Madden 25 Cover Athletes Revealed Alongside Release Date & Pre-Order Bonuses

Published Jun 11, 2024

Followed

Summary

Christian McCaffrey is the cover athlete for Madden 25.
Madden 25 releases on August 16, 2024, with early access for some pre-orders.
Pre-ordering includes bonuses like Elite Player Items and Madden Points.

Madden NFL 25 has officially revealed the cover athlete for the next installment in the annual football franchise, with a release date and list of pre-order bonuses following close behind. Each year, a different football star graces the cover of Madden. It's usually a high performer, rising star, or recent legend. Featuring on the cover of Madden is a high honor, as it's a testament to the selected player's recognizability - and marketability - within the NFL.

Madden 25 will feature Christian McCaffrey, a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, as its cover star. McCaffrey has played for the 49ers since 2022, during which time the NFL named him the Offensive Player of the Year. McCaffrey will appear in different images on both the Standard and Deluxe Editions of the game. Madden 25 will be released on August 16, 2024, following the usual release schedule - mid-August release windows are common for Madden games to coincide with the start of the football season just a few weeks later.

Images of three different Madden games side by side, spanning from the early 2000s to the modern era.

The 20 Best Madden Games, Ranked

There have been a lot of memorable Madden video games released over the years. But which one is ranked the best on Metacritic?

Posts

Madden 25: All Editions & Pre-Order Bonuses

Standard & Deluxe Editions

An image of Christian McCaffrey running towards the camera, alongside all the pre-order bonuses for Madden NFL 25.

As always, Madden 25 will be available in two editions - Standard and Deluxe. The primary difference between the two involves the bonuses players receive for buying them. The Deluxe Edition inevitably includes more, but comes at a higher price. However, players will still get some bonuses for pre-ordering the Standard Edition of Madden 25, which costs $69.99 USD across all platforms (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S). Namely, all pre-orders of Madden 25 come with a Cover Athlete Elite Player Item (to be used in Madden's Franchise Mode), the player's choice of two Strategy Items, a set of Superstar Drip Gear, and a Legendary XP boost.

The Deluxe Edition of Madden NFL 25 costs $99.99, and comes with all of the above, plus a handful of unique add-ons. Players who pre-order the Deluxe Edition will also receive three days of early access to Madden 25 (meaning they'll be able to start playing on August 13), early access Ultimate Team Challenges (special in-game goals and rewards, only available before launch), 4,600 Madden points (spent on player and team customization), and an AKA Player Item (a player whose jersey features an alternate name or nickname).

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was featured on the cover of Madden 24.

Uniquely, with the release of EA Sports College Football coming later this summer, players can pre-order both College Football and Madden 25 in one discounted bundle. Called the MVP Bundle, it includes the Deluxe Editions of both games, plus a couple of unique, bundle-exclusive Player Items. This costs $149.99, meaning the player effectively gets one of the games half-off. However, the MVP Bundle is only available for PS5 and Xbox - College Football is skipping PC, so the bundle won't work on that platform.

More information about Madden 25, like new features, graphics improvements, and featured players, may be revealed closer to launch. There still hasn't been any gameplay revealed, but a trailer is likely soon to follow. For now, players will have to wait until August 16 to start their Madden NFL 25 careers.

Source: @EAMaddenNFL/X