As a lifelong Bears fan, to say that I was excited to play Madden NFL 25 (early access) on PS5 was an enormous understatement. After a flurry of free agent signings around the league, this past offseason seemed terribly long. So, I spent a little time thinking - even back when ‘The Monsters of the Midway’ went to the Super Bowl in 2006, we really didn’t have a high powered offense like the one from the present day. Sure, Rex Grossman, Mushin Mohammad, Thomas Jones and Devin Hester (with the first ever 100 speed rating in Madden 08!) were great to play back in the day but the last seemingly ‘fun’ Chicago offense doesn’t even come close to the firepower of Madden NFL 25’s ‘Windy City’ squad. 

If I haven’t dated myself enough -spoiler alert- I’m old, but I’ve been a Madden player since my SNES days. To say the least, I was pumped to play as the Bears rookie phenom Caleb Williams (not to mention arguably the best receiving core in the league with Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze), running a high-powered Houston Texans offense with CJ Stroud and newly signed WR Stefon Diggs, along with a ground-and-pound rushing attack courtesy of Lamar Jackson and Derek Henry on the Baltimore Ravens.

 Roster updates are one thing, but what about the gameplay? Isn’t that always the biggest question surrounding the annual Madden release? Well, let’s get into it!

CONFIGURE YOUR SETTINGS:

Before you even hit the practice field, be sure to review all the customizable settings - especially “Experience Level.” Safe to say there’s a pretty big jump in AI difficulty from Pro to All Pro but this really isn’t anything new. I recommend that casual players start with Pro and bump up to All Pro after a few games - especially if you’ve been playing NCAA Football 25. Real quick, on that note, although we’re talking PRO ‘foosball’ (Mrs. Boucher voice), NCAA is a significantly different game than Madden 25 with respect to passing (timing) and especially defensive play calling & coverage. So, spend some time practicing before you launch a head-to-head online matchup or start Franchise mode.

To continue the ‘old school’ theme that I established, start out with the Classic Kicking Meter (power and accuracy are combined into a single meter). Kicking in Madden 25 is INFINITELY easier than College Football 25 - even when the pressure’s on. So you got that going for ya! 

Ok, last but not least (it’s a big one) I recommend selecting ‘Placement and Power’ for your Passing Style. Of course, these can be changed later on but I like Placement and Power (vs Placement and Accuracy) because it feels a little more natural to me. I later confirmed this was a good call by running some QB drills in ‘Training Camp.’

OFFENSE:

Speaking of Training Camp (Mini Games), I know you’ll want to hit the gridiron as soon as possible but if you’re like me, someone who’s already clocked 30+ hours of College Football 25, you’re going to want to practice at the pro level. Trust me on this! The little gameplay details of passing, rushing, defensive coverage are very different between the two games. Even the gameplay camera angle! For the record, I think Madden 25 is much better because you can see downfield easier to hit WR’s and avoid getting picked off by college DB’s who are seemingly invisible at times. 

Once you’re in Training Camp, I recommend WR Battle (incredibly fun & great way to work on your route running & manual pass catching skills), Rushing Attack (here you can practice your jukes, trucking, dead leg, and spins against the CPU) and Bucket Drop-Rapid Fire (improves your reaction time & boosts pass accuracy).

In addition to Training Camp’s Mini Games, be sure to check out the ‘Skills Trainer’ - especially ‘Advanced Techniques’ which consists of 6 quick drills. Here you will learn how to perfect the ‘Touch Pass’ which is the ability to drop the ball over the head of an underneath defender. This was one of my biggest beefs with previous Madden games but now you can control the arc of the pass with how long you hold the receiver icon. The longer you hold the button, the lower the arc. What does that mean? Well, it’s all about controls and timing and this is what makes a good player great. Better get ready for some quick decision making! But you can’t rely on the stock Playstation or XBOX controller to get the job done. You’re in the pro’s now right? Better step up your game to the “Clutch” KontrolFreek thumbsticks (my personal favorite). Or check out Omni as another way to level up your video game controller accessory game.

Back to the Touch Pass, there’s a Power Touch Pass (press & release the receiver icon before the meter is completely full) and also Placement Settings (allows users to see their QB’s target area and aim passes anywhere within it). Spend a little time on both of these and you’ll be voted into the Pro Bowl in no time at all!

Lastly, it’s time for the main event - what I’d call the biggest Madden 25 feature or update on offense: route adjustments. Seeing a coverage mismatch for your Tight End? Want to throw a fade to a speedy WR who’s lined up against a slow CB? Introducing the new ‘Custom Stem’ feature! Use it to adjust a route that breaks further downfield to help your WR get open. Best of all, it’s easy to use! Simply hit the Custom Stem button (L1 button on PS5) to call a WR hot route. Next, select the WR that you want to change (ie. the Circle receiver on PS5 or the B WR on XBOX). Then, hold L1 or LB (on PS5)  and move the left analog stick up until the route reaches the desired distance. What’s cool is you can also use the D-Pad to adjust the route in 5 yard increments by pressing up & down respectively. After adjusting the route, release L1 or LB to lock in the route and BOOM (Madden voice), you’re ready to rock! When should you do this? Well, I recommend lengthening a route in man-to-man coverage when you know your speedy WR can get past a particular DB. Timing is one thing but knowing the opposing team’s strengths and weaknesses is everything!

DEFENSE:

OK, let’s move to the other side of the ball as there’s a pretty major advancement in the world of Madden when it comes to playing defense. In Madden 25 you can switch to different players in coverage on a pass play using a new feature called the ‘Switch Stick.’ Best of all, this feature really comes in handy when you see a lapse in coverage. Just flick the right analog stick to quickly switch players when you are on defense. Note, you cannot be pressing anything else when you initiate the Switch Stick. I recommend using the Switch Stick on corner routes - especially in zone coverage. For example, if a WR is heading to the right sideline, simply flick the right analog stick to the right and you’ll instantly take control of the closest defender. But here’s the catch.. you can only Switch Stick to players in a zone formation on a particular coverage assignment. It also doesn’t work for blitzing players. I can’t stress this enough, PRACTICE USING THE SWITCH STICK. You will absolutely improve your chances of creating turnovers much less ‘taking the reins’ of a DB to prevent the CPU from torching you on a huge pass play. Something that I know we all hate!
Lastly, let’s talk about the hit stick - one of my favorite aspects of Madden for as long as I can remember. EA Sports says the hit stick is now powered by “BOOM Tech” which is a “physics-informed dynamic tackling system.” This is just a cool way to say that using the hit stick has gotten better! Initial thoughts of the hit stick are that you can really lay the smackdown with a huge hit. At times, it almost feels a slightly NFL Blitz / arcade-y but, hey, I’m here for it because there’s nothing like crushing a WR or RB with an impactful hit! The new & improved hit stick uses a timing-based mechanic to provide harder-hitting control determined by your angle of impact, stick-skill and accuracy for big hits (also cuts sticks and trucks). So, you better upgrade your play, football fans, and score some performance thumbsticks from KontrolFreek to take your game to the next level!