Madden NFL 25: Launch date, what’s new and everything to know before release

Madden NFL 25 returns in less than two weeks, but if you have College Football 25 it serves as a kind of preview for what EA Sports developers are billing as a comprehensive gameplay update.

They’ve made this kind of claim dozens of times, if not annually, in the past, but we’ve been hands on with Madden and it does play a lot different than its predecessor. Throw in big changes to the long running career modes like Franchise and Superstar, and football fans with a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X could be in for a long and satisfying autumn and winter.

For those considering getting back into Madden, as well as the lifer considering a pre-order, let’s take a look at everything you need to know about Madden NFL 25.

Madden NFL 25 launches April 16, but as is usually the case for EA Sports, preorders of the game grant the user three days of early access to it.

EA Play subscribers will get a timed, 10-hour sneak preview starting Aug. 13, too.

EA Sports keeps it simple with just two editions: standard, for $69.99, and deluxe, for $99.99.

There is also an MVP Bundle with College Football 25 that grants the buyer the deluxe edition of that game, which in the form of various in-game content, mainly for the Ultimate Team mode. But pre-ordering it gets the buyer early access to Madden 25, too.

Madden NFL 25’s lead platforms are PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. A version will also publish for Windows PC. Versions are available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but they will not have all of the features of the current generation console versions.

Pre-orders of Madden NFL 25’s standard edition does come with some perks. But you have to pre-order it, other wise it’s the no-frills base game.

• Dual Entitlement (PlayStation & Xbox)
• Superstar Drip Gear + Legendary XP Boost (PS5, Xbox Series X|S, & PC only)
• Choice of 2 Strategy Items (1 Offense & 1 Defense) for Ultimate Team
• Christian McCaffrey Elite Player Item in Ultimate Team

Madden NFL 25’s $99.99 deluxe edition includes that content plus:

• Three days of Early Access
• 4600 Madden Points
• Exclusive Early Access Solo Challenges

Christian McCaffrey, running back of the San Francisco 49ers, graces both the standard and deluxe editions with two different action shots of the Stanford product in gold helmet and red jersey.

McCaffrey and the Niners were beaten in February’s Super Bowl at the end of overtime by the Kansas City Chiefs. Nonetheless, McCaffrey is a rising star who as a 99-rated player, will spotlight new improvements player motion and overall gameplay.

Madden NFL 25’s first reveal trailer was released with the game’s official announcement and launch date reveal on June 20. But Madden 25 has gotten a robust level of YouTube marketing in the month-and-a-half since.

Just Monday, EA Sports posted a gameplay first look, a comprehensive 20-minute trailer touching just about everything new in the game:

Before that came deep dives into the Franchise mode, and gameplay.

EA Sports has a habit of throwing buzzy marketing terms on gameplay technology and updates, and this year’s is “BoomTech.”

BoomTech is, more or less, an overhauled motion engine that players are already seeing in College Football 25. (It just isn’t called that there.) It allows for more stumble recoveries and unpredictable outcomes by getting the AI players’ reactions, and the game’s background calculations, down almost to the single-frame level, EA Sports told ReadWrite in June.

Basically, between equivalent players, the outcome will be physics based. BoomTech accounts for disproportionate engagments, meaning more Sunday-quality hits and dramatic ballcarrier escapes. We played BoomTech hands-on in May and during the game’s closed beta and there was a distinct feel to the game even without using skill buttons.

Improved line play allows for a different array of pre-snap adjustments to get blocking set and help the passing pocket set up more naturally.

Staple modes like Franchise (full-team control) and Superstar also get a fresh polishing. Generally speaking most of these are meant to drive immersion and bring players closer to their teams. One of these is called Storylines, which is essentially a role-playing type progression system that introduces a development during the season and rewards XP for overcoming it.

You can read much more about Franchise and Superstar in our dedicated preview of both modes. With two additional broadcast teams and a ton of presentational changes to boot, it’s fair to call Madden NFL 25 the biggest comprehensive update in several years.

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