Madden NFL 25 review: Stretching the field

With the return of EA’s College Football series soaking up all the sports game hype this summer, I was particularly curious to see how the studio would handle Madden, a series that has lost its way in the modern era. With Madden NFL 25, EA Sports has prioritized updating the game’s presentation and visual design, though it’s abundantly clear that Madden is now the second-best ongoing American Football simulator.

Trying to bring the boom

The changes to the Hit Stick were the most talked-about gameplay update in the marketing for Madden NFL 25. The iconic tackling feature is now timing-based, with a hit’s success being determined by how early or late they are with triggering the Hit Stick (as well as player ratings and physical attributes). There is on-screen feedback to tell you how early, late, or on time you were with the Hit Stick.

When your Hit Stick is poorly timed, the offensive player is much more likely to break the tackle. There are some pretty cool animations where a Running Back or Wide Receiver will shrug off a big hit, gather themself, and keep running downfield. Conversely, it is a bit frustrating when a good defender completely flounders when trying to tackle an inferior offensive player because the hit was triggered too early or too late. It’s a neat experiment with a feature that hasn’t changed much over the years, but I wouldn't protest if EA left these changes behind next year.

Madden has also received a handful of gameplay tweaks that put it in line with the recently released EA Sports College Football 25, like the new two-phase kicking mechanic, and changing Read Option plays so that you hold A/X to make the QB keep the ball. The hardcore players of both games will appreciate the consistency here.

Outside of this, Madden's gameplay feels more or less like it always does. It’s fine. I noticed a handful of new ball-carrier animations, but there are still moments where player models awkwardly clash together and break fluidity. If you’re a longtime Madden player, you know what you’re getting.

New season, new look

Presentation updates were clearly a key priority with Madden NFL 25. EA has finally added two new broadcast teams with Greg Olsen/Mike Tirico and Kate Scott/Brock Huard. I’ve got nothing against Brandon Gaudin and Charles Davis, but we were desperately in need of some new voices in the booth.

These changes extend to the game intros and the score bug, which have solid refreshes from last year. The new home screen is completely devoid of style, with a vertical menu list accompanied by footage from real NFL games last year.

To the big leagues

With the revival of the College Football games, Madden NFL 25 brings back a fun old-school feature: the ability to take your college player to the NFL in Superstar mode. I was easily able to import my Iowa QB from CFB 25, maintaining my physical appearance and build, but with the option to tweak them for my NFL journey. After participating in the Combine, I was drafted in the first round to the New York Jets. After leading Iowa to a National Championship, I was tasked with turning around one of the most turbulent professional football programs.

It’s here that I got a glimpse of how fun Madden can be. This year’s game adds a draft cutscene where your player walks out on stage and shakes hands with Commissioner Roger Goodell, and then the two of you hold up your jersey. I felt fully immersed in the football world and committed to seeing my player’s career through.

Superstar isn’t the only mode with new draft features, as Franchise mode has a streamlined UI for draft night that makes it easier to examine prospects and make informed decisions. However, that’s pretty much the biggest change to Franchise this year.

Madden NFL 25 lets you make a woman coach for the first time, which is awesome. EA has also finally changed the Super Bowl celebration, which I was happy to see after the last one was used in multiple games. Outside of that, it’s the exact same player upgrade/ability screen. The same Weekly Strategy process, and the overall lack of feature innovation that I was hoping to see, given how good Dynasty is in College Football 25.

Oh, and we can't forget Ultimate Team, Madden's fantasy team-building mode where you open packs to collect characters from the past and present of the NFL. It's a shame that the ability to play as historic NFL players is still exclusive to a mode that's carefully designed to squeeze you of cash.

Timeout

The NFL has a reputation for being a more buttoned-up and corporate football experience (sometimes referred to as the No Fun League) in comparison to its college counterpart. I’ve found that the same parallel now exists between the Madden and College Football series. I dig some of the changes present in Madden NFL 25, but it simply lacks any sort of punch or excitement. There are no dope new features I want to run and tell my friends about. Nothing is uniquely different about any of the core modes compared to last year (besides some Superstar changes). Even the home screen looks more like an investor relations page than a video game menu.

Madden NFL 25 isn’t a bad game, it’s just the latest mild variation of the same game I’ve been playing for the past half-decade. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that modern Madden games won’t be better than “just alright” until there’s some sort of major change in the philosophy behind how they’re developed and released, but at least I’ve got College Football to go back to.

This review is based on an Xbox Series X code provided by EA Sports. Madden NFL 25 is available now for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_