes feature these less heralded players, as opposed to quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers.
Now of course, if the pack only comes with one player, then you really have no other option but to accept the player and see if he slots in your lineup — as you’ll learn later on, you can have multiple starting lineups depending on the scheme you use, and some players may be better suited to one scheme or another. But when you’re at the point when you’re still trying to replace all your common starters, you really have to be choosy when opening Uncommon packs or rarer that have more than just one player in them.
And this would be all for now as far as our Madden NFL 22 Mobile tips and tricks are concerned. Stay tuned, as we will come back with more tips for the game in the near future!