It's finally here, the year Madden 25 is meant to be released. The problem is that EA Sports already released Madden 25 back in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise.
It was short-sighted, and finally, we've reached the point of issue with that decision. So in the summer of 2024, a new Madden game will drop, but when? And what will it be called?
What Will this Year's Madden be Called?
This year's title will be called Madden 25.
We didn't think EA would just ignore the fact that they have already released a Madden 25 back in 2013 and run with that title, but that is exactly what happened.
They could have called it something different like Madden Legacy or Madden 25 Pt II, but a simple Madden 2025 would suffice. Instead, EA Sports decided to take the easy road.
Of course, they could always have called it Madden 14, which is what the original Madden 25 was meant to be!
Madden 25 Release Date
Madden games are traditionally released in August ahead of the new season. This is a pattern EA will continue with this year's release.
The last few years have seen the game drop on the third Friday of the month, and this year will be no different, with Madden 25 being released on Friday 16 August 2024.
There will also be three days of early access for players who buy the Madden 25 Deluxe Edition. This will allow players to start their Super Bowl run and start building their Ultimate Team on Tuesday 13 August 2024.
Platforms & Price
Madden 25 will have a Standard and Deluxe edition. The standard edition will cost £59.99/$69.99, is available for the Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, and includes the following pre-order bonuses:
- Cover Athlete Elite Player Item Choice of 2
- Strategy Items Superstar Drip Gear (Xbox Series X|S only)
- Legendary XP Boost (Xbox Series X|S only)
As for the Deluxe Edition, it's slightly more expensive at £89.99/$99.99, it's also available for the Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, but has many more perks.
Here are all the perks of the Madden 25 Deluxe Edition:
- 3 Day Early Access Early Access
- Ultimate Team Challenges 4600 Madden Points
- Includes Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One version of the game
- Superstar Drip Gear (Xbox Series X|S only)
- Legendary XP Boost (Xbox Series X|S only)
- Choice of 2 Strategy Items Cover Athlete Elite Player Item
There is also an MVP bundle, which is quite expensive, costing £139.99/$149.99, but that includes the Deluxe Edition of both Madden 25 and EA Sports College Football 25.
The MVP bundle has the following exclusive rewards for Madden 25:
- 3-Day Early Access (Aug 13-15)
- 4600 Madden Points
- Includes Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One version of the game
- Early Access Ultimate Team Challenges
- AKA Player Item
- Cover Athlete Elite Player Item
- Elite Player Item - 99 OVR player in Madden NFL 24
- Choice of 2 Strategy Items
- Superstar Drip Gear (Xbox Series X|S only)
- Legendary XP Boost (Xbox Series X|S only)
Furthermore, it also has these perks for EA Sports College Football 25:
- 3-Day Early Access (Jul 16-18)
- 4600 College Football Points
- Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 134)
- Cover Athlete Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 3)
- Heisman Hopeful Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item)
- Bring Glory Home Ultimate Team Uniform Item
- Alma Mater Ultimate Team Pack (Choice of 1 player item out of 134)
After nearly four years into the Xbox Series X|S & PS5 era, it seems Madden will finally release only on current-gen consoles. The product listings indicate the game is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC but don't mention any of the last-gen platforms.
Sports games are still being released on the previous generation of consoles, but it seems EA is moving away from it, at least when it comes to the Madden franchise.
New Features
Every year fans have a wishlist for Madden, and most of the time it doesn't mesh with what EA puts in the game.
Last year's hype was around an upgrade to the player motion in the Frostbite engine, AI logic (especially in blocking), mini-games in Franchise Mode, and upgraded animations.
This year the title will focus on improving the FieldSense technology by introducing a "re-engineered physics system".
Franchise and Career mode will also get some feature updates, that will hopefully make both modes more realistic and immersive. Furthermore, new commentary and presentation features will also be introduced.
Things like better CPU team logic for drafting, trades, and roster construction, a true coaching carousel in the offseasons, and deeper playbook customization are all things fans want to see.
The refinement and improvement of the blocking AI and defensive engagement are also high on the community wishlist and we hope that is something EA has been working on.
As mentioned above, there will be improvements to the presentation of the game, but we expect the core gameplay to be very similar to last year, as it's what usually happens with sports games.
Cover Star
It's been six years since a non-quarterback was on the cover of a Madden game, but this might be the year that changes.
Following Kansas City's back-to-back Super Bowl success plus his highly-publicized relationship with global music star Taylor Swift, this seems like the perfect time to make Travis Kelce the cover star of Madden 25.
If it isn't Kelce then there aren't many options that wouldn't be re-treds. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen have all been cover stars in recent years. That leaves a handful of lesser or unproven QBs as the main options.
There is an outside chance that Micah Parsons or Justin Jefferson could get the cover this year, but it is likely to be a quarterback or Travis Kelce.
We will update this article regularly, so if you want to stay up to date with everything related to Madden 25 make sure to bookmark it.
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