I often mention that I’m a huge sports game fan – it’s a well-known fact to many of my friends! Some of the very first video games that I played were Madden 98 and NCAA March Madness 99, so my love for them is not one that is recent or just spawned in. It has been growing and cultivating for over two decades, so I was ecstatic when I got the call to review Madden 25. I’m a regular Madden player who has played a majority of the titles casually and tends to play a lot of it when I do pick up a copy, so this means I would get the chance to check out a series that I’m a long-time player of.
So, did Madden 25 knock it out of the park, or is it at least better than Madden 24? In short, the answer is yes to both questions. Madden 25 is a significant improvement over 24, with enhanced graphics, smoother gameplay, and more realistic player movements. The game also introduces new features such as improved AI, better player customization options, and a more immersive career mode. These improvements make Madden 25 a stand-out Madden game for the 2020s.
I know from spending years being active in sports gaming groups that a review simply saying, “This Madden is really, really good,” is not sufficient for even 40% of the community. So let me begin by saying upfront that the game feels fresh and new from the moment the game boots up and when you hit the main menu. In Madden 24, there was a bizarre and noticeable audio bug that made the main menu music sound like it got compressed about 30 times; here in 25, you might immediately notice that the bug is gone, which is very lovely. But beyond such a minor tick in the “Is this really a new Madden” box, you see the immediate improvements when you hit the main menu.
The menu is clean, simple, and straight to the point. None of the extra flashiness we saw in 24 on the main menu made it seem a tad too much. Sure, sure, it added personality to the game, but it made it feel way too cluttered. Here in 25, we have an effortless look that screams “back to square one” but also just fits very well. Behind all of the options, a movie plays of football highlights from players warming up to performing signature plays; this gives the menu a natural extra bump in style points to me and delivers the message that football is at the forefront here.
To begin looking at the game’s modes, I will admit that I think EA Sports played it more safely here than anything. The game has no new modes, so the modes from last year are here, too. Those would be Franchise, Superstar, Ultimate Team, and Online Head to Head (H2H). This is OK on the surface, but this could be a turn-off if you’re a long-time veteran or even a casual player due to a lack of new game modes. The absence of new modes may disappoint anyone expecting fresh content and experiences. While I would consider myself a veteran, I play casually most of the time, which was a massive disappointment. 25 is supposed not only to look but also to feel like 25, not give us 24 reskinned, and this is where I first felt a little fear for the game’s potential.
Looking immediately at Ultimate Team, I’ll be the first to admit. I do not play UT-style game modes often; how they used to be a big thing of gambling and just buying pack after pack and grinding for more credits for the packs back in the day thoroughly burned me out. But that is not to say that I do not touch them at all, so I know what to expect nowadays, and you can find that here. I came into the mode expecting to see a single-player, multiplayer, and H2H Ultimate Team match and that is precisely what I got. But what I also got was more than I expected.
Ultimate Team is packed with challenges that cater to a team’s history, encouraging players to learn while playing while giving them a way to earn a bunch of rewards so that the player does not have to worry too much about spending money on the game mode. These challenges range from historical match simulations to team-building tasks, offering unique rewards and enhancing the gaming experience. The online H2H mode in UT is just like a normal Madden game, except with your own roster made up from the cards that the player pulls.
Modes like Superstar or MyCareer are my real bread and butter. They cater the game experience to you as a player and allow you to bend it to your will and be as realistic or unrealistic with actions that directly affect you as a player. Here in Madden 25, I’ll admit that as a long-time, heavy player of other sports games with career modes, Madden 25‘s Superstar mode made me sad. More modes aren’t this in-depth and personal. In 25, your superstar will inevitably have to do a weekly quest, which is some sort of interview or talk with a coach or teammate, sometimes even just a video message on your phone from a superstar. This is common in games like Madden, so if a player has played a recent entry from this decade, it is highly probable they’ve seen these messages.
But in Madden 25, it’s how they are presented; during the conversation, for example, the text comes up bold and big with emphasis on the essential parts of the conversation and how they respond to your answers. Sometimes, during these conversations, you get challenged and gain bonuses for your attributes for the next game to encourage you to complete the challenge. Outside of that, this is the same Superstar/Career mode that we have seen repeatedly from EA, which I can’t complain about too much. Madden‘s career mode feels extremely mainstream and simple, from the menus down to the game’s presentation. But I have noticed that this comes at a hit to the RPG elements of the mode. Simplifying the game and all is cool, but when it comes to upgrading my character’s skills and attributes, I wish players had more control over how they are developed and built.
