With College Football 25 now here, the focus at EA Sports has shifted to Madden 25. On Tuesday, the company released a detailed deep dive into Madden 25 gameplay, and what players can expect this time around.
The biggest new addition to gameplay is the new “BOOM Tech” system. According to EA, this new technology allows plays to feel more organic as opposed to feeling too “scripted or pre-determined”. Other areas of improvement, according to EA Sports, include new physics-based tackling updates, an improved hit-stick mechanic, better ball carrier controls, and more.
You can check out some of the gameplay details highlights below.
Madden 25 launches on August 16 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and PS4. It should be noted that certain gameplay elements, like BOOM Tech and new physics-based tackling are available on current-gen consoles and PC only.
BOOM Tech
Physics-Based Tackles: Hit Sticks, Cut Sticks, Trucks, Stiff-Arms and Dive Tackles
All-new Physics-Driven Ball carrier balance and recovery system
Reloaded Hit Stick mechanic to make landing that perfect-hit stick feel rewarding and more skill-based
Physics-Based Tackles
Three components of a tackle: pre-impact movement, moment of impact, and tackle resolution.
“This system is not organic physics, or ragdoll, but rather dynamic animation selection informed by real-world physics. While not every tackle-type in the game is driven by physics, BOOM Tech will make Hit Sticks, Cut Sticks, and Dive Tackles more authentic and more unpredictable.”
Physics-Driven Ball Carrier Balance & Recovery System
“An extension of physics-based tackling is the emergence of a ball carrier’s ability to take a hit, stumble, and then recover his balance – or as it’s known in the league, Contact Balance. “
Reloaded Hit Stick: Timing-Based
“Hit Sticks will now be determined by the timing of the hit and angle of approach by the defender, in addition to player ratings and muscle-strength tuning. If the tackle is too early, too late, or a bad angle is taken, the hit power at the point of impact will be reduced. Tackle and Hit Power ratings will influence the timing windows, so that the chances of having a successful Hit Stick will increase when attempting with high-Hit Power players.”
Signature Authenticity
“In addition to user control, players and fans alike admire Madden for its visual authenticity. That type of immersion doesn’t stop with visuals, there’s much more that extends to the on-field experience to maximize NFL authenticity.”
Ball Carrier Revamp
“There are no details about the ball carrier experience the team didn’t dig into this year to enhance. Let’s start with improved contextual awareness. Using our Frostbite(™) animation technology, we have brought more athleticism and awareness to ball carriers. You’ll notice these improvements in both user and AI-controlled ball carriers when running through traffic, especially when at or near the line of scrimmage.”
Catching Innovation
“When you hit a catch button in Madden NFL 25 you’ll get the exact catch you’re requesting and the system will ensure that the context of the catch will be reflected accurately. For example, if you decide to hit Y/Triangle for an aggressive catch, but the pass is low, we’ve added new low-height jumping catches to ensure you get the button input response desired.”
Blocking
“For the first time ever, players will be able to see who their pass blockers are targeting in pre-play and will have new tools available to modify that targeting to capitalize on picking up their opponent’s blitz tendencies.”