When will Madden 23 be on Xbox Game Pass?

With the arrival of Madden 23 just over the horizon, there are already questions about whether it will join the Xbox Game Pass lineup.

Here's everything we know so far about when Xbox Game Pass subscribers should be able to play Madden 23 for free.

When will Madden 23 be on Xbox Game Pass?

As of now, it looks like Madden 23 will not be on Xbox Game Pass at launch like some other titles have done.

MLB The Show 21 and MLB The Show 22 set a new precedent the last few years by going to Xbox Game Pass on Day One with only Early Access getting in sooner, but EA doesn't appear to have any plans to follow in their footsteps.

However, the news that Madden 23 won't hit Xbox Game Pass at launch doesn't mean it will remain permanently absent from the service.

Unless things change this year, EA Sports has stuck pretty closely to a six month window for when their yearly sports game releases hit EA Play, which is included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

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Madden 23 is set for a worldwide release date of Friday, August 19, 2022, which is right in line with their release timing last year.

With that timing in mind, Madden 22 didn't hit Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and EA Play until Thursday, February 17, 2022.

As a result, we expect Madden 23 to become available on Game Pass on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

This would also lineup with the conclusion of the NFL season as Super Bowl LVII is set to take place on Sunday, February 12, 2023.

FieldSENSE gameplay features won't be available on Xbox One

If you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber looking forward to enjoying Madden 23 when it arrives, there may be some bad news.

Madden 23 has introduced some spectacular gameplay improvements this year with FieldSENSE rebuilding several aspects of the physics engine.

However, these upgrades are exclusive to PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of the title, and as such anyone on Xbox One will not have access.

As of now, EA Sports hasn't announced any bonuses for Xbox One, PS4, or PC players who will be missing this year's biggest upgrade.

If you're hoping to experience the real version of Madden 23, the only way to do that via Game Pass is with an Xbox Series X|S.