Franchise mode is very straightforward, and unfortunately, if you have played Madden 24’s franchise mode, there will be nothing new of note here. The franchise is Madden’s game mode, where the player takes control of nearly the faucet of the football team and the front office duties. From scouting to training to signing and dealing with injuries, the players are as responsible for all those tasks as they see fit. If the players decide they only want to play the games and deal with signings and hires, they can choose to automate all of those processes.
As a person who really enjoys those modes more casually, if I am doing some sort of work or anything, it would have been nice if EA Sports gave us a more in-depth Franchise mode. There are a few additions, most notably the game’s new “Draft-day Experience” to 25 to the mode and realistic player progression and regression, but seeing a lot of what I saw in 24, 22, and 21 in Madden 25 is just disheartening as a fan, I must admit. Franchise mode is franchise mode; there is only so much EA Sports can do with the mode, but to let it stay and feel stagnant puts a scuff mark on the game for me.
When it comes to how the game plays, Madden feels really good. The game feels smooth and like you are actually in the football position that you are playing. Regarding the quarterback position, the pressure from the defensive line really feels exciting here in the game, as well as the additions to the defense. Playing defense in Madden 25 is a treat. It’s hard and will take some getting used to, like, for example, the game’s hit stick has been revamped, so you have to be more accurate. If a player were to flick the stick with no timing simply, they would most likely shed off of the offensive player. Interceptions and manual catches are also noticeably a tad more difficult to get, but the same case here exists; when you get one, it feels good.
The animations in the game are all noticeably extra smooth, with no more jankiness than was seen in animations in Madden 24, even in the same animations that we have seen before. Everything looks and feels as if it’s more than just a simple new coat of paint here, putting Madden 25 in its own box. Outside of the actual gameplay, the environments look, feel, and sound ten times better than in 24. There is now audible stadium music when a play is not in session, adding real realism to the game. The presentation of the game might be similar to 24, but seems to have been completely revamped for this years entry, it is very smooth and responsive to your gameplay and the commentary that is provided gives the game more life than I was expecting.
But amongst all of the positives of the game with its gameplay, there are a few negatives that, for some players, could be the thing that makes or breaks the game for them. Most notably, here it would be there that players we promised in trailers that the gameplay would be more physics-based this year, but in actuality, when playing the game, it feels more animation carried than anything with some physics being mixed in. Tackles don’t necessarily always work no matter how you go about trying to get them, one time getting a tackle would stop the player realistically where they would go down. Other times, it feels like the game will let an animation play out in some way that will extend the play in a way that is not realistic. I experienced this a lot playing the RB/HB position; sometimes, I would go down extremely quickly, and others, I would shed off the defense like it was BBQ Chicken, knowing full well that all I did was hold forward.
Similarly, this could also be felt when playing either O-Line or D-Line. When it comes to the presentation it is very good, but it feels empty and bland at the same time, there is no pre-game, halftime, or end game show. When accomplishing a feat, you get acknowledged but not celebrated like in other games, even other EA Sports titles, both past and present. The game is very good, yet very bland and basic, and the parts that rubbed off of the gameplay and experience can be seen up front and center.
In conclusion, I really do like Madden 25 and consider it the Madden game to play out of the 2020s. While the gameplay is fun, the lack of new modes makes it more difficult to recommend in some areas. Gameplay is harder due to changes made for this entry, and it gives the game its scuff marks that every game will have in some way or form. While good, this game also highlights a significant issue with the Madden franchise that can be seen on full display when looking at the same menu.
Since Madden 21 next-gen, it feels like Madden has become complacent. Sure, the franchise has added in tons of minor things that may lead to a better experience, but the key word is “may,” and that “may” more times than not makes the game more frustrating and leads to me being confused about what happened on my screen. A good example of this would be Madden 25‘s “BOOM Tech.” I understand what is supposed to be happening with it, but effectively, in my eyes and hands, I took away a decent hit stick and put conditions on it that, in fact, make sense because it happens in real life but does not translate well through the technology being implemented right now.
With additions and gameplay changes such as that, saying Madden 25 is all new yet offers 0 new modes and touting a franchise mode that still feels like it’s stuck in the late 2010s, the franchise feels genuinely stuck in the mud. Maybe the NFL needs to revisit its rights agreements or something because I really do like Madden 25. It just feels like there is little to no invention and/or innovation here. If you are looking for a solid football game to carry you for this upcoming NFL season, then Madden 25 will more than do the job. Its updated visuals, presentation, and gameplay all give it a genuine fresh feeling that Madden might just be back. On the other hand, the game falls to the issue that most Madden releases have been having lately, feeling the same as its previous entry to some faulty degree. If you are looking for a football game that goes back and rivals the NFL 2K games or even the Madden releases of the 2000s and early 2010s, this entry might be a skip.
