Madden 25 review: "A good game, but not a great one"

You've played Madden 25 before, even if you don't realize you've played Madden 25 before. EA Sports released an NFL sim under that exact same name back in 2013, to mark the series' 25th anniversary. There are bound to be a string of players who believe that it hasn't changed much in 12 years. Which isn't the case – PS5 and Xbox Series X Madden is many moons ahead of its two-gen-old counterpart. Yet it still fails to trigger the same highs as this esteemed series did during its heyday.

Part of the problem is a newly reincarnated sibling. After more than a decade away, the NCAA franchise returned in July – and as I noted in our College Football 25 review, that game is packed with joy. From outrageous playbooks, to wild shootouts, to marching bands and dancing mascots, to a recruiting model in dynasty mode that is nigh-on impossible to pull yourself away from. It's everything a Gridiron sim should be. Madden 25 actually plays a more accomplished game of football, in certain regards, such as O-line blocking. Yet the overall feeling is one of sterility.

Serious talk

Perhaps this is a reflection on the current state of the real NFL. Madden is hugely functional, but it isn't always fun. Touchdowns, field goals, interceptions: all the key elements of football are present and correct, but they seldom have you leaping around the room with joy, despite the addition of player-specific celebrations, and entire defensive units coming together to whoop over a pick six. These moments are just… there. And as these are the sport's pinnacle highs, it means all the other tweaks made this year don't do quite enough.

There are myriad tweaks, and many of them succeed. Attempts have been made to bolster the engine, which received justified stick during our Madden 24 review. Boom Tech is a daft name for the new tackling mechanic, but it does make one-to-one takedowns feel less scripted, with a greater sense of physics to each outcome. Momentum, timing, and size all matter – get Derrick Henry up against a safety and even a clean grasp is unlikely to stop him falling forward two yards. Similarly, new catching animations show up early and often, aiding you with sideline throws (about time!) and deep shots to the far pylon. Nice.

Dedicated players are smartly rewarded in ways that casuals likely won't notice. You might not care for new pre-snap pass-blocking assignments, such as Half-Slide Right or Left, but they do lead to your linemen and backs picking up blitzes more effectively. On the other side of the ball, Cover 2 and Cover 3 schemes are more reliable – in previous editions I've always had to use man defense against 3rd and long, but zones feel less terrifying this year. Also, blink-and-miss-'em animations showing players making specific preplay adjustments are one of the series' greatest touches ever. In theory you could read individual intentions just by monitoring these animations, which is a staggering detail.

College Football 25's kicking mechanic, stopping a horizontal meter for accuracy, then a vertical one for power, is implemented here and makes field goals difficult for the first time in forever. Finally there's a sense of risk to settling for a 45-yard try on the last play of the game – providing one of the few moments when you do erupt off the sofa. EA also does its best to get around the mind-bending new rule regarding kick-offs. Onside kicks are outlawed until the fourth quarter now, so instead you have the option to kick deep for a touchback, place the ball to trigger a return, or squib. It's a passable selection, but the real NFL has done its development studio no favors in removing one of the sport's most exciting plays.

Inevitably, the place EA most wants you to experience all this is within Ultimate Team. While its pack-pushing heaviness warrants the same criticism as always, there's much to like. Indeed, its best bit – taking on challenges to earn stars and build towards rewards – often keeps you immersed for longer than actual matches do, especially with new Epic Challenges to contend with. (Such as overturning a 17-point second-quarter deficit on hard difficulty.) Pack openings are swish, the team-building UI looks neater, and the promise of 6-on-6 mini-matches should add a new dimension. Still, if you've always despised the concept, it's not going to win you over.

Ultimate alternatives

Mercifully, there are other options in play, such as Superstar mode. There's a real sense of satisfaction to performing well at the mini-game-packed scouting combine, and having Roger Goddell announce your name in the draft. My boy, Ben Green, went in the second round to the Titans, and I did feel legitimately excited to get a personal welcome from Brian Callahan. Performance-driven quests to unlock abilities and gear stretch the focus beyond gaining yards and scoring touchdowns, to the point that just an accurate blocking assignment sometimes sparks an endorphin rush. See, Madden 25 does conjure some real highs. Just not always in conventional places.

That's certainly true of franchise mode. Insurmountable during the series' PS2 years, it's mostly forgettable now. In part, again, because of the new kid on the block. There's no way Madden could compete with College Football 25's electric recruiting model because it's not how the system works in the NFL. A new 'draft night' experience, once more starring Goddell and with the main board updating in real time, is very cool – but naturally only occurs once per season. The other way of building your roster, via free agency, just feels drab. Work out player demands, cycle through the necessary menus and panels, move on to the next guy if you miss out… there should be a real buzz to this. Alas, it isn't there.

It's a curious time for this once sublime series. Fan feedback is being acted on. With commentary duo Brandon Gaudin and Charlies Davis getting stale, EA adds not one but two crews. Mike Tirico and Greg Olsen are likably chill, Kate Scott and Brock Huard a touch more intense. Good moves. Stats screens during Franchise and Superstar are smartly detailed, and hearing classic tracks from Madden games of yesteryear echoing around stadiums is clever. Again, good moves – and Madden 25 is a good game. But it isn't a great one. And with a more fun football experience now housed in the same building, it's tough to see how that changes anytime soon.

Madden 25 was reviewed on PS5, with code provided by the publisher.