3 Reasons to Pre-Order Madden 25 & 5 Reasons to Wait

Madden 25 pre-orders are live. And while there are some great reasons to pre-order a copy right now, there are also some great reasons to wait.

The latest entry in EA’s popular Madden series is headed to Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, PS4, and Windows in August.

Madden 25’s release date is August 16th, but you can play the game earlier if you join EA Play or purchase an upgraded bundle.

There are several versions of Madden 25. There’s a standard version that serves as the cheapest way to access the game and there’s a Deluxe edition which is aimed at hardcore fans of the series.

There’s also an MVP bundle that comes with the Deluxe versions of Madden 25 and EA College Football 25 and another version for EA Play Pro subscribers.

If you’re struggling with a decision to pre-order, you’re in the right place. In this guide we’ll take you through the best reasons to pre-order Madden 25 and the best reasons to hang back and wait.

Pre-Order Madden 25 for These Bonuses

If you pre-order a copy of Madden 25 for your console or PC, you’ll get some bonuses with your purchase. Here are those bonuses:

• Cover Athlete Elite Player Item
• Choice of 2 Strategy Items
• Superstar Drip Gear (Xbox Series X|S, PS5 only)
• Legendary XP Boost (Xbox Series X|S, PS5 only)

If you plan to invest a lot of time into Madden 25’s Ultimate Team mode, you might want to pre-order.

Pre-Order If You Want to Play ASAP

If you want to play Madden 25 the second it’s released, you’ll want to pre-order.

Pre-ordering a copy of the Madden 25 Deluxe edition or MVP Bundle gives you three days early access to the final version of the game.

Customers who buy one of these versions can start playing on August 13th.

If you pre-order a digital copy of the game, you’ll be able to pre-load it onto your console ahead of the game’s release date in August.

Pre-loading the game files ahead of time will allow you to jump right in when the game unlocks on August 16th. Those of you in western time zones will be able to play starting on August 15th.

Pre-Order for Early Deals

If you want to pre-order Madden 25, but want to spend less than the MSRP on a copy of the game, you don’t have to wait for the game’s release date.

It’s early, but we’ve already seen some Madden 25 deals emerge. EA Play subscribers save 10% off digital versions of the game. If you want to learn more about EA Play, head over to EA’s website.

Best Buy is offering a free $10 Best Buy e-Gift card to those who pre-order a copy of Madden 25 for Xbox or PlayStation.

Wait for More Info

EA’s confirmed changes coming in Madden 25 including physics-based tackling, a reengineered Hit Stick, and a new Ball Carrier Balance and Recovery System but we’ve only seen two deep dives thus far.

If you aren’t completely sold yet, wait for additional details to emerge. We’ll see a steady stream of announcements about gameplay and the various modes in the buildup to the game’s release.

Wait for Madden 25 Reviews

As details about Madden 25 start to trickle out, some of you might be able to make a decision about a pre-order. However, if you still find yourself on the fence, you should wait for full Madden 25 reviews to arrive.

You can expect full Madden 25 reviews to emerge in and around the game’s release date on August 16th. We’ll also get early impressions from EA Play subscribers and those who pre-order the Deluxe edition/MVP Bundle.

If you’re new to Madden or you simply aren’t sure if you want to spend $70 on a copy, you might wait for reviews from professional critics before making a decision.

Wait If You Don’t Meet the PC Requirements

Steam’s listed PC requirements on Madden 25’s page. If your computer doesn’t meet the minimum requirements, you should obviously hold off on a pre-order.

Madden 25 Minimum Requirements

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 – 64-Bit
• Processor: Intel Core i7-6700K (4-cores; 8-threads) or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• Memory: 10 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 65 GB available space
• Additional Notes: DirectX 12 compatible video card (feature level 12_0)

Madden 25 Recommended Requirements

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 – 64-Bit
• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K (6-core; 12-thread) or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• Memory: 12 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 8GB or AMD RX 6600 XT 8GB
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 65 GB available space
• Additional Notes: DirectX 12 compatible video card (feature level 12_0)

If you want Madden 25 to look and run great, and you don’t have the money to spend on a new rig or new parts right now, you might want to hold off on a purchase until you can buy new hardware.

Wait for the Best Madden 25 Deals

If you aren’t thrilled with the price of Madden 25, you might want to wait to buy until after the game’s release date.

While we’ve seen some deals emerge ahead of the game’s release date, the very best Madden 25 deals will arrive after the game’s release in August.

The first big Madden 25 price cuts will probably emerge in and around Black Friday and the holiday shopping season as retailers jockey for your hard earned cash.

That being said, the biggest price cuts will likely arrive in early-to-mid 2025 as the hype around the game starts to die down.

Wait for EA to Fix Bugs

If you can’t stand dealing with bugs and performance issues at launch, you might want to wait for EA to roll out a few updates before buying a copy of Madden 25.

EA’s fairly dialed in when it comes to Madden these days, but it’s still a big game with lots of moving parts. And like Madden games before it, it will probably have its fair share of issues at launch.

We expect EA to roll out a steady stream of bug fixes and performance improvements in the weeks following the game’s launch and these will help to stabilize the game.