Madden 25 Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Top New Features

Madden 25 needs to get the annual sports series a win.

This is the first year in a long, long time with any real competition for Madden thanks to the stellar re-debut of the collegiate game with College Football 25. That success and positive feedback gives players something else to turn to if Madden stumbles.

And a year ago, it did with Madden 24. That entry made some needed changes, but chasing past greatness by implementing things like referees on the field once again shined a spotlight on the endless comparisons to prior, superior entries in the series.

Madden 25 clearly feels the pressure, and players will be happy to hear it throws the efforts largely into the gameplay, where the running game and user interface (UI) get a revamp to great results.

Make no mistake, Madden 25 debuts as an underdog. But if the gameplay can make meaningful changes, the presence of the new competition will end up a non-factor.

Gameplay

Impressively, Madden 25 expands gameplay in great-feeling ways.

A year ago, additions to the blocking game and more realistic player behaviors from quarterbacks and their targets boosted the experience.

But Madden 25 does the same—arguably in the best way we've seen from the modern series to date.

A new system dubbed BOOM Tech revamps the physics to make tackling more realistic. In short, new balance physics for ball-carriers and muscle-based tuning for each player—and a fresh hit stick—attempt to reinvent the feel of tackling.

It does just that, adding a major dose of realism to the experience. Those scrappy, hardheaded defensive backs that excel at bringing ball-carriers down are going to do just that, provided players approach the situation right. Beyond being fun and more realistic, there's a massive skill gap the new defensive details can create.

Tackling is more rewarding, too, silly as it sounds. Preventing a touchdown is, on its own, rewarding. But now there is a green feedback indicator that, when fully lit up, could reward players with causing a fumble.

Like on the college side, Madden now gets the defensive switch stick, letting players quickly flick around the field with more precise control than in the past. It's a much-needed modernization, especially when the ball is in the air, as it helps eliminate those frustrating moments when the game doesn't switch to the defender players would prefer.

Carrying the ball gets a needed refresh. On their own, ball-carriers now brace for impact before a hit or attempt to squeeze through a small opening made by blockers, which is refreshing all on its own. It's hard to stress how important and game-changing that latter point is compared to a player clumsily running into the back of his own linemen for the last decade-plus.

But the game puts a lot of agency into the player's hands, too. Players can now pull up a "setup" list of moves (although pulling down on a trigger and flicking the right stick in the middle of a play is a little complicated) and then quickly perform things like different types of spins, jukes, and Hesi maneuvers.

This feels more reeled-in and realistic compared to prior years. Ball-carriers lose some of that "skating on ice" feel they have had in the past, which is nice. There's also still a lingering random-feeling air to things though, just like in real life, as sometimes a ball-carrier will just channel his inner Beast Mode and break a ton of tackles.

There's actually a similar thing going on with receivers now, too. Hitting a certain button lets players attempt a high-risk catch while the ball is in the air, boosting catch radius but lowering the chance of a completion. It feels fair and creates some incredible moments, though opting into a possession catch might be smarter, obviously.

Nuts and bolts of the sport itself feels more in-depth, too. There is more individual flair to playbooks on a per-team basis, like all of the "cheat" motions that have been the subject of much debate listed in Miami's version. And there's more going on before the snap than usual, such as the ability for players to disguise coverage shells with certain inputs on the defensive side.

That includes the freedom to customize route stems before the snap. Meaning, simply holding a trigger down and fine-tuning just how far up the field a route will go, yard by yard.

All the above creates the best-feeling Madden to date. Make no mistake, there are Maddenisms too, like simply dumbfounding plays from ball-carriers or weird hiccups that create turnovers. But the word authentic comes to mind to describe the more measured, star-driven pro simulation compared to the college game. And that could be the lone thing that keeps players on Madden 25 over its re-debuting competitor.

Graphics and Presentation

Players know the deal when it comes to Madden by now and this isn't any exception.

The game itself looks fantastic, especially with some of the body composition and player likeness issues from past years ironed out. Lighting, reflections and the sheer scale of stadiums and fans are simply top-notch.

In short, it continues to get harder and harder to tell the difference between the game and a real-life broadcast, in large part due to slight presentation tweaks.

Besides individual player attire, the attention to detail extends to the stadiums, where fan-specific things like Terrible Towels in Pittsburgh deepen the immersion.

Gameplay and presentation does marry some noticeably unique styles in with the new physics system. The angry-running thing from Chiefs running back Isaiah Pacheco, for instance, is right there. Ditto for before the snap, where quarterbacks are no longer robotically doing the same thing with slightly different voiceovers. Joe Burrow looks quite different at the line from say, Dak Prescott.

This goes for the defense, too. For a long time, the robotic movements and stances of all defenders on the screen gave away the fact it was actually a video game. That's suddenly gone. Defenders now point, move around, adjust stuff and generally just look loose and, quite importantly, look like people.

And while it's a little presentation thing during live action, an on-screen indicator of where a pass is going—and how accurate it is—makes tracking the ball easier.

Then there's the broadcasting revamp.

Two new teams join the standard Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis effort. Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen, and Kate Scott and Brock Huard give players more options and sprinkle some much-needed variety atop things.

Extending that broadcast feel is the simpler introduction as a game initially boots. Last year's big-game introduction where players stood around on a colored stage and stared at each other is, for the most part, gone. Now, it's sweeping, broadcast-like shots of players warming up on the field, which is a nice improvement that boosts immersion.

Kudos, too, goes to the pre-snap presentation method already in the way it feeds droves of information to the player. Something as simple as being able to see which offensive linemen will target which defenders, then make sliders adjustments, is one of those why wasn't this in the game earlier things.

For the most part, the overarching UI feels pared down, with it simpler than last year to navigate menus across the game, too.

Superstar, Franchise and More

It's not a knock on Madden 25 to suggest that most of the effort before launch went into the gameplay side.

Look at the additions to Franchise mode this year, which feels like the headliner. There is a new draft board, prospect board and new draft cinematics, revamping the experience around the most popular event in sports.

And it's a welcome thing. Anything that pushes the draft side of the game to better fine-tune things into feeling like ultra-detailed fantasy football drafts is a win.

Otherwise, there's not much moving the needle and separating this Franchise mode from past iterations. There are redone menus such as top news stories and interactions with members of the organization and a little more RPG-lite goodness to the experience in the form of more varied storylines and personalities to juggle. Make no mistake, these are welcome things players will appreciate, but not the reason to pick up the game.

Similar vibes apply to Superstar mode. When one of the biggest features for this area is the ability to import a created player from College Football 25, which is nice, it still feels like the mode is in a holding pattern.

That said, the three-on-three Superstar Showdown mode is still a nice change-of-pace feature and it promises more events than usual this year.

Extending the shelf life of these game modes in an almost live-service sense is a big part of the push this year. Over in Madden Ultimate Team (MUT), this year's game promises seasons right up until the launch of Madden 26.

The usual stuff applies to the collection frenzy, albeit with some minor tweaks. Now, wins are the only thing that improve rank on the competitive scene. A Weekend Gauntlet keeps things interesting throughout a season. And those solo seasons against the AI come back in force.

Perhaps most importantly, there are notable improvements to the lineup screen, enabling smoother depth chart tweaking and subs.

Over in the online features suite, the competitive head-to-head online structure gets a rework in the form of seasons, too.

Conclusion

As a series, Madden felt like a team entering a week on upset watch, especially with the arrival of College Football 25 to a rave reception.

Unlike the college series, Madden 25 didn't have the benefit of a honeymoon phase, though. What it does do is dramatically dial in on the gameplay side of things with significant improvements that have resulted in the best-feeling Madden ever.

Yes, that means most modes feel stagnant at best and annual players have every right go bemoan that aspect. But the distinct pro style of gameplay is a nice counterpart to the college's offensive-minded, fitting action.

If nothing else, Madden 25 won't turn players away for simply being inferior to its collegiate counterpart. It's a strong enough entry that players can merely pick based on gameplay preferences before anything else. Gameplay decisions and execution also mean it's strong enough to register as the best entry in the series yet, ideal for new players and veterans alike.