Madden NFL 25 Preview: Bringing The Boom (Tech)

Much like this year's cover athlete, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, EA Sports's Madden NFL franchise has been showcasing quality football year after year. Each year brings new improvements, new ways to play, and new features that inch ever closer to making Madden feel like the real deal. Madden NFL 25 is no different, and we recently got to check out what's new with Madden in a hands-on session down in EA's Orlando office.

EA Sports Madden NFL 25

Release Date: August 16, 2024

Here comes the boom

The one major addition to Madden's formula this year is Boom Tech, a complete reworking of how ball carriers and defenders make impact with one another in live play. This starts with a reimagination of the iconic Hit Stick ability – which, by chance, is celebrating its 20th anniversary as part of Madden's gameplay.

Using the hit stick now takes timing and the angle of approach into account when measuring its success; if your linebacker comes in too high or too low, you're going to bounce off of the ball carrier instead of making the tackle. Conversely, if you time the hit stick perfectly, not only will the controller give you a satisfying rumble, but you'll knock the player back a yard or two in the process.

This new hit stick feels incredible in practice, as it gives you more control over how and when your defender attacks the ball. You can feel the impact of a big hit come through the screen, whether the tackle was actually successful or not. The timing mentioned above takes some practice to figure out – a few times we thought we'd nailed it, only for our defender to fall short – but when it works, it's an amazing feeling.

Power running

To balance the improvements of the defensive side of the ball, the Madden team also reworked the running game by giving the ball carrier a full slate of new tools to help fight for that extra yard. Running backs have new jukes, spins, hesitations, and more in their arsenal, and these moves can be chained together however you like.

If you want to stop in your tracks and then spin to the right, you can; if you want to juke left and then juke left a second time immediately afterward, go for it. Experimentation is key to success in this new system, and it makes for some exciting plays that are limited only by your imagination.

During one hands-on game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders, we unleashed a 43-yard burst from Eagles running back Saquon Barkley thanks to three key moves: Speeding through the hole in the line, spinning to the left to avoid the linebacker, and then pulling off a sweet stop-and-go to make the cornerback miss ten yards deep. Seeing that in action would have been cool enough, but using these new mechanics to make it happen was even cooler, and we're excited to see what longtime Madden players will come up with at launch.

Two football teams stand at the line of scrimmage in the EA Sports Madden NFL 25 video game — ©EA

Deep ball

The passing game is receiving some quality upgrades too, specifically in regards to situational catching. The team has introduced more than 700 new catching animations to make these instances feel more realistic than ever before, and the difference is noticeable at game speed.

In the same Eagles/Commanders matchup, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder that made our jaws drop; Daniels placed the ball perfectly at the front corner of the endzone over Crowder's left shoulder, who jumped up to catch it while also keeping the ball in-bound as he got pushed out. We played the best defense we could, but there was no stopping Crowder on that play.

Catches like those are all over the game this year, and the higher a wide receiver's ranking, the more tools they'll have to make those incredible catches. We didn't get the chance to play with names like Justin Jefferson or Tyreek Hill, but we can only imagine the highlight reels we'll be able to generate once the game is out.

A whole new world

The Madden series seeing multiple updates every year is normal, but it’s rare when said updates come from a major change in the real-world game itself. However, Madden 25 finds itself in this unique situation, as the league will introduce a brand-new kickoff procedure beginning this year.

For those unaware, kickoffs will now see the kicker kick the ball by himself at his team's 35-yard-line. The other ten players on his team will line up on the opposing team's 40-yard-line, and once the ball is caught by the kickoff returner, the defenders can pursue him. If it's in the real game, it has to be in Madden, and the developers have been in contact with multiple NFL teams in order to complete the impossible and accurately reflect this new format before it takes the field in real life.

In this way, Madden is providing a tutorial for a major real-world rules change, and based on our hands-on time, the team has done a respectable job with it. The sight of the two teams lining up only five yards apart is jarring to a longtime football fan, but in practice the new format doesn't change much about a kickoff play; by the time the returner starts running, it's a standard kickoff return.

What makes the new kickoff format more interesting – and again, this wrinkle is also available in Madden – is that you can designate any player on your team as a kickoff returner. Obvious choices are running backs, wide receivers, and defensive backs, but sometimes you might want to throw a tight end back there and see how he breaks tackles, or you might want to go completely off-the-rails and send your biggest offensive lineman just for a laugh. Kickoffs are a new frontier in the real NFL, and Madden is primed to be a driving force in not only teaching fans how they'll work, but also teaching teams the best strategies for this new approach.

Off-the-field fun

Those are the changes to the core on-field experience coming in Madden NFL, but the modes surrounding it will offer plenty of new perks to players as well. Ranked lobbies will make their Madden debut in head-to-head matches, with six available ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Elite, Hero, Champion, and Legend. Legend rank is unique in that only 50 players around the world can earn that rank at a time, with ranks resetting every couple of months with the new online season.

Madden Ultimate Team will offer similar ranked mechanics, though they will be separate from standard head-to-head. Ultimate Team will also offer Solo Seasons for players who want to build their teams without needing to go online, a new 6v6 mode for a more approachable and arcade-like experience, and a full slate of new challenges designed to help level up the players on your squad.

Franchise Mode is receiving a robust expansion, with over 70 dynamic storylines now available throughout a season. The Franchise Central hub screen lays out everything you need to know about your team in one place, from the storylines you're involved in to information on the next team on the schedule. Superstar Mode will also see a new Avatar creation suite with pre-made archetypes per position, as well as new Decision Moments that impact your player's trajectory, including what sort of Quests will be unlocked for the next game.

In both Franchise and Superstar modes, the NFL Draft portion has seen a particularly notable upgrade, with new cutscenes showing commissioner Roger Goodell greeting the top picks on stage and posing for pictures, while later picks are shown answering the phone on their couch at home. The Draft screen also comes with a new prospect board and real-time draft boards in Franchise mode, which helps keep up with the latest picks before it's your turn to decide.

Running for glory

Madden NFL 25 offers a lot to longtime players through its reworked physics system, the Boom Tech and Hit Stick improvements, and a plethora of new features in each of the game's most popular modes. On-field play feels great, with the impact of every hit and tackle felt at your fingertips, and the excitement of making the big play always feeling great. Plus, this year's game gets to pioneer a major rules change for the league, which adds a nice sweetener to an already worthy entry in the storied Madden franchise.

There will be more to learn between now and when the game launches, but based on what we've seen so far, this is shaping up to be a championship-caliber year for Madden.

Madden NFL 25 launches August 16 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC.